The Department of the Interior (DOI) is the
nation's principal conservation agency. Our mission is to protect America's
treasures for future generations, provide access to our nation's natural and
cultural heritage, offer recreation opportunities, honor our trust
responsibilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives and our responsibilities
to island communities, conduct scientific research, provide wise stewardship of
energy and mineral resources, foster sound use of land and water resources, and
conserve and protect fish and wildlife. The work that we do affects the lives of
millions of people; from the family taking a vacation in one of our national
parks to the children studying in one of our Indian schools.
Interior is a large, decentralized agency with
over 67,000 employees and 236,000 volunteers
located at approximately 2,400 operating locations across the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories,
and freely associated states. We discharge our responsibilities on a $15.8 billion
total annual budget. DOI raises more than $12.9 billion in revenues
collected from energy, mineral, grazing, timber, recreation, land sales, etc.
Since Congress created the Department of the
Interior in 1849, it has become the steward for:
Land
DOI manages 500 million acres of surface land, or about
one-fifth of the land in the United States, including:
- 261.7 million acres managed by the Bureau
of Land Management
- 96.4 million acres managed by the Fish and
Wildlife Service
- 84.6 million acres managed by the National
Park Service
- 8.7 million acres managed by the Bureau of
Reclamation associated with reclamation projects.
- 66 million acres managed by the Bureau of
Indian Affairs
Over 200,000 acres of abandoned coal mine sites
have been reclaimed through the Office of Surface Mining's
Abandoned Mine Land Program.
Water
DOI has responsibility for managing a variety
of water and underwater resources. The Bureau of
Reclamation manages 479 dams and 348 reservoirs
that deliver irrigation water to one of every five western farmers and provide
water for 31 million people. The Minerals Management Service has jurisdiction over approximately 1.76 billion
acres of the Outer Continental Shelf, on which it manages about 8,526 active
oil and gas leases on 44 million acres. The U.S.
Geological Survey conducts groundwater and surface water studies with offices
in all 50 states.
Recreation and Cultural Opportunities
- 57.3 million visits to 3,602 recreational
sites provided by the Bureau of Land Management
- 272 million visits to 390 units,
including parks, monuments, seashore sites,
battlefields and other cultural and recreational sites provided by
National Park Service
- 38 million visits to 548 wildlife
refuges provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service
- 90 million visits to 308 recreation sites provided by the Bureau of
Reclamation
- For
more information on camping, fishing, archeology, bird watching and
other recreational opportunities on Interior and other Federal
lands, go to recreation.gov
Native American Lands and Needs
- 52.7 million acres of land
belong to Indian tribes and individuals
- The
Bureau of Indian Affairs provides education services to approximately 46,000 Indian
children in 184 schools and dormitories
- The Bureau manages relationships with 562 Indian tribes
U.S. Energy Needs
Energy projects on federally managed lands and
offshore areas supply about 30 percent of the nation's energy
production. This includes:
- 38% of natural gas
- 30%
of oil
- 45% of coal
- 17% of hydro power
- 50% of geothermal
Scientific Research
The U.S. Geological Survey scientists:
- Monitor,
analyze, interpret, and disseminate information on earthquakes, volcanoes, and
the geology and topography of the United States.
- Monitor and assess water quality,
streamflows and ground water at thousands of sites across the nation
- Produce more than 57,000 different
maps
- Estimate world and United States energy and
mineral supplies
- Conduct a wide range of
research on biology, geology, and water to provide land and resource
managers with the information they need to make sound decisions, and
to help mitigate the effects of natural hazards
Fish and Wildlife
The Department seeks to work with others to conserve, manage,
protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing
benefit of all Americans. DOI is responsible for:
- Improving habitats for migratory birds, certain marine animals, freshwater and anadromous fish, as well as providing public enjoyment of these resources
- Protecting 1,922 endangered or threatened
species, 1,267 are U.S.
- Preventing and controlling invasive species
For more information, please visit:
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