NA - The National Archives NA - National Autonomy NA - Notification Area NAA - No-Action Alternative (USFWS) NAA - Nonattainment Area NAACP - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAAEE - North American Association for Environmental Education (Troy, OH) - no updates found since 1998, but website is still active: http://www.idealist.org/ip/idealist?ORG_ID=13861&LANGUAGE=en&MODULE=ORG& COMPONENT=OrgViewer&SID=efe0e3c0b070e7b6c5e379327c037065 NAAMP - The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program http://www.mp2-pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp/ NAAQS - National Ambient Air Quality Standards NAASP - National Association of Secondary School Principals NABS - Network for Analytical and Bioassay Services NAC - National Advisory Council NAC - National Agroforestry Center NAC - National Association of Counties NACAA - National Association of County Agricultural Agents NACC - U.S. National Assessment of Climate Change NACD - National Association of Conservation Districts NACD - Native American Consultation Database NACDS - National Association of Chain Drug Stores NACEC - North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC seems to be the most common acronym for this UN-USAID 'strategic alliance' of 'multinational partnering') NACO - National Association of Counties http://www.naco.org/ NACRC - National Association County Recorders, Election Officials, and Clerks NACS - National Association of County Surveyors NAD - National Archives and Records Administration, Denver, Colorado NAD - North American Datum NADB - North American Development Bank NADB - The U.S.-Mexico North American Development Bank NADC - National Animal Disease Center (ARS) NADO - National Association of Development Organizations NAE - No Acceptable Explanation NAE - No Adequate Explanation NAEP - National Assessment of Educational Progress (federally mandated educational test - the 'No Child Left Behind' statutes) NAEP - National Association of Environmental Professionals NAEYC - National Association for Education of Young Children NAF - Northwest Area Foundation NAFSA - National Association of Foreign Student Advisers NAFSR - The National Association of Forest Service Retirees NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement NAFW - North American Flyways http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/npscinfo/flyway/nawmp.htm NAGB - North American Great Basin NAGPRA - Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 NAGPRA - Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act - DOI/NPS/BLM NAHB - National Association of Home Builders NAHEMS - The National Animal Health Emergency Management System NAHF - National Animal Health Facility NAI - The National Association for Interpretation http://www.interpnet.com/home.htm NAIA - National Animal Interest Alliance NAICC - National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants NAICU - National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities NAIFA - National Association of Independent Fee Appraisers NAILS - National Automated Immigration Lookout System NAIOP - National Association of Industrial and Office Properties NAIRA - North American Industrial Representatives Association NAL - National Agricultural Library NALM - National Association of Lady Mayors NALMS - North American Lake Management Society http://www.nalms.org NAM - The North American Mosaic NAMA - National Agri-Marketing Association http://www.agribusiness.com/ NAMBLA - North American Man-Boy Love Association NAMD - National Association of Mining Districts Name (of items) - Refers to the descriptions of classification categories, subcategories or their elements e.g. primary activities. (UN) NAMRC - North American Motorized Recreation Council NAMS - North American Manufacturing Sector NAMSA - NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (executive arm, indistinguishable from NATO) NAMSO - NATO Maintenance and Supply Organization NAMVET - No Acceptable Methodology for Vital Human Environment Takeover NAMVET - Vietnam Veteran NAN - North American Native NANFA - North American Native Fishes Association NANRAP - National Association of Natural Resource and Agricultural Producers NANSR - Non-attainment New Source Review NAP - National Academy Press NAPA - The National Academy of Public Administration. The National Academy of Public Administration is the preeminent organization dedicated to improving the performance of governance systems -- the network of public institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private companies that share in the implementation of public policy. As an independent, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress, the Academy responds to specific requests from public agencies and non-government organizations. The Academy also promotes discourse on emerging trends in governance through its Standing Panels and with external funding. http://www.napawash.org NAPIL - The National Association of Public Interest Law http://www.napil.org/ NAPM - National Association of Purchasing Management NAPR - Natural Products Research Network NAR - Natural Aggregate Resources NAR - National Association of Realtors NAR - North American Research NARA - National Archives and Records Administration Nara Conference on Authenticity in Relation to the World Heritage Convention - See Authenticity - Glossary of World Heritage Terms Nara Document on Authenticity - See Authenticity - Glossary of World Heritage Terms NARAL - National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League NARC - National Association of Regional Councils http://www.narc.org/ NARC&DC - National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils NARFC - North Atlantic Responsible Fishing Council NARPO - National Association of Reversionary Property Owners Narrow-base terrace - A terrace no more than 4 to 8 feet wide at the base. A narrow-base terrace is similar to a broad-base terrace, except for the width of the ridge and channel. - USDA NARSC - National Applied Resource Science Center http://www.blm.gov/gis/narsc/ NARSC - North American Regional Science Council http://www.narsc.org NARTS - National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops NAS - National Academy of Sciences NAS - National Audubon Society NASBE - The National Association of School Boards of Education NASBITE - National Association of Small Business Int'l Trade Educators NASCA - National Association of State Conservation Agencies NASD - National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. NASDA - The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture http://www.nasda.org/ NASDAQ - National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation NASF - National Association of State Foresters NASPD - National Association of State Park Directors NASPD - The National Association of State Park Directors http://naspd.indstate.edu/index.html NASU - Native American Student Union NASULGC - National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges NATA - national emission trading agencies (UNCTAD) Natal dispersal - Movement of individuals from their place of birth to their first breeding location. - DOI/USFWS http://rcwrecovery.fws.gov/finalrecoveryplan.pdf NATAT - National Association of Towns and Townships http://www.natat.org/natat/ NATG - Native American Tribal Governments NATHPO - National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers Nation - A group of tightly knit people who speak a single language, have a common history, share the same cultural background, and who may united by common political institutions. Nation-State - A country whose population posses a substantial degree of cultural homogeneity and unity. A State wherein the territory coincides with the area settled by a cultural group or a Nation. A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular nation. If the state and the nation occupy the same area on the earth's surface, it is a nation-state. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - An institution created by Congress in 1863 to provide science-based advice to the government. The sister organizations associated with the Academy are the National Academy of Engineers, Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council. The Academies and the Institute are honorary societies that elect new members to their ranks each year. The bulk of the institution's science policy and technical work is conducted by the National Research Council (NRC), created expressly for that purpose. The NRC's Board on Agriculture addresses issues confronting agriculture, food, and related environmental topics. National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Policies (NAC) - Responsible for coordinating U.S. participation in the international financial institutions and the policies and practices of agencies of the U.S. government that make, or participate in making, foreign loans or that engage in foreign financial, exchange, or monetary transactions. With regard to international financial institutions, the Council seeks to ensure that their operations are conducted in a manner consistent with U.S. policies and objectives and with lending and other foreign financial activities of U.S. government agencies. The Council formulates and reviews policies and programs for use by the U.S. representatives to these institutions and advises the Secretary of the Treasury on: Policies and selected proposed transactions of the institutions; Proposed actions by these institutions requiring U.S. approval on such subjects as the flotation of securities, increases in quotas and subscriptions, and changes in their articles of agreement; and Problems relating to the administration and management of the international financial institutions. NAC membership includes: the Departments of the Treasury (as chair), State, and Commerce, the U.S. Trade Representative, the Federal Reserve System, the Export-Import Bank, and the International Development Cooperation Agency. National Agricultural Library (NAL) - A national depository of scientific and popular agricultural information located at the Agricultural Research Service's research center in Beltsville, Maryland. NAL's administration was merged with ARS in 1994. One of three national libraries, has a collection consisting of more than two million volumes, both print and non-print form. The library coordinates a national network of State land grant and Department of Agriculture field libraries; in its international role, the NAL serves the U.S. center for the international agriculture information system. The Library has eleven Information Centers, including: (a) Agricultural Trade and Marketing, (b) Alternative Farming Systems, (c) Animal Welfare, (d) Aquaculture, (e) Biotechnology, (f) Food and Nutrition, (g) Plant Genome Data, (h) Rural Information Center, (i) Technology Transfer Information Center, (j) Water Quality, and (k) Youth Development. In its international role, the NAL cooperates in database production, compilation of world lists of journals, publication exchange, cooperative indexing, and intern training. The NAL serves as the U.S. center for the international agricultural information system. The NAL's AGRICOLA database covers all aspects of agriculture via bibliographic records to documents, including international agricultural trade topics such as policy, research, flows of commodities, environmental, taxation, and sociological impacts. AGRICOLA is produced solely by the NAL. The NAL's Agricultural Trade and Marketing Information Center (ATMIC) disseminates information on agribusiness, countertrade (barter), exports, and trade development. The NAL was created in 1862; central offices are maintained in Beltsville, Maryland. