Department of the Interior
Departmental Manual
Effective Date: 9/19/97
Series: Organization
Part 120: U.S. Geological Survey
Chapter 4: Biological Resources Division
Originating Office: U.S. Geological Survey
120 DM 4
4.1 General Functions. The mission of the Biological Resources Division (BRD) is to work with others to provide the scientific understanding and technologies needed to support the sound management and conservation of our Nation's biological resources. The primary responsibility of the BRD is to assist resource and land managers, particularly in the Department of the Interior, by providing them with impartial, objective biological information and with assistance in applying the information to their needs. The primary means of gathering this information is through the use of scientific methods applied to monitoring resources and conducting experiments.
4.2 Headquarters Organization. The headquarters office of the Division is located in Reston, Virginia, and consists of the following offices (see organization chart).
A. The Chief Biologist, who is also the Division Chief, is responsible for planning, scheduling, and executing the Division's science program and associated activities. The Chief Biologist has a senior staff comprising a Deputy Chief Biologist for Science, a Deputy Chief Biologist for Operations, an Assistant Chief Biologist for Information, and a Chief of Cooperative Research Units.
B. The Deputy Chief Biologist for Science is responsible for BRD science program planning, budget development, policy, and program evaluation. The Deputy Chief Biologist for Science is the principal advisor to the Chief Biologist concerning scientific activities and monitoring and the execution of the BRD Science Plan that is carried out through the Science Centers and through national programs at the headquarters office. A series of national program reviews and analysis of current scientific projects assures that science is relevant to the national objectives, meets the priorities of land managers, and is coordinated with the other science and natural resource agencies.
C. The Deputy Chief Biologist for Operations is responsible for administrative and technical support functions including budgeting, finance, personnel, procurement, real and personal property, motor vehicles, space, and safety and health (including aviation and diving), auditing, management analysis, and facilities maintenance management.
D. The Assistant Chief Biologist for Information serves as the Division's Chief Information Officer and is responsible for establishing and implementing overall Division-wide policies, goals, objectives, and procedures for biological data, information, and technology management and transfer activities. As the senior authority for biological informatics and outreach activities within USGS, areas of responsibility include data and information management oversight, policy and standards; information technology development and application; information content, analysis, and dissemination; technology transfer; publications; museums; libraries; education; public affairs; and a highly specialized biological informatics program. Establishing partnerships with other Federal, State, local and foreign governments, non-government organizations, academic and private sector organizations worldwide to share and exchange biological data and information is a key function. Responsibilities also include collaboration with USGS and Departmental IRM officials on technical standards and architectures. Activities related to managing the Center for Biological Informatics (located in Denver, Colorado) and implementing the National Biological Information Infrastructure are critical responsibilities.
E. The Chief, Cooperative Research Units (CRUs) serves as the national program chief for work conducted by the CRUs across the United States. Each unit is a partnership among the BRD, a host university, and one of several State fish and wildlife agencies working to address local, regional, and national biological research needs; and participates in the graduate education of future national resource professionals. CRUs operate to fill gaps in fish and wildlife management information and ensure availability of trained fish and wildlife biologists. CRUs also provide technical assistance and training to State and Federal personnel and other resource managers.
4.3 Regional Offices. The Biological Resources Division has three regional offices, each headed by a Regional Chief Biologist. The regional office for the Eastern Region is in Leetown, West Virginia; Central Region is in Denver, Colorado; and the Western Region is in Seattle, Washington. Regional Chief Biologists have direct line authority over the Science Centers in their respective regions and are responsible for coordinating research, monitoring, and information/technology transfer activities across regions; building partnerships with users of information, coordinating and assisting in identifying and addressing priority information/science needs of DOI land and natural resource management agencies and other research partners, and providing administrative direction to BRD Science Centers at the Regional level; implementing approved programs, policies, and procedures; and supervising the activities conducted by Science Centers within assigned geographical jurisdictions.
4.4 Science Centers. BRD has 16 Science Centers located throughout the United States. Each Center is managed by a Director, who is under the line authority direction of a Regional Chief Biologist. The range of expertise at the Science Centers includes aquatic systems (toxic material and other stressors), botany, ecosystem analysis and modeling, fishery chemistry and management, forest management, genetics, invertebrate zoology, museum curation, nutrition, statistical design and analysis, taxonomy and systematics, toxicology, fish and wildlife health and disease, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, waterfowl biology and ecology, environmental ecology and stressors, population dynamics, wildlife habitat evaluation, specialty training in technical areas such as instream flow and wildlife disease identification and control, mapping and geographic information systems, and biological information and data management. Centers have uniquely specialized libraries with holdings that reflect the Center's research program(s) and expertise.
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