Message from the Director

Charles G. Groat

In FY2003, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) continued to serve the Nation by providing public science to support public health, public safety, and public prosperity. This Annual Financial Report documents a number of examples of science in action to benefit the Nation:

USGS scientists, working in partnership with the National Weather Service, are developing the capability to predict the timing, locations, and intensities of floods, 3-5 days before the flood arrives. By combining accurate elevation data, new models for river flow, and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, USGS can provide people with information they need before a disaster to safeguard lives and property.

USGS completed assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in five basins of the Rocky Mountain region and determined that the unconventional oil and gas resources in this region, such as coalbed methane, contribute significantly more than conventional oil and gas to the total of undiscovered U.S. oil and gas resources. Understanding the oil and gas resources in our country is necessary to formulate economic and energy policies, evaluate lands in the purview of the Federal government, and develop sound environmental policies.

In Mecklenburg County, NC, USGS geographers worked with State and local partners to produce high-quality geographic data for the National Map. This successful partnership has combined high-resolution local data, such as water lines, transportation, and other unique data sets, with national data, including orthoimagery, geographic names, and hydrography, to create a seamless dataset accessible over the internet to facilitate decision making.

In response to requests from the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USGS scientists have begun compiling a state-by-state inventory of existing and potential coal stocks in the prairie pothole region of the North-Central United States. USGS studies have shown that greater amounts of atmospheric carbon could be sequestered in wetlands and bottomland hardwood forests than in agricultural lands.

The USGS was created in 1879, in recognition of the need for sound science about the national domain to ensure the Nation's development and prosperity. Over the ensuing 124 years, the USGS has evolved, matching its talent and knowledge to the progress of science and technology. USGS science is valued by thousands of partners and customers in Federal, State, and local government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, who use it to help preserve and protect the future of our citizens.

We are committed to strengthening our research, monitoring, and assessments of natural resources and natural hazards, which provide solid dividends of progress in science and technology to the American public. The programs and activities described in this report demonstrate clearly that the USGS continues to be a good investment for taxpayer dollars. As we celebrate our past 124 years of service to the Nation, we look forward to continuing to provide the information and understanding needed to help resolve complex natural resource problems across the Nation and around the world.

Charles G. Groat
Director
October 2003

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
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