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) - Standards designed to protect public health and welfare, allowing an adequate margin of safety. For particulate matter less than ten microns in size PM10), 50 micrograms per cubic meter annual average and l50 micrograms per cubic meter, 24-hour average, not to be exceeded more than once per year. (DOI-BLM) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) - The allowable concentrations of air pollutants in the ambient (public outdoor) air specified in 40 CFR 50. National ambient air quality standards are based on the air quality criteria and divided into primary standards (allowing an adequate margin of safety to protect the public health) and secondary standards (allowing an adequate margin of safety to protect the public welfare). Welfare is defined as including (but not limited to) effects on soils, water, crops, vegetation, human-made materials, animals, wildlife, weather, visibility, climate, and hazards to transportation, as well as effects on economic values and on personal comfort and well-being. - BLM Surface Mgmt. Regs. The National Animal Health Emergency Management System (NAHEMS) - A comprehensive system that includes federal, state and community governments, voluntary organizations, academic institutions, and industry groups. National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) - A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of the 50 state departments of agriculture and those from the trust territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. Headquarters are in Washington, D.C. National Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA) - Formed in 1946 to provide a forum for directors of state economic development agencies to exchange information, compare programs, and deal with issues of mutual interest. NASDA's organization includes International Trade and Foreign Investment components. Trade activities include maintenance of a State Export Program Database. National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act - Title XIV of Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 made USDA the leading federal agency for agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs. It also consolidated the funding for these programs. National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board - A 30-member board established by the FAIR Act of 1996 to replace three previous advisory committees. The Board advises USDA on national priorities and policies related to agricultural research, extension, and education. National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) - A USDA agency that collects and publishes statistics on the U.S. food and fiber system, with offices located in each state's department of agriculture. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) - National standards set by EPA under authority of the Clean Air Act; NAAQS define the maximum allowable concentrations of specified air pollutants in outdoor (ambient) air. NAAQS have been set for carbon monoxide, particulate matter, sulfur oxides, nitrogen dioxide, lead, and ozone. 'Primary' NAAQS protect human health, with a margin of safety; 'secondary' NAAQS protect human welfare, which includes effects on soils, water, crops, vegetation, materials, etc. National Aquaculture Act of 1980 - P.L. 96-362 (September 26, 1980), as amended, is intended to promote and support the development of private aquaculture and to ensure coordination among the various federal agencies that have aquaculture programs and policies. It provided for a national aquaculture policy, including a formal National Aquaculture Development Plan; established a Joint Subcommittee on Aquaculture on which officials of USDA, Commerce, Interior, and nine other federal agencies sit; designated USDA as the lead agency for coordination; and authorized the National Aquaculture Information Center within USDA's National Agricultural Library. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) - Develops information services for biotechnology. The Center creates automated systems for knowledge about molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics, and pursues research in biological information handling, including human molecular biology. NCBI, a part of the National Library of Medicine, was established in 1988. In 1992, the Center assumed responsibility for the National Institute of Health's GenBank. GenBank is an international database that collects all known DNA sequences and is a critical research tool in the analysis and discovery of gene function. The National (Eads) Commission on Supplies and Shortages - The Eads Commission, as the NCSS was known, published its findings in 1976. The Eads Commission concluded that resource scarcity was not likely to become a reality for the foreseeable future; short-term shortages, while always a possibility, could be managed through international agreements and trade facilitation; and materials data collection should be facilitated in all agencies with mandates to collect such data. The Commission also supported economic stockpiling, recycling, and materials research and development (National Commission on Supplies and Shortages, The, 1976). National Conservation Area - A congressionally designated public land area that contains important resources and whose management objectives are (1) to conserve and protect these resources, (2) to maintain environmental quality, and (3) to provide for present and future users within a framework of multiple use and sustained yield. - BLM Surface Mgmt. Regs. National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Pollutants (NESHAPS) - Federal standards that control pollutants considered toxic to humans. - Bioenergy Glossary National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and various state environmental quality laws - These laws allow citizens (and local officials) to have broader standing in court to challenge government laws and regulations on the basis that facets of the required environmental impact analysis are being omitted or are grossly inadequate. Environmentalists use NEPA and state environmental review law to promote more government rules but the mandated environmental review, which by law requires community social and economic impact analysis, can be used to challenge zoning rules on social and economic terms. Catron County Board of Commissioners, New Mexico, v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, et al (Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Denver Colorado 1996) In the Catron County case, the Court of Appeals held that local governments have standing to bring NEPA challenges before the court and that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must comply with NEPA and do an environmental impact study before implementing habitat designations (federal zoning). - Zoning (Case Law) Glossary National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - The [1969] law which requires detailed and documented environmental analysis of proposed federal actions that may affect the quality of the human environment. - DOI/NPS http://www.nps.gov/cuva/management/rmprojects/ruraleis/ National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 - P.L. 91-190 (January 1, 1970) National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) Process - Congress passed NEPA as an amendment to the Forest and Rangelend Renewable Resources Planning Act, requiring preparation of Regional Guides and Forest Plans, and the preparation of regulations to guide that development, to encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between people and their environment. One of the major tenets of NEPA is its emphasis on public disclosure of possible environmental effects of any major action on public lands. Section 102 of NEPA requires a statement of possible environmental effects to be released to the public and other agencies for review and comment. The law requires a Federal agency to 1) consider every significant aspect of the environmental impact of a proposed action; 2) involve the public in its decision-making process when considering environmental concerns; 3) use a systematic, interdisciplinary approach to decision-making; and 4) consider a reasonable range of alternatives in every recommendation or report on proposals for legislation and other major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. Requires the disclosure of the environmental impacts of any major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. National Estate - Components of the cultural and natural environment that are of great national value and need to be preserved for the benefit of the community. Some components possess aesthetic, historical, scientific, social, cultural, ecological or other special values and include parks and reserves, beaches, coastlines, certain forests, rare species, buildings and gardens of special merit, sites of archaeological interest, museums and so forth. (See also natural patrimony) (UN) National Estuary Program - A program established under the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 to develop and implement conservation and management plans for protecting estuaries and restoring and maintaining their chemical, physical, and biological integrity, as well as controlling point source and non-point source pollution sources. National Forest - Originally, forest reserves, established by presidential proclamation mostly between 1891 and 1909. Today, the boundaries of the 155 national forests cannot be modified without congressional authorization, although many (especially eastern) national forests are combined for easier administration. The 120 administrative units, commonly referred to as national forests, are managed by the Forest Service for multiple use and sustained yield of renewable resources, as determined in forest plans. Public lands set aside to provide for multiple benefits and for multiple uses. Mining, grazing, and timer harvesting are allowed. Administered by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. National Forest land - Federal land that has been legally designated as national forests or purchase units, and other land under the administration of the Forest Service, including experimental areas and Bankhead-Jones Title III land. - USDA/FS National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (NFLRMP) - Also called the Forest Plan or just the Plan, this document guides the management of a particular National Forest and establishes management standards and guidelines for all lands of that National Forest. National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA) - P.L. 94-588 (October 22, 1976) It was within the context of the Monongahela Decision that Congress crafted the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), designed to resolve the controversy over the management of our public lands. Largely amended the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, which required a national, strategic planning process for renewable resources for the Forest Service, and comprehensive, interdisciplinary land and resource management plans for units of the National Forest System. The law was seen as necessary, because a lawsuit (commonly known as the Monongahela decision) had invalidated most timber practices in the national forests. NFMA substantially enacted detailed guidance for forest planning, particularly in regulating when, where, and how much timber could be harvested and in requiring public involvement in preparing and revising the plans. NFMA also established the Salvage Sale Fund and expanded other Forest Service trust funds and special accounts. This law requires the preparation of Regional Guides and Forest Plans. National Forest Recreation Sites - Inventoried sites. National Forest System (NFS) - A system in the U.S. of federally managed forest, rangelands, and related lands consisting of the national forests, the national grasslands; land utilization projects administered under Title III of the U.S. Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act; and other lands, waters, or interests therein that are administered by the U.S. Forest Service or designated for administration through the Forest Service as part of the system. The 192 million acres administered by the Forest Service for multiple use; comprised of 155 national forests (in 120 units) with 187 million acres, 20 national grasslands with 4 million acres, and 112 other units (e.g., purchase units, land utilization projects, research and experimental areas) with about 500,000 acres. While the NFS lands are concentrated in the West, the 25 million acres east of the 100th Meridian (the Great Plains) make the Forest Service the largest land manager in the East. National Forest System Road - Formerly known as "Forest Road" or "Forest Service Road." The new term reflects that National Forest System roads serve National Forest System lands. A road may be redesignated as a trail if it is no longer needed as a road. - USDA Forest Service National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse - A distributed network of geospatial data producers, managers, and users linked electronically. Building on initiatives such as the national information infrastructure, the clearinghouse uses a distributed, electronically connected network, such as the Internet. Each data provider will describe available data in an electronic form, and provide these descriptions (or "metadata") using means that can be accessed over a communications network. Thus, the data for the clearinghouse are located at the sites of data producers (or, where more efficient, at the sites of the intermediaries) throughout the country. Using the network, users will search these descriptions to locate data that are suitable for their applications. - Cadastral Data glossary National Grasslands - A type of unit designated by USDA and under Title II of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, permanently held by USDA as part of the National Forest System. National Heritage Area - The National Park Service's definition of a National Heritage Area is a place designated by Congress where natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These patterns make National Heritage Areas representative of the national experience through the physical features that remain and the traditions that have evolved in them. Continued use of the National Heritage Area by people whose traditions helped to shape the landscape enhances their significance. NPS - DOI National Heritage Corridor - A national designation intended to help local entities protect and use historic, cultural and recreational resources for community benefits, while raising regional and national awareness of their unique importance. - DOI/NPS http://www.nps.gov/cuva/management/rmprojects/ruraleis/ National Highway System (NHS) - A network of primary highways and ferry routes designated by the FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, considered most important to interstate travel, national defense, connection with other modes of transportation, and are essential to international commerce. The focus of the NHS is the long-range movement of people, goods, and services. For example, in Alaska currently there are 2,100 miles of highway and 1,900 miles of ferry routes, including designated terminals and all eight vessels of the Alaska Marine Highway System that are eligible to receive NHS funding. National Historic Landmark - Nationally significant properties in American history and archeology; recognition established through the Historic Sites Act of 1935; official list maintained by the National Park Service on behalf of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. - NPS Architecture, Fortifications, and Preservation glossary National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) - A federal statute that established federal program to further the efforts of private agencies and individuals in preserving the Nation's historic and cultural foundations. NHPA authorized the establishing of the National Register of Historic Places, established the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and a National Trust Fund to administer grants for historic preservation, and authorized the development of regulations to require federal agencies to consider the effects of federally assisted activities on properties included on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. - BLM Surface Mgmt. Regs. National Historic Preservation Act (1966) - as amended: Establishes as policy that the Federal Government is to provide leadership in the preservation of the nation's prehistoric and historic resources. National Historic Site - Nationally significant sites in American history and archeology; program established through the Historic Sites Act of 1935; National Historic Sites are formally a part of the U.S. National Park system and are managed as physical property by the National Park Service. - NPS Architecture, Fortifications, and Preservation glossary National Income Accounts - System of record by which the vigor of a nation's economy is measured. - UNDP/WRI The National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) - NIST is responsible for interpreting laws and regulations and developing guidance to federal agencies for activities such as IT security. The National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) - NLCS was apparently created in June 2000. The BLM's National Landscape Conservation System consists of National Monuments, congressionally designated National Conservation Areas, and other areas designated for important scientific and ecological characteristics. In total this amounts to 828 BLM units encompassing more than 42 million acres - an area larger than the state of Florida, which amounts to about 15 percent of BLM's land base. An 'initiative' Bruce Babbitt launched to 'inventory and protect' components of the Bureau of Land Management. http://www.blm.gov/nlcs/, http://www.blm.gov/nlcs/index.html, http://www.blm.gov/nlcs/brochure/, http://www.blm.gov/nlcs/definitions.htm Map of NLCS: http://www.blm.gov/nlcs/map.htm National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) - A system of congressional, Presidential, or other designated areas managed by the BLM, the components of which include National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Historic Trails, National Scenic Trails, the California Desert Conservation Area, and the Headwaters Forest Reserve. - DOI/BLM National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) - An agency within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the Department of Commerce that conducts voluntary seafood inspection on a fee-for-service basis, mainly as a marketing and quality program rather than as a food safety program. The National Minerals Policy Act of 1970 - This Act was to enhance environmental quality and conserve materials by developing national materials policy to utilize present resources and technology more efficiently, anticipate future materials requirements of the Nation and the world, and to make recommendations on the supply, use, recovery, and disposal of materials. To that end, the Act established the National (Boyd) Commission on Materials Policy (National Commission on Minerals Policy, The, 1973, p. 9). National Monument - An area designated by the President, under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906, to protect objects of scientific and historical interest that are located on Federal lands. http://www.blm.gov/nlcs/definitions.htm National Natural Landmark - An area designated by the Secretary of the Interior as being of national significance to the United States because it is an outstanding example(s) of major biological and geological features found within the boundaries of the United States or its Territories or on the Outer Continental Shelf. - NPS National Natural Resources Conservation Foundation (NNRCF) - A nonprofit private organization established by the FAIR Act of 1996 to promote and fund innovative solutions to conservation problems through effective partnerships. The Foundation can accept gifts and raise money. The NNRCF will conduct research, undertake educational activities, support demonstration projects, and make grants to state and local governments and nonprofit organizations. Appropriations are authorized at $1 million per year for 1997-99, but no appropriations have been provided and the Foundation is not yet operational. Similar foundations have been created for several other natural resource areas. National of the United States or U.S. national - Any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, including, but not limited to, a citizen or resident of the United States, or a person employed on a vessel of the United States. In the case of a corporation, partnership or other non- natural person, this includes, but is not limited to, any entity that is the owner of a vessel of the United States. - MFCMA National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) - The federal regulation that guides the Superfund program. The NCP was revised in 1990. - EPA Community Relations Plan Glossary National Organic Standards Board - A board established by Title 21 of the FACT Act of 1990 to develop national standards for practices and substances to be used in organic production. Producers meeting these standards can sell their products as 'USDA Certified Organic'. National Park - These are generally large natural places having a wide variety of attributes, at times including significant historic assets. Hunting, mining and consumptive activities are not authorized. - NPS National Park Service - The agency of the United States Department of the Interior responsible for the administration of National Parks, Monuments, and Historic Sites. It is distinct from the USDA Forest Service both administratively and by mission. The National Park Service Act of 1916 - This Act represented a clear success for non-development values. The legislation limits most development, including most access to minerals, within national parks. On December 31, 1999, there were 33.8 million hectares of land inside the boundaries of national parks (U.S. National Park Service, 2001a§). National Park System Management Policies Directing Park Planning - Chapter 2 of the "Management Policies To Guide the Management of the National Park System" contains the policies governing general management planning, strategic planning, and implementation planning. These policies recently were revised to coordinate and integrate all the various types of park planning into a single decision-making framework that extends from broad visions shared with the public to individual employees' annual work assignments and evaluations. Policies describing more specific requirements for certain kinds of implementation plans are included in the policy chapters addressing land protection, natural and cultural resource management, wilderness management, interpretation and education, use of the parks, and park facilities. Implementation plans required by these policies include land-protection plans, resource-management plans, wilderness-management plans, comprehensive interpretive plans, planning for carrying capacities, river management, backcountry use, and site planning and design. Numerous other kinds of implementation plans are optional. http://www.npca.org/take_action/park_planning/expert/laws.asp National Parks - Large natural areas not materially altered by human activity where extractive resource uses are not allowed and whose purpose is to protect nature and scenic areas of national and international significance for scientific, educational and recreational use. (UN) Public lands set aside to provide biological, scenic, and recreational opportunities. No mining, grazing or timber harvesting is allowed. Administered by the United States Department of Interior Park Service. National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 - Prior to the passage of this act, much of National Park Service planning focused on the placement and design of visitor facilities in parks. This act recognized the need for more comprehensive planning and provided for a discrete program in the Park Service budget to fund general management plans (GMPs). Congress directed that GMPs should address the preservation of park resources, the types and general intensities of development, visitor carrying capacities, and potential boundary modifications. All parks are required by law to maintain current general management plans. http://www.npca.org/take_action/park_planning/expert/laws.asp National Parkway - The title parkway refers to a roadway and the parkland paralleling the roadway. All were intended for scenic motoring along a protected corridor and often connect cultural sites. - NPS National Partnership Office (NPO) - The NPO is responsible for implementing National Rural Development Partnership policies and activities. The NPO provides budgetary and financial technical assistance to State Rural Development Councils. National Pollutant Disposal Elimination Standards (NPDES) - A process for controlling the amount of pollution discharged into waters by requiring polluters to obtain NPDES permits from the states involved and to comply with discharge standards. The NPDES is mandated by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments. - BLM Surface Mgmt. Regs. National Preserve - National preserves are areas having characteristics associated with national parks, but in which Congress has permitted continued public hunting, trapping, oil/gas exploration and extraction. Many existing National Preserves without sport hunting, would qualify for National Park "designation." - NPS National Primary Drinking Water Standards (NPDWS) - Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency to keep drinking water clean and protect the public from waterborne disease, these standards define either a maximum contaminant level or a treatment technique requirement to control the presence of contaminants in drinking water. - BLM Surface Mgmt. Regs. National Priorities List (NPL) - EPA's list of the nation's most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified for possible long-term cleanup using Superfund money. EPA updates the NPL at least once a year. - EPA Community Relations Plan Glossary National Protection - The Convention refers to national "identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future generations of the cultural and natural heritage" situated on its territory as national protection. National protection is distinct from international protection (UNESCO 1972: Articles 4-6). National protection of cultural and natural heritage is an essential component in the conservation of World Heritage properties. - See International protection - Glossary of World Heritage Terms National Recreation Area - Twelve NRAs in the system are centered on large reservoirs and emphasize water-based recreation. Five other NRAs are located near major population centers. Such urban parks combine scarce open spaces with the preservation of significant historic resources and important natural areas in location that can provide outdoor recreation for large numbers of people. - NPS National Recreational Trails Fund (NRTTF) - Federal funding program for non-motorized and motorized trails, using gasoline taxes collected from vehicles used off roads. National Register of Historic Places - The official list of historically significant national, state, and local districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects maintained by the National Park Service on behalf of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior; established through the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. - NPS Architecture, Fortifications, and Preservation glossary National Registry of Natural Landmarks - The official listing of all designated national natural landmarks. - NPS National Religious Partnership for the Environment (NRPE) - The Partnership operates out of an Anglican church in New York City called St. John the Divine. The Cathedral is also the home of The Gaia Institute and the Temple of Understanding. The Temple is an official UN "Non-government Organization (NGO), making it a direct partner in the United Nation's global agenda. Among the directors of the Temple is the Reverend Thomas Berry, In his book, "Dream of the Earth" (published by Sierra Club Books), Berry never uses the word "God" but speaks of a supernatural force in the universe. He says that "we should place less emphasis on Christ as a person and a redeemer. He tells Christians that they should put the Bible away for twenty years while "we radically rethink our religious ideas." Also part of the Temple of Understanding is Maurice Strong, Secretary General of the 1993 UN Earth Summit and now number two man at the United Nations. Strong has said, "Isn't the only hope for the planet that the industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn't it our responsibility to bring that about?" Strong has owned a ranch in Colorado where he built a Babylonian sun god temple. The ranch became a hotbed of a variety of New-Age religious activities. Those who worship at the Temple of Understanding follow the teaching of Peter Singer, the father of animal rights. He wrote, "Christianity is our foe. If animal rights are to succeed, we must destroy the Judeo-Christian religious tradition." Helen Caldicott, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a former Soviet KGB front group and a driving force in the Temple, says, "Capitalism is destroying the earth." These same people have launched a massive campaign to form an environmental partnership with Christians. The Partnership is highly organized. Its Education and Action kits are prepared for each faith, and each denomination. Sermons and Sunday school materials are written to fit into the individual church and denomination and orthodoxy. The partnership seeks to "broaden exponentially the base of mainstream commitment, integrate issues of social justice and environment, and urge behavioral change in the lives of congregants." Religious leaders from churches across the country are brought into training seminars. Summit meetings for black and Orthodox Christians are organized. Environmental curriculum for Jewish seminaries is prepared. No stone has been left unturned in the Partnership's drive to implement its ideology into all aspects of Christian thought and action. National Register of Historic Places - A formal list established by the National Historic Preservation Act of l966 of cultural resources worthy of preservation. The Register is maintained by the National Park Service; and lists archaeological, historic, and architectural properties. (BLM) National Resources Inventory (NRI) - A periodic survey of status and changing conditions of the soil, water, and related resources on private land conducted by USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service. The survey is conducted every 5 years; the most recent survey was in 1992. National Resources Inventory - The NRI is a series of inventories conducted by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. It provides updated information on the status, condition and trends of land, soil, water and related resources on the nation's non-federal land (74 percent of the nation's land area). The 1992 NRI is unique in that it provides a nationally consistent database constructed specifically to estimate five- and 10-year trends for natural resources from 1982 to 1992. The 1992 NRI covers the 48 conterminous states, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands but excludes Alaska. Data was collected for more than 800,000 locations by NRCS field personnel and resource inventory specialists. NRI data are statistically reliable for national, regional, state and substate analysis. The NRI was scientifically designed and conducted and is based on recognized statistical sampling methods. Data from other sources can be integrated with the NRI through spatial linkages in a Geographic Information System. [USDA-SCS 1992 NRI] National River - There are several variations to this category: national river and recreation area, national scenic river, wild river, etc. The first was authorized in 1964 and others were established following passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. - NPS National Rural Development Partnership - A collaborative effort comprised of representatives of the federal, state, local, and tribal governments, the private sector, and the nonprofit sector to promote rural development across the nation. The principle component of the Partnership is the State Rural Development Councils. National Rural Development Council (NRDC) - This is the federal component of the National Rural Development Partnership. The NRDC comprises representatives from various federal departments and national organizations whose activities or policies may affect rural areas. The NRDC provides guidance for the Partnership and works on behalf of State Rural Development Councils at the national level. National Rural Economic Development Institute (NREDI) - Helps develop the capacity of the National Rural Development Partnership and its constituent organizations (State Rural Development Councils and the National Rural Development Council) by providing economic development- related training and consulting services. National Scenic Byway - A scenic highway which is designated by the federal government as satisfying the criteria for a National Scenic Byway pursuant to Section 1047(f) of Title 23 USC and any federal regulation and/or guidelines. These roadways offer drivers and passengers views of cultural, historical, archeological, recreational, natural or scenic resources and provide a relaxed recreational and educational experience. See also Scenic Byway National Sea Grant College Program - Congress established this program in 1966 to apply the expertise and resources of the nation's universities to the wise stewardship of its coastal regions and the Great Lakes. Sea Grant supports seven programs of Great Lakes research, education and outreach: the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program (University of Illinois and Purdue University); the Michigan Sea Grant College Program (University of Michigan and Michigan State University); the Minnesota Sea Grant Program (University of Minnesota-Duluth); the New York Sea Grant Institute (State University of New York-Stony Brook and Cornell University); the Ohio Sea Grant College Program (The Ohio State University); the Pennsylvania Sea Grant Project (Penn State University-Erie/Behrend College), and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute (University of Wisconsin-Madison). National Sea Grant Office 1335 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301-713-2448 - Great Lakes glossary National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) - A program under which the federal Food and Drug Administration works cooperatively with the states, the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference, and industry to assure the safety of molluscan shellfish (clams, oysters, mussels). Among other things, all such products entering interstate commerce must be handled by state-certified dealers, properly tagged, tracked by appropriate records, and be processed in plants that meet sanitation requirements. FDA continually reviews state shellfish control programs for effectiveness. National significance - An area that is one of the best examples of a biological community or geological feature within a natural region of the United States, including terrestrial communities, landforms, geological features and processes, habitats of native plant and animal species, or fossil evidence of the development of life. - NPS National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) - Contains international economic and export promotion information supplied by 19 U.S. agencies. Data are updated monthly and are presented in one of three standard formats: text, time series, or matrix. The NTDB contains data from the Departments of Agriculture (Foreign Agricultural Service), Commerce (Bureau of the Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, International Trade Administration, and National Institute for Standards and Technology), Energy, Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics), the Central Intelligence Agency, Eximbank, Federal Reserve System, U.S. International Trade Commission, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Small Business Administration, the U.S. Trade Representative, and the University of Massachusetts (MISER data on state origins of exports). National Trails System Act - Assigns responsibility to the Secretary of Interior and thus the Service to protect the historic and recreational values of congressionally designated National Historic Trail sites. National Treatment - Affords individuals and firms of foreign countries the same competitive opportunities, including market access, as are available to domestic parties. National Water Commission Act - U.S. Code as of: 01/05/99. Section 1962. Congressional statement of policy: In order to meet rapidly expanding demands for water throughout the Nation, it is hereby declared to be the policy of Congress to encourage the conservation, development, & utilization of water & related land resources of the United States on a comprehensive & coordinated basis by the Federal Government, States, localities, & private enterprise with the cooperation of all affected Federal agencies, States, local governments, individuals, corporations, business enterprises, & others concerned. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/42/chapters/19b/sections/section_1962.html National Wild and Scenic Rivers System - A system of nationally designated rivers in the U.S. and their immediate environments that have outstanding scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, and other similar values and are preserved in a free-flowing condition. The System consists of three types of rivers: (1) Recreation--rivers or sections of rivers readily accessible by road or railroad that may have some development along their shorelines and may have undergone some impoundment or diversion in the past, (2) Scenic--rivers or sections of rivers free of impoundments with shorelines or watershed still largely undeveloped but accessible in places by roads, and (3) Wild--rivers or sections of rivers free of impoundments and generally inaccessible except by trails with watersheds or shorelines essentially primitive and waters unpolluted. National Wild and Scenic Rivers Systems - Established by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1958 to protect rivers and their immediate environments that have outstanding scenic, recreation, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, and other similar values and are preserved in free-flowing conditions. The system provides for the designation of three types of rivers: National Wilderness Preservation System - All areas within the national forests classified as wilderness, wild, or canoe before the Wilderness Act was adopted were automatically considered wilderness areas and included in the System. All areas within the national forests classified as primitive were to be reviewed by the Secretary of Agriculture for suitability or nonsuitability as wilderness. By September 1974, the Secretary was to report to the President, who would recommend wilderness designations to Congress. The Act also required that land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior be reviewed. All roadless areas of 5,000 contiguous acres or more in the national parks, monuments and other units of the national park system, and every roadless island within the national wildlife refuges and game ranges were to be reviewed by September 1974. The President was expected to make recommendations to Congress after considering the Secretary's report on the suitability of the different areas as wilderness. An area designated by Congress as wilderness would continue to be managed by the department or agency having jurisdiction over it just prior to its inclusion in the System. §§ 1131 and 1132. National Wildlife Administration Act - The National Wildlife Refuge Administration Act of 1966, as amended in 1976 (Public Law 94-233), designated the Service as the agency required to administer units of the Refuge system, including lands covered by the Kuchel Act. A Department of Interior solicitor's opinion of May 26, 1976, stated that the continued presence of Reclamation on Kuchel Act land was consistent with the Act because of a cooperative agreement (in 1977) between the two agencies, recognizing the Service's ultimate administrative control. The solicitor's opinion made the Service the final decision maker as to whether agricultural leases were consistent with proper waterfowl management under the Kuchel Act. http://library.fws.gov/Pubs1/IPM/Guide.html National Wildlife Refuge System - All lands, waters, and interests therein administered by the USFWS as wildlife refuges, wildlife ranges, wildlife management areas, waterfowl production areas, and other areas for the protection and conservation of fish, wildlife and plant resources. The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (NWRSAA) (16 U.S.C. 668dd, 6683ee) - Not until 1966 did Congress establish the National Wildlife Refuge System, which consolidated administration of all the public lands administered by the Department of the Interior for the conservation of fish and wildlife. The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 668dd, 6683ee) and the Refuge Recreation Act of 1962 (16 U.S.C. 460k) govern the administration and use of the National Wildlife Refuges. The 1966 law established the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System: to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and, where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans. The 1997 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act (P.L. 105-57) amended the NWRSAA. It requires that each refuge be managed to fulfill the mission of the System as well as the specific purpose for which that refuge was established. It also authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to develop regulations that permit the use of any area within the System for any purpose, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, public recreation and accommodation, and access, whenever such uses are compatible with the major purposes for which such areas were established. National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (NWRSAA) (1966) - as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act (1977) 16 U.S.C.668dd668ee. (Refuge Administration Act): Defines the National Wildlife Refuge System and authorizes the Secretary to permit any use of a refuge provided such use is compatible with the major purposes for which the refuge was established. the Refuge Improvement Act clearly defines a unifying mission for the Refuge System; establishes the legitimacy and appropriateness of the six priority public uses (hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, or environmental education and interpretation); establishes a formal process for determining compatibility; established the responsibilities of the Secretary of Interior for managing and protecting the System; and requires a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for each refuge by the year 2012. This Act amended portions of the Refuge Recreation Act and National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966. National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act (1997) - Considered the "Organic Act of the National Wildlife Refuge System." Defines the mission of the System, designates priority wildlife-dependent public uses, and calls for comprehensive refuge planning. The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (NWRSIA) - Not until 1966 did Congress establish the National Wildlife Refuge System, which consolidated administration of all the public lands administered by the Department of the Interior for the conservation of fish and wildlife. The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 668dd, 6683ee) and the Refuge Recreation Act of 1962 (16 U.S.C. 460k) govern the administration and use of the National Wildlife Refuges. The 1966 law established the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System: to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and, where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans. The 1997 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act (P.L. 105-57) amended the NWRSAA. It requires that each refuge be managed to fulfill the mission of the System as well as the specific purpose for which that refuge was established. It also authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to develop regulations that permit the use of any area within the System for any purpose, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, public recreation and accommodation, and access, whenever such uses are compatible with the major purposes for which such areas were established. National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act (1998) - Amends the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to promote volunteer programs and community partnerships for the benefit of national wildlife refuges, and for other purposes. Nationwide permit - Nationwide permits are a type of general permit and represent DA (Dept. of the Army) authorizations that have been issued by the regulation (33 CFR Part 330) for certain specified activities nationwide. If certain conditions are met, the specified activities can take place without the need for an individual or regional permit. 33 CFR § 325.5(c)(2). Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990) - Requires Federal agencies and museums to inventory, determine ownership of, and repatriate cultural items under their control or possession. Native American Respected Place (NARP) - A physical location about which Native American tribal representatives have expressed concern. The location could be a traditional cultural property, a sacred site, or a site important to tribal history. Management strategies at these sites may be different from those commonly used at typical archeological sites. For instance, viewsheds are usually important, and other issues, including audible intrusions, may need to be considered. Data recovery mitigation is usually not an appropriate mitigation at a respected place. BLM-DOI Native Species (Fish) - Any fish species that naturally occurred within a given body of water. Native Species - Species that are part of the original fauna or flora of an area. - USDA DEIS Upper & Lower East Fork Cattle and Horse Allotment Management Plans glossary (Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Sawtooth National Forest, Custer County, Idaho Native species (indigenous) - A species, subspecies, or lower taxon, occurring within its natural range (past or present) and dispersal potential (i.e. within the range it occupies naturally or could occupy without direct or indirect introduction or care by humans.) - IUCN 2. Plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms that occur naturally in a given area or region. - UNDP/WRI Native vegetation - Vegetation indigenous to a geographic area. - NPS Architecture, Fortifications, and Preservation glossary Native Vegetation - Plant species that are indigenous to an area or biome, not exotic (e.g. species that have been introduced to an area by humans). (UNESCO) NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATODDSA - NATO Doctrine in Defense of the Second Amendment NATT - National Association of Towns and Townships Natric Horizon - An argillic horizon with >15% exchangeable sodium. Natura 2000 - The European Union's Natura 2000 protected areas network. Natural - See Natural area - Glossary of World Heritage Terms Natural Area - Land managed for (1) retention of its typical or unusual plant or animal types, associations or other biotic phenomena; or (2) its outstanding scenic, geologic, soil or aquatic features or processes. - BLM 2. The "Report of the Expert Meeting on Evaluation of general principles and criteria for nominations of natural World Heritage sites" held at the Parc national de la Vanoise, France on 22 to 24 March 1996 (UNESCO 15 April 1996) includes the following definition of natural area: A natural area is one where bio-physical processes and landform features are still relatively intact and where a primary management goal of the area is to ensure that natural values are protected. The term "natural" is a relative one. It is recognized that no area is totally pristine and that all natural areas are in a dynamic state. Human activities in natural areas often occur and when sustainable may complement the natural values of the area (UNESCO 15 April 1996: 3). - Glossary of World Heritage Terms Natural Assets - Assets of the natural environment. These consist of biological assets (produced or wild), land and water areas with their ecosystems, subsoil assets and air. (UN) Natural Barrier - A natural feature, such as a dense stand of trees or downfall, that will restrict animal travel. Natural Boundary - Any existing boundary that can be readily identified and located, e.g., the boundary line of an adjacent parcel of land, a river boundary, ditch, wall, bluff, etc. Courses and distances, as a general rule, give way to a call for a natural boundary, because a natural boundary, if fixed, is unchangeable, and more likely to be the true call than courses and distances. - Cadastral Data glossary Natural Capital - Natural assets in their role of providing natural resource inputs and environmental services for economic production. (UN) Natural capital - A stock of natural resources -- such as land, water, and minerals -- used for production. Can be either renewable or nonrenewable. - WB Natural Disaster - Sudden calamitous event as in the case of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, volcanic eruptions, cyclones and landslides, or ongoing misfortune as in conditions or processes such as drought and desertification. (UN) Natural disturbance type - An area that is characterized by a natural disturbance regime. - Biodiversity Guidebook Glossary Natural ecosystem - An ecosystem not perceptibly altered by humans. - IUCN Natural features - Natural features are referred to as part of the definition of natural heritage in Article 2 of the Convention (UNESCO 1972). See Natural heritage - Glossary of World Heritage Terms Natural food products - Food which includes no artificial additives. - UNEP Children's Glossary Natural heritage - Natural heritage is defined in Article 2 of the Convention as shown: Article 2 