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AN ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION STUDY OF THE CHENIER 

 PLAIN COASTAL ECOSYSTEM OF LOUISIANA AND TEXAS was prepared 

 for the National Coastal Ecosystems Team, Office of Biological Services, U.S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Service. James G. Gosselink, Louisiana State University, was 

 principal investigator. Funding was provided by the Office of Research and 

 Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 



Copies of Volume I (Narrative Report) FWS/OBS-78/9, Volume II (Data 

 Source Appendix) FWS/OBS-78/10,and Volume III (Atlas) FWS/OBS-78/11, 

 may be obtained from: 



National Coastal Ecosystems Team 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

 NASA-Slidell Computer Complex 

 1010 Gause Blvd. 

 Slidell, LA 70458 



Contents of Volume HI 



Plates: 



1 A and IB - Index Maps 



2 - The Pleistocene Erosional Surface 



3Aand3B - Chenier Plain Habitat Groups 



4A and 4B - Chenier Plain Wetland Habitats 



5A and 5B - Canal and Point Source Discharges 



6A and 6B - Special Features 



The Biological Services Program was established within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service to supply scientific information and methodologies on key environmental issues 

 that impact fish and wildlife resources and their supporting ecosystems. The mission of 

 the program is as follows: 



• To strengthen the Fish and Wildlife Service in ib role as a primary source of 



information on national fish and wildlife resources, particularly in respect to 

 environmental impact assessment 



• To gather, analyze, and present information that will aid decisionmakers in the 



identification and resolution of problems associated with major changes In 

 land and water use. 



• To provide better ecological Information and evaluation for Department of the 



Interior development programs, such as those relating to energy develop- 

 ment 



Information developed by the Biological Services Program Is Intended for use in the 

 planning and decisionmaking process to prevent or minimize the impact of development 

 on fish and wildlife. Research activities and technical assistance services are based on 

 analysis of the Issues, a determination of the decisionmakers involved and their informa- 

 tion needs, and an evaluation of the state of the art to Identify information gaps and 

 determine priorities. This is a strategy that will ensure that the products produced are 

 disseminated are timely and useful. 



Projects have been initiated in the following areas: coal extraction and conversion; 

 power plants, geothermal, mineral, and oil-shale development; water resource analysis, 

 including stream alterations and western water allocation; coastal ecosystems and Outer 

 Continental Shelf development; and systems inventory, including National Wetland In- 

 ventory, habitat classification and analysis, and information transfer. 



The Biological Services Program consists of the Office of Biological Services In 

 Washington, D.C., which is responsible for overall planning and management; National 

 Teams, which provide the Program's central scientific and technical expertise and arrange 

 for contracting biological services studies with states, universities, consulting firms, and 

 others; Regional Staff, who provide a link to problems at the operating level; and staff at 

 certain Fish and Wildlife Service research facilities, who conduct in-house research 

 studies. 



