Department+of+Interior


 * Current Leader of Department**: Ken Salazar


 * Mission Statement**: The Mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and provide access to our Nation's natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to Indian Tribes and our commitments to island communities.


 * Responsibility and Goals**: Interior has established five Departmental goals that encompass the major responsibilities of the Department. These goals provide a framework for the strategic plans of Interior's bureaus. The Departmental goals are as follows:


 * **Resource Protection** - Protect the Nation's Natural, Cultural, and Heritage Resources
 * **Resource Use** - Manage Resources to Promote Responsible Use and Sustain a Dynamic Economy
 * **Recreation** - Provide recreation opportunities for America
 * **Serving Communities** - Safeguard lives, property and assets, advance scientific knowledge, and improve the quality of life for communities we serve
 * **Management Excellence** - Manage the Department to be highly skilled, accountable, modern, functionally integrated, citizen-centered and result-oriented

__**Department of Interior Bureaus**__
Bureau of Indian Affairs ** The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) responsibility is the administration and management of 55.7 million acres of land held in trust by the United States for American Indians, Indian tribes, and Alaska Natives. There are 562 federal recognized tribal governments in the United States. Developing forestlands, leasing assets on these lands, directing agricultural programs, protecting water and land rights, developing and maintaining infrastructure and economic development are all part of the agency's responsibility. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages 264 million acres of surface acres of public lands located primarily in the 12 Western States, including Alaska. The agency manages an additional 20300 million acres of below ground mineral estate located throughout the country. The Minerals Management Service (MMS), a bureau within the Department of Interior, regulates and manages the development of mineral resources in the Federal waters off the nation's shores. MMS also collects, audits and distributes all mineral revenues from these federal waters as well as from mineral resources on both Federal and Indian lands. Created by Congress on August 25, 1916, the National Park Service (NPS) preserves, unimpaired, the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park System of the United States comprises 388 areas covering more than 84 million acres in 49 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) mission is to carry out the requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act in cooperation with States and Tribes. OSM's primary objectives are to ensure that coal mines are operated in a manner that protects citizens and the environment during mining, assuring that the land is restored to beneficial use following mining, and to mitigate the effects of past mining by aggressively pursuing reclamation of abandoned coal mines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is the only agency of the U.S. Government whose primary responsibility is fish, wildlife, and plant conservation. The Service helps protect a healthy environment for people, fish and wildlife, and helps Americans conserve and enjoy the outdoors and our living treasures. The U.S. Geological Survey (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. The value of the USGS to the Nation rests on its ability to carry
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 * Bureau of Land Management **
 * Bureau of Reclamation  The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Reclamation manages 457 dams, and its 348 reservoirs have more than 90 million recreation visits annually. Reclamation is also the nation's second largest producer of hydropower and the tenth largest electric utility generating about 42 billion kilowatt hours a year.  Minerals Management Service **
 * National Park Service **
 * Office of Surface Mining **
 * U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service **
 * U.S. Geological Survey **

__**DOI History**__ In 1789 Congress created three Executive Departments: Foreign Affairs (later in the same year renamed State), Treasury, and War. It also provided for an Attorney General and a Postmaster General. Domestic matters were apportioned by Congress among these departments.

The idea of setting up a separate department to handle domestic matters was put forward on numerous occasions. It wasn't until March 3, 1849, the last day of the 30th Congress, that a bill was passed to create the Department of the Interior to take charge of the Nation's internal affairs.

The Interior Department had a wide range of responsibilities entrusted to it: the construction of the national capital's water system, the colonization of freed slaves in Haiti, exploration of western wilderness, oversight of the District of Columbia jail, regulation of territorial governments, management of hospitals and universities, management of public parks,and the basic responsibilities for Indians, public lands, patents, and pensions. In one way or another all of these had to do with the internal development of the


 * Current Issues with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Home**

1.) **Salazar Announces $280 Million Investment to Create Jobs and Promote Conservation** Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced on April 26, 2009 that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will invest $280 million in more than 830 projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Some of the projects include build visitor centers, improve infrastructure, support voluntary habitat conservation partnerships on private land and bolster conservation at national wildlife refuges and hatcheries across the country. "The President has said that our nation has a 'moral, environmental, economic, and security imperative to address our dependence on foreign oil and tackle climate change in a serious, sustainable manner,'" Secretary Salazar said. "Many of these BLM investments, including several here in Nevada, will lay the groundwork for our clean energy future by opening the new energy frontier and creating new, green jobs here in America."

2.) **U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Applications for Tribal Wildlife Grants** On May 1st 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a request for grant proposals from federally recognized Tribes for projects that will conserve fish and wildlife resources on tribal lands. The Tribal Wildlife Grants program funds projects such as things that benefit habitat, fish and wildlife, including species that are not hunted or fished. This grant request is for fiscal year 2010.

3.) **New Reports Shows Annual Loss of 59,000 Acres of Wetlands in Coastal Watersheds. **(Published February 17, 2009.)  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are stating that there is a continuing loss of vital wetlands in coastal watersheds of the eastern United States. According to the report, there was a total of 59,000 acres of wetlands in watersheds of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes from 1998-2004. Not only are they worried about the species of fish and wildlife having a place to live, but the wetlands also provide protection from flooding. One factor that had effected the wet land loss included a vast number of people moving into the coastal areas and using the land for their own personal use. According to Jim Balsiger, "This report points to the need for an expanded effort to conserve and rebuild valuable wetlands in our coastal watersheds." The Fish and Wildlife Service along with NOAA are working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers to address the alarming loss of coastal wetlands documented in the new report.