----------------------------Original message----------------------------
My friend, Craig Rieben, of our Public Affairs Office, asked me
to post the following news release.  If you have any questions,
please contact Craig.
 
Thanks.  ...al
 
=====================================================================
Dr. Alan R. Fisher
National Data Administrator
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
[log in to unmask]
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Fish and Wildlife Service
 
For release February 27, 1995       Craig L. Rieben  202-208-5634
 
 
U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE ON INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY
 
 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering computer users
cruising the information highway a wealth of data on the
conservation and management of this Nation's fish and wildlife
resources and their habitat.
 
The information available on the Service's Internet server is as
diverse as the agency itself.  The new World Wide Web server
"home pages" contain summaries of virtually every aspect of the
numerous activities and programs conducted by the Service.
 
Examples include a current listing of all endangered and
threatened species, information concerning recreational
activities on the more than 500 national wildlife refuges, and
valuable tips for travelers concerning the do's and don'ts of
buying wildlife products in a foreign country.  Also available is
information on fisheries management and conservation, detailed
descriptions of various popular wildlife species, and information
on hunter/angler-supported programs to enhance fish and wildlife
conservation.
 
Service Director Mollie Beattie recently announced establishment
of the newest Web server saying it is to provide a "front door"
for the agency on the Internet and a link to virtually all other
Internet servers maintained by the Service.
 
"Modern wildlife conservation and management increasingly depend
on the effective sharing of information among all concerned," she
said.  "I am confident this effort can greatly enhance our
collective conservation efforts by expanding the availability of
information concerning wildlife and their habitats."
 
Accessing the World Wide Web server requires a computer program
that can communicate with hypertext transfer protocol (http),
such as Mosaic.  "http://www.fws.gov/" is the Internet address
for the new server.
 
Information is also available to those with only Internet
E-mail text transfer capabilities through a separate "dial-a-
file" library server maintained by the Service.  Send an E-mail
message to "[log in to unmask]" to access this server.  On the
subject line (not the body of the message), type SEND HELP and
you will be sent a user's guide including an index of topics in
the library.  To receive a specific document, on the subject line
type the command SEND followed by the document name as listed in
the index.  No text is necessary in the body of the message.
 
A server established recently by the Service's National Wetlands
Inventory office is just one example of how this new technology
can bolster conservation activities.  For the past 13 years, this
office has been conducting an inventory of the Nation's wetlands
and producing geospatial data on magnetic media.  The material
depicts the relationship of wetlands habitat to U.S. Geological
Survey maps.
 
Last July, the office began offering the capability of
downloading this information from an "anonymous FTP" server
(address "enterprise.nwi.fws.gov") accessible through the
Internet.
 
Since that time, more than 64,000 wetlands maps have been
downloaded to users from some 25 countries around the world.  The
availability of this service has resulted in a significant
savings to both the user and the Service.  The maps normally cost
a little more than $9 apiece when mailed, so the public has
realized a savings of nearly $600,000 while the Service has
reduced its administrative costs substantially.
 
As another example, the Service's National Forensics Laboratory
in Ashland, Oregon, has also experienced a number of successes
through information sharing over the Internet.  For example, a
Service criminologist recently passed on information about a new
forensic technique for identifying elephant ivory to a scientist
in New Zealand.  This tip ultimately led to solving a significant
wildlife crime case in that country.