<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3132" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=005344319-04082008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>I second Bill's observation. The name of the proposed new
agency says it all ("Earth Systems") which to means geophysical.
It's time to merge the science and managemenet agencies so management has
responsive research support e.g. FWS + NOAA + USGS. or FWS +
NMFS</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=005344319-04082008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=005344319-04082008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>GG</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV><!-- Converted from text/rtf format -->
<P><I><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>George Guillen,
Ph.D.</FONT></SPAN></I><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
face=Arial size=2>Executive Director - Environmental Institute of
Houston</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>Associate
Professor of Biology and Environmental Science</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN
lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>University of Houston Clear
Lake</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>2700 Bay Area
Blvd</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>Houston, Texas
77058</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial
size=2>281-283-3950</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial
size=2><A
href="http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/EIH/about/directory/guillen">http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/EIH/about/directory/guillen</A></FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial color=#000080><A
href="http://sce.uhcl.edu/guilleng/">http://sce.uhcl.edu/guilleng/</A></FONT></SPAN>
</P>
<DIV> </DIV><BR>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B>
env-trinity-bounces@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us
[mailto:env-trinity-bounces@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Kier
Associates<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, August 04, 2008 2:37 PM<BR><B>To:</B> Sari
Sommarstrom; env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re:
[env-trinity] NOAA + USGS = Earth Systems Science Agency?<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV><FONT face=Garamond size=4>Sari and All<BR><BR>I don't know that the
"important synergies" that Mr Baker attributes to the creation of NOAA were
conferred equally upon the fishing communities, which were doing reasonably well
under USFWS mgt, such as it was in those days ...<BR><BR>But NOAA, like NASA,
<U>has</U> been generous to the academic research community, whence most of
their leadership, like Baker, come -- and return after their gov't service
<BR><BR>My gut tells me that the fisheries, and their legitimate resource needs,
fiscal as well as physical, would slide even further off the political radar
with the fusion of NOAA and USGS<BR><BR>Unless of course there was in Congress a
senior Member prepared to champion fisheries mgt and rebuilding as an essential
element of the proposed upgrading of the government's interest in "earth systems
science"<BR><BR>'Best,<BR><BR>Bill<BR><BR></FONT>At 12:16 PM 8/4/2008, Sari
Sommarstrom wrote:<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite"> <I>Web
address:<BR></I><B> <A
href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/"
eudora="autourl">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/</A><BR>
080703140725.htm</B> <BR><BR><BR>
<H1><B>Proposal To Merge NOAA And US Geological Survey To Form An Earth
Systems Science Agency</B></H1><BR><BR>ScienceDaily (July 7, 2008) In an
article published in the journal Science, a group of former senior federal
officials call for the establishment of an independent Earth Systems Science
Agency (ESSA) to meet the unprecedented environmental and economic challenges
facing the nation. They propose forming the new agency by merging the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS).<BR><BR>Charles Kennel, former Associate Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and Director of Mission to Planet Earth,
says, "Earth system science focuses on understanding current processes and
predicting changes that will take place over the next hundred years. It merges
earth, atmospheric, and ocean science into a panorama of the earth system as
it is today and as it will be tomorrow. We need it to predict climate change
and its impacts, and to help us mitigate and adapt to other changes that have
the potential to affect our quality of life and economic
well-being."<BR><BR>The article points to the many scientific advantages of
linking the atmospheric and marine programs of NOAA with the terrestrial,
freshwater, and biological programs of USGS. Former NOAA administrator D.
James Baker and former USGS director Charles Groat, among the seven coauthors
of the paper, see important synergies in linking the two
agencies.<BR><BR>According to Baker, "Population pressure, development impact,
and resource extraction affect land and sea alike. Just as the science of the
Earth is seamless, so should the government responsibility be merged for these
separate Earth agencies."<BR><BR>Groat points to the breadth of capabilities
the agency would possess. "The USGS, in bringing not only its geologic,
biologic, hydrologic and geospatial expertise to the understanding of natural
systems, but also its research capabilities in energy, mineral, water, and
biologic resources, gives the new organization a comprehensive perspective on
both environmental and resource systems. If we effectively link these
capabilities with those of NOAA, we will have a powerful research
institution," he says.<BR><BR>The authors express concern that federal
environmental research, development, and monitoring programs are not presently
structured to address such major environmental problems as global climate
change, declines in freshwater availability and quality, and loss of
biodiversity.<BR><BR>According to Donald Kennedy, former commissioner of the
Food and Drug Administration and past president of Stanford University, "It
isn't often that we are offered a real opportunity to make government work
better. But the modest, sensible reorganization proposed here brings a new
science-rich focus on some of our biggest contemporary
challenges."<BR><BR>Kennedy also stresses the importance of linking ESSA's
activities with the tremendous talent in the nation's universities.<BR><BR>The
authors recommend that no less than 25 percent of the new agency's budget be
devoted to grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements with academic and
nonprofit institutions.<BR><BR>ESSA's success will also hinge on the
collaborative arrangements the agency makes with other federal departments and
agencies. According to former presidential science adviser John H. Gibbons,
"ESSA's effectiveness will depend upon the bridges it builds to other federal
agencies, from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National
Science Foundation, to the Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency."<BR><BR>David Rejeski, who worked in both the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Council on Environmental
Quality, emphasizes the importance of setting aside some of ESSA's budget to
fund research and development with breakthrough potential. "The Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency has demonstrated the value of funding
high-risk, high-reward research and development. ESSA should foster similar
ventures in the environmental arena," Rejeski says.<BR><BR>The paper points to
the direct link between research and development and economic growth. The work
of NOAA and USGS already fuels a large, multi-billion dollar private sector
enterprise.<BR><BR>Mark Schaefer, a former official at the Department of the
Interior and the White House science office, adds that "the quality of life of
future generations will be defined by the quality of the environment we hand
down to them. Our nation's research and development enterprise must be better
structured and directed if we are to have any chance of solving the tremendous
environmental challenges of our time."<BR>
<HR>
<B>Journal reference</B>:
<OL>
<LI>. <B>An Earth Systems Science Agency</B>. <I>Science</I>, July 4, 2008
</LI></OL><I>Adapted from materials provided by <A
href="http://www.nanotechproject.org">Project on Emerging
Nanotechnologies</A>, via <A href="http://www.eurekalert.org">EurekAlert!</A>,
a service of AAAS</I>.<BR>Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or
report? Use one of the following formats: <BR>APA<BR><BR>MLA <BR>Project on
Emerging Nanotechnologies (2008, July 7). Proposal To Merge NOAA And US
Geological Survey To Form An Earth Systems Science Agency.
<I>ScienceDaily</I>. Retrieved August 4, 2008, from <A
href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/"
eudora="autourl">http://www.sciencedaily.com</A>
/releases/2008/07/080703140725.htm<BR>_______________________________________________<BR>env-trinity
mailing list<BR>env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us<BR><A
href="http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity"
eudora="autourl">http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity</A></BLOCKQUOTE><X-SIGSEP>
<P></X-SIGSEP><FONT face=Garamond size=4>Kier Associates, <I>Fisheries and
Watershed Professionals<BR></I>P.O. Box 915<BR>Blue Lake, CA
95525<BR>707.668.1822 <BR>mobile: 498.7847 <BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.kierassociates.net/"
eudora="autourl">http://www.kierassociates.net<BR></A></P></BODY></HTML>