Department of the Interior (DOI) controls one fifth of the land in the United States , and manages it to protect the nation’s natural and cultural heritage and provide recreational and economic access to its citizens. Its myriad offices and agencies perform and utilize advanced research in the natural sciences to fulfill the Department’s goal of administering public lands for the benefit of both the nation’s citizens and its native life and ecosystems.

Cooperative Conservation Initiative - Public-private partnership offering conservation grants to participants in voluntary joint ventures between private land owners and government agencies.

Bureau of Indian Affairs- Site down pending Cobell litigation.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - BLM oversees one-eighth of the land area of the United States , primarily consisting of rangeland, mountains, deserts and forests in the Western U.S. BLM manages its lands to balance the American public’s desires of conservation, environmental management, tourism, recreation and resource use, and directs numerous research and conservation programs to enhance its land administration capabilities.

• Abandoned Mine Lands Home Page - Project information on the cleanup of historic mine sites in the Western U.S. and their impact on local ecosystem and riparian health.
• Fish, Wildlife and Botany Group - Provides expert scientific advice to manage the BLM’s fish, wildlife and botanical resources.
• National Landscape Conservation System - Manages a diverse network of protected and conserved areas under BLM control, including National Monuments, Wilderness Areas, and National Historic and Scenic Trails. Drafts long-term management plans for these areas in coordination with U.S. conservation and environmental laws.
• National Wild Horse and Burro Program - Manages horses and burros roaming freely on public rangelands; operates an adoption program to prevent overpopulation by horses or burros.
• Office of Fire and Aviation - Drafts fire control and fighting plans for BLM lands, cooperates with other Federal and state agencies and foreign governments to spread expertise on modern fire management techniques.
• Weeds Program - Provides information on BLM’s numerous programs to combat invasive species of weeds threatening biodiversity and economic productivity on public lands.
• Sage-Grouse Habitat Conservation Program - manages sagebrush landscapes and sage-grouse habitat in 11 Western states.

Bureau of Reclamation - Reclamation operates more than 600 dams and reservoirs and their accompanying canals and waterways in the Western U.S. Reclamation provides water to over 30 million people, electricity to six million homes and irrigation water to 20% of the farmers in the West.

• Fisheries Applications Research Group : Multidisciplinary scientific program studying the impacts of large-scale water projects on fish and other aquatic organisms and developing new technologies and techniques to ensure the health of aquatic ecosystems.

  Flood Hydrology Group : Studies the effects of floods and extreme weather events on Reclamation projects and their surrounding habitats.

  Ecological Research and Investigations Group : Conducts scientific studies of ecological health in Bureau of Reclamation project areas.

• Reclamation International Affairs Program : Provides information and technical assistance for water projects in developing nations, building upon Reclamation construction and management experience in the U.S.
• Water Resources Research Laboratory : Conducts research into proper construction of dams, canals and other water project components to ensure both their safe operation and compatibility with native ecosystems.

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) - The FWS holds as its primary mission the conservation of fish, wildlife and plants. The Service’s major responsibilities are for migratory birds, endangered and threatened species, marine mammals, and fresh and salt water fish.