For the purposes of this Convention, the following shall be considered as "natural heritage"; natural features consisting of physical and biological formations or groups of such formations, which are of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or scientific point of view; geological and physiographical formations and precisely delineated areas which constitute the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation; natural sites or precisely delineated natural areas of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty (UNESCO 1972). - Glossary of World Heritage Terms Natural heritage criteria - A natural property may be inscribed in the World Heritage List if it meets one or more of the natural heritage criteria and the conditions of integrity presented in Paragraph 44 of the Operational Guidelines (UNESCO February 1996: 12-15). See Conditions of integrity, Criteria, Cultural heritage criteria - Glossary of World Heritage Terms Natural Landscape Character - Areas which appear to be relatively natural, with the dominant vegetation being endemic to the site and the landform being relatively unaltered. Natural Language Processors - Technology which understands the natural language of the user, whether typed as text, in electronic form, or spoken. It includes such technologies as machine-translation systems, database interfaces, and voice-input devices. Natural monopoly - A situation that occurs when one firm in an industry can serve the entire market at a lower cost than would be possible if the industry were composed of many smaller firms. Gas and water utilities are two classic examples of natural monopolies. These monopolies must not be left to operate freely; if they are, they can increase prices and profits by restricting their output. Governments prevent such a scenario by regulating utility monopolies or providing utility services themselves. - WB Natural Monuments - Objects permanent in character, which are found on land as they were place by nature, e.g., lakes, streams, bluffs, etc.; in contradistinction to artificial monuments which are landmarks or signs erected by the hand of man. - Cadastral Data glossary Natural Open Land - Land that is mostly free of trees due to the ecological conditions of the site. - USDA/FS Natural Patrimony - From the French 'patrimoine naturel', totality of natural assets, including those of a historical or cultural value. (UN) Natural Patrimony Accounting - French accounting system that attempts to included all components of nature that can be quantitatively or qualitatively changed by human activity (Theys, 1989). It includes the description of non-renewable resources, environmental media and living organisms of ecosystems, agents that may affect natural assets and systems, and impacts of human beings on nature, both in monetary and in physical terms. (UN) Natural Pollutant - Pollutant created by substances of natural origin such as volcanic dust, sea salt particles, photochemically formed ozone, and products of forest fibers, among others. (UN) Natural population increase - The difference between the birth rate and the death rate over a period of time. See also population growth rate. - WB Natural production - As defined by Section 3403(h) of the CVPIA, natural production is defined as "fish produced to adulthood without direct human intervention in the spawning, rearing, or migration progress." - Bureau Of Reclamation -- BOR -- Water Acquisition Glossary Natural property - Properties inscribed in the World Heritage List after having met at least one of the natural heritage criteria and the conditions of integrity are referred to as natural properties. - Glossary of World Heritage Terms Natural Regeneration - Reforestation of a site by natural seeding from the surrounding trees. Natural regeneration may or may not be preceded by site preparation. Natural region - A distinct physiographic province having similar geologic history, structures, and landforms. The basic physiographic characteristics of a natural region influence its vegetation, climate, soils, and animal life. Examples include the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great Basin, and Brooks Range natural regions. - NPS Natural Resource - A feature of the natural environment that is of value in serving human needs. Natural Resource Accounting - Accounting system that deals with stocks and stock changes of natural assets, comprising biota (produced or wild), subsoil assets (proved reserves), water and land with their aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. It is frequently used in the sense of physical accounting as distinguished from monetary (environmental) accounting. The process of adjusting national accounts such as GNP to reflect the environmental costs of economic production. Although methods are still being developed, natural resource accounting strives to determine the costs of depleting natural resources and damaging the environment. (UNESCO) (UN) Natural Resource Agenda - The Natural Resource Agenda of the Forest Service articulates the need to better manage the Forest Service road system within environmental, social and fiscal limitations. This policy provides direction that will implement that vision. - USDA/FS Natural Resource Based Products (NBRP) - This GATT Negotiating Group was formed as a direct result of pressure from resource-rich less developed countries (LDCs) to have an additional forum to deal with their special concerns, including the removal of barriers to trade in natural resource-based products. There are different interpretations among participants as to whether this group includes only three traditional product areas examined during the early 1980s GATT Work Program on NRBPs: non-ferrous metals and minerals; fish and fish products; and wood and wood products, or whether the Group may also discuss barriers in non-traditional product areas such as energy-based products. Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) - A USDA agency responsible for developing and carrying out national soil and water programs in cooperation with landowners, operators, and others. It was created in 1994 reorganization legislation by merging the Soil Conservation Service and many of the conservation cost- sharing programs of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. The NRCS is responsible for developing and carrying out national soil and water conservation programs in cooperation with landowners, farm operators, and others. More than 70% of the approximately 12,000 employees work at the field level. Natural Resource Protection - Including, but not limited to, Floodplains, Ridgeline Protection, Soil Erosion, Steep Slopes, Tree Harvesting, Tree Preservation, Water Resource Protection, and Wetlands. Natural resources - All "gifts of nature"- air, land, water, forests, wildlife, topsoil, minerals- used by people for production or for direct consumption. Can be either renewable or nonrenewable. Natural resources include natural capital plus those gifts of nature that cannot be stocked (such as sunlight) or cannot be used in production (such as picturesque landscapes). - WB Natural Resources - Natural assets (raw materials) occurring in nature and are essential or useful to humans, such as water, air, land, forests, fish and wildlife, topsoil, and minerals, and that can be used for economic production or consumption.(UN) (UNESCO) Natural resources - The ecological features of a park, such as geologic forms and processes, communities of native plants and animals and the processes that sustain them (natural succession, natural fire, natural flood/drought cycles, etc.), air quality and air quality related values such as visibility, water bodies and hydrologic processes, and paleontological remains. (DOI/NPS) Natural Resources Commission - The policymaking body of the Department of Natural Resources. Natural Rights - Rights that belong to people simply because they are human beings. - United Nations Charter / Human Rights Glossary Natural Selection - Natural process by which organisms that adapt to their environment survive while those that do not adapt become eliminated progressively. (UN) Natural sites - Natural sites are referred to as part of the definition of natural heritage in Article 2 of the Convention (UNESCO 1972). See Natural heritage - Glossary of World Heritage Terms Natural Systems - Regularly interacting and interdependent components of air, water, land and biological resources. Natural uranium - Uranium as found in nature. It contains 0.7 percent uranium-235, 99.3 percent uranium-238, and a trace of uranium-234. - Nuclear Regulatory Commission Naturalized - A previously exotic or foreign species, which has established in and conformed to an ecosystem. - NPS Ecology and Restoration Glossary Naturalness - An area which "generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable." (Section 2c, Wilderness Act). - BLM (DOI) Grand Escalante Staircase National Monument DEIS Glossary NAV - Net Annual Value Navigable waters of the U.S. - Navigable waters of the United States are those waters that are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide and/or are presently used, or have been used in the past, or may be susceptible for use to transport interstate or foreign commerce. A determination of navigability, once made, applies laterally over the entire surface of the waterbody, and is not extinguished by later actions or events, which impede or destroy navigable capacity. 33 CFR § 329.4. NAWB - National Association of Workforce Boards NAWCA - North American Wetlands Conservation Act NAWCA - The North American Wetlands Conservation Act http://northamerican.fws.gov/NAWCA/ and http://birdhabitat.fws.gov/NAWCA/grants.htm NAWCC - The North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Canada). The North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Canada) and EnviroKit Solutions Inc. announce that WetKit -- "Tools for Working with Wetlands" -- is now on-line at http://www.wetkit.net. With WetKit up and running, Canadians can go to one place to access: maps and inventories to alert industry to wetland location and attributes; stewardship tools for agriculture, forestry and mining; tools to guide wetland consideration in environmental assessment; and much more … http://northamerican.fws.gov/NAWCA/ and http://birdhabitat.fws.gov/NAWCA/grants.htm NAWCRA - The North American Wetlands Conservation Reauthorization Act NAWG - National Association of Wheat Growers NAWGA-IFDA - North American Wholesale Grocers Association - International Food Distributors Association NAWLA - North American Wholesale Lumber Association NAWMA - The North American Weed Management Association http://www.nawma.org/ NAWMP - North American Waterfowl Management Plan (U.S. and Canada, 1986) NAWMP - North American Waterfowl Management Plan http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/npscinfo/flyway/nawmp.htm NB - Natural Barriers NB - Natural Buffers NBC - National Broiler Council NBCCP - Native Biological Control of Crop Pests NBD - Normal By Definition NBI - Nominee Background Information NBII - National Biological Information Infrastructure NBII - The National Biological Information Infrastructure. The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Development Team has unveiled BioBot at http://www.nbii.gov/about/pubs/factsheet/biobot.html, the first intelligent biological search engine on the Internet. BioBot will aid in the discovery, access, and delivery of information by providing a centralized location to search for much of the biological information currently found on the Internet. BioBot allows users to define specific topics of interest delivered to a personal Web page on a daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. BioBot Search not only accesses all the biological information being indexed by commercial vendors such as Yahoo and Alta Vista, but also accesses the NBII-generated search of the Internet. Users will have a single place to go for finding biological information without wading through endless files of non-related information. Also: http://metadata.nbii.gov/ NBR - Northern Border Region NBRA - National Board on Rural America NBS - National Biological Service (USFWS - became the USGS) NBS - National Biological Survey NBSAPs - National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (UN) NBT - Nature Based Tourism NC - National Corridors NC - Nature Centers NC - Nesting Cover NC - Non-Compliance NC - Non-Controversial NCA - National Conservation Area (DOI/BLM) NCA - National Conservation Areas NCAL - National Center for Agricultural Law NCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research NCARATD - National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Technology Division NCARG - Northern California Association of River Guides NCAS - National Core Area Service (now known as the National Park Service) NCASI - National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc., an environmental resource/research for the forest products industry since 1943. Our mission is to address, through a highly focused research program, the environmental information needs of the forest products industry. http://www.ncasi.org/ NCBA - National Cattle and Beef Association NCBA - National Cattleman's Beef Association NCBC - National Conservation Buffer Council NCBI - National Conservation Buffer Initiative NCBT - National Conservation Buffer Team (USDA) NCC - National Cotton Council NCC - National Council of Churches NCC - Nature Connected Counseling NCC - Nevada Concerned Citizens NCCCWIS - Northern and Central California Coastal Wetland Information System NCCP - Natural Community Conservation Plans (Wildlands Project) NCCPG - The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens, based at the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) gardens at Wisley in Surrey, England - The World's Leading Cultivated Plant Conservation Charity. "Prince Charles, talks about the importance of the work of the NCCPG with regard to his duty to the countryside, especially through the work of Highgrove. He talks about how the imperatives of marketing and fashion, the desire for 'new' varieties and the practicalities of bulk cultivation led to the loss of many plants unique to British gardens. But diversity is important, not only as a genetic resource for the future but also because of the cultural links that plants have with our past. Prince Charles says that if it wasn't for the crucial role played by the remarkable organisation NCCPG, which is dedicated to conserving the unique collection of garden plants in the British Isles, the situation would be far worse. As a result of our work, there are now 630 collections, half in private ownership, each representing a specific genus, and in excess of 50,000 gardens plants are thus held secure for the future. It is in this same way that Prince Charles is himself been trying to restore and re-create what has been lost at Highgrove." http://www.nccpg.com/Show.Asp?Code=452 and http://www.nccpg.com/Show.Asp?Code=452 Other 'Useful Links': http://www.nccpg.com/Show.Asp?Code=452 NCDC - National Climatic Data Center NCEDR - National Center for Environmental Decision-making Research http://www.ncedr.org NCEE - The National Center on Education and the Economy (funded by the Carnegie Foundation) NCEE - National Center for Education and the Economy NCEER - National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research NCDS - National Centre for Development Studies (UN) NCER - U.S. EPA National Center for Environmental Research NCFA - North Carolina Fisheries Association, Inc. NCFC - National Council of Farmer Cooperatives NCFS - Nevada Committee for Full Statehood NCGA - National Corn Growers Association NCGS - The North Carolina Geodetic Survey NCH - Natural and Cultural Heritage NCI - National Cancer Institute NCIC - National Cartographic Information Center NCIC - National Crime Information Center NCIDME - No Compromise In Defense of Mother Earth (Earth First's slogan) NCIL - National Council on Independent Living NCLRF - National Civil Liberties Research Foundation NCMHI - National Children's Mental Health Initiative NCNB - National Center for Non-Profit Boards NCO - Nonprofit Conservation Organizations NCP - The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, more commonly called the National Contingency Plan (NCP), is the federal government's blueprint for responding to both oil spills and hazardous substance releases. This national response capability plan promotes the overall coordination among a hierarchy of responders and contingency plans. NCP - Nature Connected Psychology: Creating Moments that Let Earth Teach (Institute of Global Education, Friday Harbor, WA) NCP - Novartis Crop Protection NCPA - National Center for Policy Analysis NCPA - The Northern California Power Agency http://www.ncpa.com NCPLNR - National Coalition for Public Lands and Natural Resources NCPPR - National Center for Public Policy Research NCRC - National Center for Recreation and Conservation (DOI/NPS) NCRC - National Council for a Republican Congress NCREL - North Central Regional Education Laboratory NCS - National Conservation Strategy (IUCN) NCSA - National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture NCSC - National Center for Small Communities NCSC - National Center for Small Communities http://www.ntat.org/ncsc/ NCSDs - The National Councils for Sustainable Development (now operational in about 80 countries and becoming an increasingly important movement) - UN NCSE - National Council for Science and the Environment NCSHPO - National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers NCSL - The National Conference of State Legislatures NCSS - National Council for the Social Studies NCT - Navajo Code Talkers NCTC - National Conservation Training Center (DOI/USFWS), 698 Conservation Way; also Shepherd Grade Road, Rt. 1, Box 166, Shepherdstown, WV 25443. 1-800-344-WILD (9453) or 304-876-7200 http://training.fws.gov/ http://training.fws.gov/contact.html http://training.fws.gov/history/publiclectures.html You must check out 'Tuition, Lodging and Fees:' http://training.fws.gov/tufees.html " ... state fish and wildlife agencies are turning to NCTC for the training they need to provide quality resource management assistance to their citizens. Non-profit groups use NCTC for cost-effective coursework they might not be able to afford elsewhere. ... NCTC-based "Management Assistance Team" -- a partnership with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies -- delivers management training directly to clients on their own terms, customized to their own needs. http://training.fws.gov/partnerships.html "$5,250,000 [was] added by the Senate for an extra dormitory at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in the state of Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.). Not content with the budget request, Sen. Byrd earmarked more money for the fourth dormitory at this facility, which is more like a resort, complete with a state-of-the-art workout facility, day care services, and lodges with fireplaces and living rooms. The only people 'roughing it' at NCTC are the taxpayers." from Citizens Against Government Waste http://publications.cagw.org/publications/pigbook/pigbook-_summary/pig-summary-interior.html NCTM - The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics NCZMA - National Coastal Zone Management Act ND - National Debt ND - Navigation District NDA - Natural Desert Association NDAA - National Defense Authorization Act NDDB - The California Natural Diversity Data Base NDF - The Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund NDI - Natural Diversity Inventory NDS - Nesting Duck Species NDT - National Discovery Trail NDTA - National Discovery Trails Act (2001) NDU - National Defense University NE - Net Effect NE - Non-dual Ecology NEA - National Endowment for the Arts NEA - National Education Association NEA - National Environmental Area NEA - Northwest Ecosystem Alliance NEAP - National Environmental Action Plan (IUCN) Nearshore Waters - Nearshore waters begin at the shoreline or the lakeward edge of the coastal wetlands and extend offshore to the deepest lake-bed depth contour where the thermocline typically intersects with the lake bed in late summer or early fall. In Lake Superior, the boundary between the nearshore and offshore waters typically occurs at about the 10-m depth contour (Bennett 1978). In the other four Great Lakes, which are farther south and display a wider range of temperatures seasonally, the boundary between the nearshore and offshore waters may occur as deep as the 30-m depth contour (Schertzer et al. 1987). The temperature of the nearshore waters at the lake bed in summer in all five lakes exceeds 15 degrees C and may reach 25 degrees C in portions of Lake Erie. In winter the nearshore waters are typically covered with ice and the water temperature approaches 0 degrees C from surface to bottom. - EPA NEASG - Northeast Ag Support Group NEC - NALMS - The New England Chapter of the North American Lake Management Society NEC - Natural Ecosystem Capacity NEC - Niagara Escarpment Commission (Ontario, Canada) (UN World Biosphere Reserve) NEC - The Northcoast Environmental Center NECO Plan - Northern and Eastern Colorado Desert Coordinated Management Plan (DOI/BLM) Nectarivore - An animal that eats nectar. - UNDP/WRI NEDA - National Economic Development Authority NEDC - Northwest Environmental Defense Center NEEFT - National Environmental and Educational Training Foundation http://www.neetf.org NEET - National Electricity and Environmental Technology Act NEF - National Endowments Funds (IUCN) NEF - The New Economics Forum NEFF - New England Forestry Foundation NEG - National Education Goals Negligible Impact - Impact that is small in magnitude and importance and is difficult or impossible to quantify relative to those occurring naturally or due to other actions. - DOI/BLM Negotiating rulemaking - Rulemaking accomplished through the use of a negotiated rulemaking committee. - DOI - alternative dispute resolution glossary Negotiated Pricing - Discovering the price for a trade by the exchange of bid(s) and offer(s). Sometimes called "private treaty" or haggling on an individual basis between buyer and seller. Negotiated rulemaking committee - An advisory committee established by an agency in accordance with the Negotiated Rulemaking Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act to consider and discuss issues for the purpose of reaching a consensus in the development of a proposed rule. - DOI - alternative dispute resolution glossary Negotiation - Involves a bargaining relationship between two or more parties who have either perceived or actual conflicts of interest. The participants join voluntarily in a temporary relationship to educate each other about their needs and interest and exchange specific resources or promises that will resolve one or more issues. Almost all of the ADR procedures, in which the parties maintain control over the outcome of the conflict, are variations upon or elaborations of the negotiation process. - DOI - alternative dispute resolution glossary NEGP - National Education Goals Panel NEH - National Endowment for the Humanities NEHRP - National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Neighborhood - A small local area, usually two or three streets, that a person identifies with and knows the best, of all parts of a city. (UN) NEJAC - National Environmental Justice Advisory Council *Ngiraingas v. Sanchez, *495 U.S. 182 (1990) - At common law, a "corporation" was an "artificial perso[n] endowed with the legal capacity of perpetual succession" consisting either of a single individual (termed a "corporation sole") or of a collection of several individuals (a "corporation aggregate"). 3 H. Stephen, Commentaries on the Laws of England 166, 168 (1st Am. ed. 1845). The sovereign was considered a corporation. See id., at 170; see also 1 W. Blackstone, Commentaries *467. Under the definitions supplied by contemporary law dictionaries, Territories would have been classified as "corporations" (and hence as "persons") at the time that 1983 was enacted and the Dictionary Act recodified. See W. Anderson, A Dictionary of Law 261 (1893) ("All corporations were originally modeled upon a state or nation"); 1 J. Bouvier, A Law Dictionary Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America 318-319 (11th ed. 1866) ("In this extensive sense the United States may be termed a corporation"); Van Brocklin v. Tennessee, 117 U.S. 151, 154 (1886) ("`The United States is a ... great corporation ... ordained and established by the American people'") (quoting United [495 U.S. 182, 202] States v. Maurice, 26 F. Cas. 1211, 1216 (No. 15,747) (CC Va. 1823) (Marshall, C. J.)); Cotton v. United States, 11 How. 229, 231 (1851) (United States is "a corporation"). See generally Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 4 Wheat. 