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of rare or endangered flora or fauna. The first list of rare or 

 endangered plants in the United States is being developed. 



The Center is currently administering several major regional surveys 

 of natural areas and is considering others. This report on Chesapeake 

 Bay represents one such effort with the staff involved listed in Table 

 I— 1. Additionally, a comprehensive conservation and protection plan has 

 been developed for the Maine coast, involving over 200,000 acres and 1,100 

 miles of coast line. 



The Center's program includes a project to assist the Army Corps of 

 Engineers in, assessing the "state of the art" of environmental inventory 

 information and methodology, and analyzing the environmental inventory 

 process with respect to the Corps project planning needs. Additionally, 

 a project to identify potential natural landmarks in the Atlantic Coastal 

 Plain exists under a contract with the National Park Service. Finally, 

 assistance is being provided to the Air Force in the development of a model 

 ecological survey for selected Air Force bases and their environs. 



Future aspects of the Center's program will include conservation 

 leadership training and the dissemination of natural area information for 

 general educational purposes. It is hoped the Center can be a vehicle 

 to provide a select number of outstanding men or women a challenging 

 opportunity to establish a conservation-oriented career, and conserve as 

 a focal point for developing an educational program and teaching materials 

 about natural areas. 



