DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (USDI)

Originally established by Congress in 1849 as the executive department of the United States government, the USDI's function has changed from that of performing housekeeping duties for the federal government to its present role as custodian of the nation's natural resources. As the nation's principal conservation agency, the USDI has the responsibility of protecting and conserving the country's land, water, minerals, fish, and wildlife; of promoting the wise use of all these natural resources; of maintaining national parks and recreation areas; and of preserving historic places. It also provides for the welfare of American Indian reservation communities and of inhabitants of island territories under U.S. administration. As of 1988 the USDI managed more than 220 million hectares (550 million acres, or 850,000 square miles) of federal resource lands; about 340 units of the national park system; 70 fish hatcheries, and 442 National Wildlife Refuges (NWF); and numerous reclamation dams that provide water, electricity, and recreation. The USDI also constructs irrigation works, enforces mine safety laws, makes geological surveys and prepares maps, conducts mineral research, and administers wild and scenic rivers as well as national and regional trails. The USDI is currently in charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the National Park Service (NPS), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It also oversees the Bureau of Mines, which is responsible for ensuring that the nation has adequate mineral supplies and for overseeing and evaluating all aspects of minerals research; the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages public lands and their resources; the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), which assists local governments in reclaiming arid lands in western states and provides programs for hydro-electric power generation, flood control, and river regulation; the Minerals Management Service, which deals with leasable minerals on the Outer Continental Shelf and ensures efficient recovery of mineral resources; and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, which helps to protect the environment from adverse effects of mining operations. Other agencies under the USDI's jurisdiction include the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and the Office of Territorial and International Affairs.