• 100 th Meridian Initiative - Aims to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other harmful aquatic invasive species into the Western U.S.
• Coastal Barrier Resource System - Provides information on and helps manage coastal barriers, such as barrier islands, mangroves and coastal sand dunes. These habitats and development areas are often the most vulnerable to disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, marine pollution and climate change.
• Captive Breeding Programs - Adopted to help promote the recovery and ex-situ conservation of threatened and endangered species.
• Coastal Program - Identifies important coastal resource problems and solutions, seeks partnerships to carry out on-the-ground conservation projects, and encourages public action in 11 of the nation’s highest priority coastal areas.
• Coastal Wetlands Program - A competitive program to grant funds to coastal states to carry out coastal wetlands conservation projects.
• Contaminants Program - Focuses on the impact of pesticides, endocrine disrupters, and air, water and ecosystem pollution on species and their habitats.
• Division of Bird Habitat Conservation - Distributes conservation matching grants to organizations protecting bird habitat, and, with numerous governmental and NGO partners, drafts regional bird conservation plans to safeguard bird populations.
• Division of Migratory Bird Management - Coordinates management of over 800 species of birds that spend part or all their lives within U.S. territory. Works with other nations’ governments and NGOs to ensure safe flight corridors, and ecosystems throughout the range of migratory birds.
• Division of Realty - Directs the acquisition of new FWS land for refuges and support activities.
• Endangered Species Program - Central site for Endangered Species listings and status.
• Endangered Species Recovery Plans - FWS works with scientists from other federal and state agencies, universities, and private organizations to develop “recovery plans” that identify actions needed to save endangered or threatened species and restore their numbers.
• Habitat Conservation Plan - Strategies to promote the recovery of endangered species and their natural surroundings.
• Hunting Division - Central office regulating the hunting of migratory birds. Develops plans to control bird populations and prevent hunting when populations or habitats are too vulnerable.
• International Affairs Division - Provides information on FWS international activities, compliance with international treaties and agreements.
• Invasive Species Division - FWS site for information on invasive species in the United States , their environmental and economic impacts, and efforts to combat them.
• National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants - Awarded each year to coastal States for the acquisition, restoration, or enhancement of coastal wetlands and tidelands.
• National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) - Provides training and education services to the natural resource management community to better accomplish our common goal of conserving fish, wildlife, and their habitat.
• National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory - Only criminal investigation laboratory dedicated to wildlife crimes in the world. Performs laboratory work for investigations concerning national and international endangered species, hunting law violations and other wildlife-related criminal acts.
• National Wetlands Inventory - plans, directs, coordinates, and monitors the gathering, analysis, dissemination, and evaluation of information relating to the location, quantity, and ecological importance of the Nation’s wetlands.
• National Wildlife Refuge System - Diverse system of protected lands and coastal areas providing habitat for native species and limited recreational opportunities for the public.
• Native American Liaison - Coordinates with Tribal Governments to more effectively conserve habitat on reservations, assists in developing combined land management strategies for FWS lands and preserves abutting reservations.
• Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program - provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners who want to restore valuable wildlife habitat on their property, primarily wetlands, riparian areas, and native prairie.
• Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration Program - Fulfills the dual goals of combating climate change and preserving threatened habitat and species by protecting forested natural lands (and the carbon their plant life contains) or reforesting previously disturbed habitats.

National Park Service (NPS) – NPS manages the nation’s National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Sites and numerous other historically and ecologically significant areas. NPS administers its parks to meet parallel goals of historical preservation, wildlife and habitat conservation, recreation and public education.

• Air Quality Program - Works to improve air quality in lands managed by the NPS, many of which suffer from high level of ozone and other airborne pollutants resulting from nearby power plants, cities and automobile traffic.
• Ecosystem Restoration - Focuses on restoring National Parks to their natural state following degradation by pollution, invasive species, or human activities.
• Global Conservation - Coordinates NPS activities and supports the establishment of national parks and historic areas in other nations.
• Invasive Species Management - Combats the numerous invasive species threatening ecosystem health and endangered and threatened native species in the National Park System.
• Migratory Birds Program - Coordinates with other governmental and international organizations and NGOs in order to ensure the safety of migratory birds that use National Park System lands as their home during part of the year.
• Natural Sounds Program - Preserves the native “soundscape”, or natural levels of ambient sounds within an ecosystem, by studying and regulating types and degrees of human use.
• Threatened and Endangered Species Program - Identifies and protects threatened and endangered species residing within the National Park System.
• USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program - A cooperative effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) to classify, describe, and map vegetation communities in more than 270 national park units across the United States .
• Water Resources Division - Provides technical assistance and funding to efforts to improve and safeguard water quality and habitat in lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands within National Parks.
• Wildlife Health and Disease - Identifies and combats threats to wildlife health within the National Park System, including communicable diseases.
• Wildlife Management - Attempts to restore and preserve natural ecosystems within National Parks. This involves minimizing human impacts on habitat and animal populations, as well as efforts to prevent species extinction or overpopulation.

US Geological Survey (USGS) - USGS serves the nation as an independent fact-finding agency that collects, monitors, analyzes and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues and problems. Unlike other DOI agencies, USGS has no regulatory or management mandate, but its science and information programs form an integral part of many other agencies’ and private organizations’ activities.

International Programs - USGS undertakes numerous partnerships with other governments, science organizations and NGOs around the world. These collaborative efforts expand the organizations’ effectiveness, and allow USGS to more effectively address pressing issues such as the effects of invasive species, behavioral ecology, water resources, climate change and others.

Aquatic and Endangered Resources Program - Research division focused on the health of fish, fisheries, aquatic invertebrates and aquatic habitats.

Biological Informatics (BIO) – Focuses on the development and application of innovative information technologies and practices for the management of biological data, information and knowledge resulting from worldwide research to increase the value to our researchers and other customer groups.

