As the Nation's largest natural resource science agency, the USGS provides information that is used to protect life and property from natural disasters, manage natural resources, and protect the environment. The USGS is a science agency; we have no regulatory or management function. Our mission, since being established by Congress in 1879, is to provide relevant, impartial, and timely natural resource information. These web pages are designed to do just that.
The USGS works in cooperation with more than 2000 organizations across the United States. We have at least one office in every state. Our cooperative approach to conducting science and our widespread distribution help us to do science that is relevant. This also helps us in communicating science to managers and regulators so they can make sound decisions.
The USGS has four divisions. The National Mapping Division is best known for providing topographic maps used by hikers and others. The Geologic Division is best known for assessing the Nation's energy and mineral resources and for research and monitoring related to earthquakes and volcanoes. The Biological Resources Division is best known in Michigan for extensive research and monitoring in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Science Center, located in Ann Arbor, works closely with local, state, federal, and binational agencies to provide critical biological information for the Great Lakes. The Water Resources Division is best known for it's national streamflow monitoring program, extensive mapping of the nation's ground-water resources, and a national water-quality monitoring and assessment program. The Michigan District, with our main office in Lansing and field offices in Grayling and Escanaba, is part of the Water Resources Division.
