April 18, 2001--To provide people with greater access to maps of the nation's 192 million acres of national forests and grasslands, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Forest Service have entered into an agreement to make Forest Service maps available from the USGS.
The new agreement is an expansion of a successful pilot program began two years ago by the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region and the USGS. Under the new agreement, all Forest Service regional offices will be able to participate in the USGS map sales program.
Previously, the maps were available only from Forest Service offices, select interpretive associations, and limited retail sales outlets. Now they can be ordered from the USGS or any of its authorized re-sellers in the business partner network, which can be viewed at http://mapping.usgs.gov/esic/usimage/dealers.html. The USGS sells and distributes about 3 million paper maps every year, and the new one-stop shopping will allow customers to purchase USGS topographic and Forest Service maps together, providing enhanced customer service.
USGS topographic maps usually show both natural features such as mountains, valleys, plains, lakes, rivers and vegetation, and constructed features such as roads, boundaries, transmission lines and major buildings. A Forest Service map will complement these features with information on available recreation use, local plant and wildlife information, trails and visitors centers, facilities available, campgrounds and picnic areas, color photographs of points of interest and activities. National forests and grasslands can be located on the Internet by using an interactive map at http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map.shtml.
The USGS can be contacted by phone at 1-888-ASK-USGS, on the Web at http://ask.usgs.gov, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Pricing information and available maps can be viewed on the web at http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/forestservice/index.html.
As the nation's largest water, earth and biological science, and civilian mapping agency, the USGS works in cooperation with more than 2,000 organizations across the country to provide reliable, impartial scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers. This information is gathered in every state by USGS scientists to minimize the loss of life and property from natural disasters, contribute to the sound conservation and the economic and physical development of the nation's natural resources, and enhance the quality of life by monitoring water, biological, energy, and mineral resources.
