Oui Lniiifi Kc.'.inircc.s — Imiodmtion 



research were canied out as well as technical 

 assistance to the public and to game managers; 

 animal damage control: regulatory functions 

 including conservation law enforcement; 

 administration of refuge lands; and public edu- 

 cation through publications and exhibits (sec 

 box). Conservation problems included habitat 

 loss, declining wildlife populations, species 

 extinction, control of exotic species, control ot 

 predatory and injurious wildlife, pollution and 

 disease control, and competition between 

 wildlife, agriculture, and forestry. 



The BBS was transfened to the Department 

 of Interior on July 1. 1939. and was made part 

 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 

 In November 1993, the biological research 

 components within the Department of Interior, 

 including those from the USFWS, the National 

 Park Service, the Bureau of Land Manage- 

 ment, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the 

 Minerals Management Service were reorga- 

 nized to form the National Biological Survey. 

 The name was changed to the National 

 Biological Service on January 5, 1993, lo more 

 accurately rellect the agency's mission. 



Then and Now 



Dr. Merriam noted that the chief work of the 

 BBS was to obtain facts, for without a knowl- 

 edge of facts there can be neither efficient 

 administration nor intelligent regulation of 

 wildlife to meet the needs of the nation 

 (Cameron 1929). That same philosophy is 



inherent in Secretary of the Interior Bruce 

 Babbitt's remarks about the NBS; 



The National Biological Survey will pro- 

 duce the map we need to avoid the eco- 

 nomic and environmental "train wrecks" 

 we see .scattered across the country. NBS 

 will provide the scientific knowledge 

 America needs to balance the compatible 

 goals of ecosystem protection and eco- 

 nomic progress. . . . |The| National 

 Biological Survey will unlock information 

 about how we protect ecosystems and plan 

 for the future. (National Research Council 

 1993:181-182). 



Land management, regulatory, and law 

 enforcement activities of the BBS remained 

 with the LISFWS and other parent bureaus with- 

 in the Department of Interior when the NBS 

 was formed. Only the biological research com- 

 ponents of the department have become part of 

 the NBS. This nonadvocacy biological science 

 program will help the nation to resolve increas- 

 ingly contentious and challenging issues in 

 managing its biological resources. 



References 



Cameron. J. 1929. The Bureau of Biological Survey: its tiis- 

 tory. activities, and organization. John Hopkins Press. 

 New York. .1.^9 pp. 



National Research Council (Committee on the Formation ot 

 the National Biological Survey). 199.^. A biological sur- 

 vey lor the nation. National Academy Press, Washington. 

 DC. 2(l.'i pp. 



For further information: 



Milton Friend 



National Biological Service 



National Wildhle Health Center 



6006 Schroeder Rd. 



Madison. Wl 53711 



