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 78,315
employees and 183,000
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 $14
billion total annual budget. DOI raises
more than $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 507
million acres of surface land, or about
one-fifth of the land in the United
States, including:
|
262
million acres managed by the Bureau
of Land Management |
|
96
million acres managed by the Fish
and Wildlife Service |
|
84.4
million acres managed by the
National Park Service |
|
8.7
million acres managed by the Bureau
of Reclamation associated with
reclamation projects. |
|
55.7
million acres managed by the Bureau
of Indian Affairs |
Over 180,000
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 476
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 7,300
active oil and gas leases on 42
million acres. The U.S. Geological
Survey conducts groundwater and surface
water studies with offices in all
50 states.
Recreation and
Cultural Opportunities
|
66.6
million visits to 3,300
recreational sites provided by the
Bureau of Land Management |
|
279
million visits to 388
units, including parks, monuments,
seashore sites, battlefields and
other cultural and recreational
sites provided by National Park
Service |
|
39
million visits to 544
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
|
55.7
million acres of land belong to
Indian tribes and individuals |
|
The Bureau of Indian
Affairs provides education services
to 47,671 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 28
percent of the nation’s energy
production. This includes:
|
34.5%
of natural gas |
|
34.7%
of oil |
|
42%
of coal |
|
17%
of hydro power |
|
48%
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
100,000 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 1,823
endangered or threatened species,
1,265 are U.S. |
|
Preventing and
controlling invasive species |
For more information,
please visit
DOI Quick Facts website. |