Meeting of the Board of Regents | March 2010
|
THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234 |
TO: |
Cultural Education Trusteeship Committee |
FROM: |
Jeffrey Cannell |
SUBJECT: |
The Museum’s StateMap Program |
DATE: |
February 17, 2010 |
AUTHORIZATION(S): |
SUMMARY
Issue for Discussion
The role of the StateMap program in supplying critical information on the State’s geologic resources.
Proposed Handling
The Regents Cultural Education Trusteeship Committee will receive an update on the Museum’s long-standing federally funded program of Surficial and bedrock mapping across the State.
Procedural History
The Regents are responsible for the Museum’s research program. Staff of the Geological Survey perform a variety of research projects that provide important information on the State’s geologic resources. The StateMap program provides baseline data on the nature of the State’s surficial and subsurface geologic resources.
Background Information
The StateMap program is a part of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program mandated by Congress and overseen and administered by the United States Geologic Survey within the Department of the Interior. Geologists within the NY Geological Survey research group of the Research & Collections unit of the State Museum have been participating in this research program since its inception in 1992. Scientists participating in this competitively funded program create geologic maps that address issues such as water resources, climate change, geologic hazards, and natural history. Dr. Andrew Kozlowski will present an overview of recent program developments and plans for future research.