Making science relevant to policy from the land managers' perspective

The National Park Service has cooperated with various state and federal age ncies, private contractors, and academia for many years to obtain water res ources information needed by park managers. During the last five years, the National Park Service developed a partnership with the U.S. Geological Sur vey's National Water Quality Assessment Program. This national program was directed by Congress to assess the status and trends of our Nation's water resources, particularly in the area of water quality. Last year, the Nation al Park Service expanded this partnership through the Clean Water Action Pl an. The concept behind this partnership is to match the policy responsibili ties and management information needs of the National Park Service with the scientific capabilities of the Survey, thereby supporting the principal mi ssions of both agencies. In fiscal year 1999, 2.5 million dollars will fund 36 projects in 32 parks through this program. Projects were designed to ad dress high priority park problems and were developed with close coordinatio n between agency scientists and land managers. Project findings will be pre sented in professional reports and interpretative products to assist park m anagers make policy decisions and inform the public. In the future, coopera tive projects may be implemented which integrate park needs with other agen cy/local needs, and national water quality programs.