• Gap Analysis - Seeks to identify gaps in the biological reserve network that may be filled through the establishment of new reserves or changes in land management practices. Develops standardized distribution maps of surface vegetation, terrestrial vertebrates, and endangered species in the lower 48 states and Hawaii .
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - Worldwide partnership to make available the world’s primary data on biodiversity through the internet. The BIO program is the U.S. focal point for this international program.
• Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN) - An informal global affiliation to provide a platform for sharing invasive species information via the Internet and other digital means, through collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Invasive Species Programme, the Global Biodiversity Information Network, and others. The USGS-BIO program chairs its interim Steering Committee.
• Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) - Partnership between 34 countries in the Americas to create an Internet-based forum for technical and scientific cooperation promoting greater coordination among Western Hemisphere countries in the collection, sharing, and use of biodiversity information relevant to decision-making and education. The BIO program is the U.S. focal point for this international program.
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) - USGS–led partnership with several other Federal agencies, organizations, institutions, and taxonomic specialists across the United States and internationally ( Canada and Mexico ) to build and maintain a comprehensive and freely accessible database of scientific names of living organisms and associated information. Priority coverage is given to North American biota, but the database also includes hemispheric and global coverage for many important groups of species.
• National Biological Information Infrastructure – Broad-based, collaborative program amongst federal, state, international, non-government, academic and private industry partners to collect and disseminate biological data using the internet.

Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program - Evaluates environmental contaminants and their effects on species and lands under the stewardship of DOI to provide scientific information and guide management action.

Center for Aquatic Resource Studies - Conducts research supporting the management of the nation´s aquatic biological resources, such as the Florida manatee, amphibians, endangered fishes, and alligators.

• Nonindigenous Aquatic Species - Central data point for diverse sources of information on nonindigenous aquatic species, including invasive species.

Contaminant Biology Program - Investigates the effects of exposure to environmental contaminants on the nation’s living resources, particularly those under the jurisdiction of DOI.

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) - Composed of 17 regional units and incorporating diverse federal agencies and academic institutions, the CESUs improve agency coordination, share scarce resources and valuable expertise, and deal with the broad and complex problems associated with resource management while conducting ecosystem-oriented research.

Cooperative Research Units Program - Led by the USGS, conducts research on renewable natural resource questions, participates in the education of graduate students destined to join the natural resource profession, provides technical assistance and consultation to parties who have interests in natural resource issues, and provides various forms of continuing education for natural resource professionals.

Cooperative Water Program - Cost and expertise-sharing partnership between USGS and local, state and tribal water agencies to monitor water and ecosystem quality and quantity.

Global Change Research Program (Biology) - Performs global change-related research in the field of biology, with a special focus on the effects of global change on DOI lands.

Invasive Species Program - Provides management-oriented research and delivers information needed to prevent, detect, control, and eradicate invasive species, and to restore impaired ecosystems.

National Institute of Invasive Species Science - Consortium of government and non-government organizations that works to coordinate data and research from many sources to predict and reduce the effects of harmful non-native plants, animals, and diseases in natural areas and throughout the United States with a strategic approach to information management, research, modeling, technical assistance, and outreach.

National Water Quality Assessment Program - Monitors water chemistry, hydrology, land use, stream habitat and aquatic life.

National Wetlands Research Center - Performs research and inventories of wetlands ecosystems used in forming wetlands management strategies. Also serves as a central repository of national and international wetlands information in peer-reviewed journal article, database, and library form.

North American Breeding Bird Survey - Cooperative effort between USGS and the Canadian Wildlife Service to monitor the status and trends of North American bird populations.

Status and Trends of Biological Resources Program - Seeks to measure the current abundance, distribution, productivity and health of the nation’s plants, animals and ecosystems, and predict future changes in their status.

Terrestrial, Fresh Water and Marine Ecosystems Program - Provides research meant to guide the design and evaluation of scientifically based strategies to manage and restore ecosystems and landscapes.

USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program - A cooperative effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) to classify, describe, and map vegetation communities in more than 270 national park units across the United States.

USGS Science Centers - Areas of expertise include aquatic systems, botany, ecosystem analysis and modeling, fishery chemistry and management, forest management, genetics, invertebrate zoology, museum curation, statistical design and analysis, taxonomy and systematics, toxicology, urban ecology, and wildlife habitat evaluation.

• Alaska Science Center
• Center for Biological Informatics
• Columbia Environmental Research Center
• Florida Integrated Science Center
• Forest and Rangeland Ecosystems Science Center
• Fort Collins Science Center
• Great Lakes Science Center
• Leetown Science Center
• National Wetlands Research Center
• National Wildlife Health Center
• Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
• Northern Rocky Mountains Science Center
• Pacific Islands Ecosystem Research Center
• Patuxent Wildlife Science Center
• Southwest Biological Research Center
• Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
• Western Ecological Research Center
• Western Fisheries Research Center

Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources Program - Conducts research on waterfowl, large mammals, songbirds, terrestrial plants, amphibians and their habitats in order to assist Federal and State wildlife agencies in their conservation and management efforts.