Scope and Content Note
The State Natural Heritage Programs Records span the years 1960-2000, with the bulk of the material dating from 1972 to 1994. The collection documents the creation of the State Natural Heritage Programs network. Additionally, it documents the creation of a unified method of ecological data collection and development of a shared database for the purpose of facilitating informed policy decisions on the part of law and policymakers regarding natural resource management and the preservation of biodiversity. Material types include agendas, correspondence, clippings, memoranda, notes, meeting minutes, photographs, proposals, reports, and other papers in both physical and digital formats. The collection is arranged into four series: Administrative File, Conferences, Workshops, and Lectures, Operating Procedures Group, and Program Development Files.
The collection’s series are listed and briefly described below. A fuller description of each series and a list of its contents can be accessed in the series descriptions within the container list.
The Administrative File series contains material that relates to the central administration and foundation of the State Natural Heritage Program network.
The Conferences, Workshops, and Lectures series documents conferences, workshops, and lectures organized by heritage programs or attended by program staff.
The Operating Procedures Group series documents the development and implementation of a shared methodology of ecological data collection throughout the disparate heritage programs.
The Program Development Files series documents the establishment of individual heritage programs.