518, 561-562 (1819) (explaining history of term "corporation"). http://laws.findlaw.com/us/495/182.html NEMA - National Electrical Manufacturers Association NEMA - National Emergency Management Agency NEMAP - National Environment Management Action Plan NEMI - National Environmental Methods Index - October 18, 2002: USGS Introduces A Web-Searchable Database of Environmental Methods. On the 30th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) today announced a new standardized web-searchable database of environmental methods that will allow scientists and managers monitoring water quality to compare data collection methods at a glance and find the method that best meets their needs. The tool also allows monitoring data to be shared among different agencies and organizations that use different methods at different times. This database was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and other partners in the federal, state, and private sectors. Called NEMI -- the National Environmental Methods Index -- the tool is a free, web-based online clearinghouse of environmental monitoring methods. The NEMI database contains chemical, micro-biological and radiochemical method summaries of lab and field protocols for regulatory and non-regulatory water quality analyses. It is searchable over the World Wide Web, providing up-to-date methods information through a standard Internet connection and browser. By visiting www.nemi.gov users can directly access current methods information. In the future, NEMI will be expanded to meet the needs of the monitoring community. For example, biological methods will be added to NEMI, along with additional field and laboratory methods of importance to the monitoring community. NEMI is a powerful tool, providing a summary of the procedures and performance data needed to assess methods. Critical data on sensitivity, accuracy, precision, instrumentation, source and relative cost are produced as tabular reports, and full methods are linked to the summaries. Often, formats for gathering information on various methods involve a time consuming search through lengthy methods to distill bits of necessary information (e.g., What is the holding time? Is the precision and accuracy of the selected method adequate?). A few minutes with NEMI will provide answers to these questions, and more. "NEMI represents a successful interagency effort that helps everyone (citizen groups, academics, industry, and government agencies) share information on the methods they use to do environmental monitoring, said Dr. Robert Hirsch, USGS Associate Director for Water. "This will save a lot of time and effort for everyone, offering a single place on the Internet where people can search for information about suitable, well-documented methods of monitoring. This will help to ensure that future monitoring efforts use appropriate methods and it will add to everyone's ability to share the results of their monitoring programs." NEMI is a project of the Methods and Data Comparability Board (Methods Board), a partnership of water-quality experts from Federal agencies, States, Tribes, municipalities, industry, and private organizations who all share a commitment to developing water-quality monitoring approaches that facilitate collaboration and comparability among all data-gathering organizations. Both the Methods Board, and its parent organization, the National Water Quality Monitoring Council are co-chaired by USGS and USEPA. The Council and Board are workgroups under the Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI), chartered in 1997 to develop a voluntary, integrated, and nationwide water quality monitoring strategy. ACWI member organizations see NEMI as an important element of this strategy. A second tool developed by the Methods Board is a common set of data elements for documenting the content and quality of monitoring data, adopted by ACWI in May 2000. These Water Quality Data Elements, also available on the Web, were also recently adopted by the Environmental Data Standards Council, a USEPA, state, and tribal partnership, and the Environmental Commissioners of the States. "The State regulators who manage the nation's water quality programs are pleased to see the development of this database because we expect it to assist environmental professionals in selecting appropriate analytical methods for water quality investigations," said Robbi Savage, Executive Director of the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators. "Searching NEMI produces a list of approved analytical methods with specific information that can save time and provide a higher level of accuracy in tracking regarding method number, source, detection limits, and relative cost." As the Nation's science agency for natural resources, hazards and the environment, the USGS is committed to meeting the health, safety and knowledge needs of the changing world around us. NEMO - Navy Earth Map Observer NEMO - Non-point Source Pollution for Municipal Elected Officials NEMP - National Environment Management Plan (IUCN) NENFG - Northeast Nebraska Farmers Group Neo-traditional Development - A traditional neighborhood, where a mix of different types of residential and commercial developments form a tightly knit unit. Residents can walk or bike to more of the places they need to go and municipal services costs are lower due to the close proximity of residences. A more compact development also reduces the amount of rural land that must be converted to serve urban needs. - Smart Growth Green Development Glossary Neocolonialism - The term used by developing countries to underscore that the entrenched colonial system of international exchange and capital flow has changed in the postcolonial era thereby perpetuating the huge economic advantages of the developed world. Neotropical Migratory Birds - Birds that breed in the United States and Canada and later migrate south to Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean islands. These birds include almost half of the bird species that exist in the United States and Canada. NEON - The National Ecological Observatory Network; a major new initiative of the National Science Foundation, will allow scientists to tackle, at local to continental scales, important ecological questions confronting our society. The objectives of NEON are: To provide a state-of-the-art national facility for scientists and engineers to conduct cutting edge research spanning all levels of biological organization from molecular genetics to whole ecosystem studies, and across scales ranging from seconds to geological time and from microns to kilometers; To interconnect the geographically distributed parts of the research facilities into one virtual installation via communication networks so that members of the biological research community can access information remotely; and To facilitate predictive modeling of biological systems via data sharing and synthesis efforts by users of the research facilities. http://www.uga.edu/srel/neon NEP - National Energy Policy NEP - National Environment Program (IUCN) NEP - Non-Essential Population NEP - Nonessential Experimental Population (FWS-DOI) NEPA - The National Electric Power Authority (Nigeria) NEPA - National Environmental Policy Act (1969) NEPA - Never Expect Power Always NEPA - The National Environment & Planning Agency http://www.nrca.org NEPAP - National Environment Policy and Action Plan (IUCN) NEPAPLC - Never Expect Power Always, Please Light Candles (The National Electric Power Authority -- Nigeria) Nephelometric turbidity unit - A measurement unit of the clarity of water, dependent on the amount of suspended matter. - Bioenergy Glossary NEPI - National Environmental Policy Institute NEPP - National Environment Policy Plan (IUCN) NERC - National Ecology Research Center NERC - North American Electric Reliability Council NERI - New River Gorge National River NeRWA - Northeast Rural Water Association http://www.neruralwater.org/ NES - National Environmental Strategy NESARC - National Endangered Species Act Reform Coalition NESDS - National Ecologically Sustainable Development Strategies (IUCN) Nest Survey - A way to estimate the size of a bird population by counting the number of nests in a given area. Nesting habitat - See Spotted owl habitat. - Bioenergy Glossary NET - National Empowerment Television NET - National Environmental Trust (Pew-created organization) NET - Neighborhood Eco-Teams Net Aboveground Productivity (NAP) - Accumulation of biomass in aboveground parts of plants (trunks, branches, leaves, flowers, fruits) over a specified period. (UN) Net Abstraction of Water - Difference between water abstracted and water returned. (UN) Net Annual Growth - The net annual change in merchantable volume for a specific year in the absence of cutting (gross growth minus mortality for that specified year). - USDA/FS Net Area - The portion of a site that can actually be built upon. The following generally are not included in the net acreage of a site: public or private road rights-of-way, public open space, and flood ways. Net billing - The arrangement by which the Bonneville Power Administration financed the cost of nuclear power plants. Utilities that owned shares in the projects, and paid a share of the costs, assigned to BPA all or part of the generating capability of the power plants. BPA, in turn, credited the wholesale power bills of those utilities to cover the costs of their shares in the projects. BPA then sold the power output of the plants by averaging their higher cost with lower cost hydropower. - Bioenergy Glossary Net Duty of Water - Quantity of water needed for producing a given crop. (UN) Net official assistance - The sum of grants and concessional loans from donor country governments to recipient countries, minus any repayment of loan principal during the period of the loans. - WB Net Pen Culture - A type of aquaculture where fish remain captive throughout their lives in marine pens built from nets, used by the salmon industry. Net present value - The sum of the costs and benefits of a project or activity. Future benefits and costs are discounted to account for interest costs. - Bioenergy Glossary Net Price - Valuation used in environmental accounting to estimate the economic value of a natural resource and its depletion. It is defined as the actual market price of a natural resource output minus all marginal exploitation costs including a normal return to capital. (UN) Net private flows - Privately financed capital flows that enter a country on market terms, minus such flows that leave the country. An example of a net private flow is net portfolio investment- the value of stocks and bonds bought by foreign investors minus the value of stocks and bonds sold by them. See also portfolio investment. - WB Net Volume - Gross volume of wood less deductions for rot, sweep, or other defect affecting use for timber products. - USDA/FS Network - Applies to a chain of interconnected persons, things, operations etc. In classifications, networking could result in reference, derived or related classifications. Exchange of information and knowledge across classifications would be facilitated and implemented if national classifications could be presented as part of the web sites of statistical offices and an international cyber platform on the Internet is used for all the major international classification debates. (UN) Neutral - An individual, who with respect to an issue in controversy, functions specifically to aid the parties in resolving the controversy. The individual may be a permanent or temporary officer or employee of the Federal Government, or any other individual who is acceptable to the parties to a dispute resolution proceeding. A neutral shall have no official, financial, or personal conflict of interest with respect to the dispute, unless such interest is fully disclosed in writing to all parties and all parties agree that the neutral may serve. - DOI - alternative dispute resolution glossary Neutralization - Decreasing of the acidity or the alkalinity of a substance through the addition of an alkaline or acidic material respectively. (UN) Neutral Soil - Soil whose surface is neither acidic nor alkaline in reaction. For strict neutrality, the pH value should be 7.0. (UN) Neutral soil - A soil having a pH value between 6.6 and 7.3. (See Reaction, soil.) - USDA New and Renewable Energy Sources - Energy sources including solar energy, geothermal energy, wind power, hydropower, ocean energy (thermal gradient, wave power and tidal power), biomass, draught (draft) animal power, fuelwood, peat, oil shale and tar sands. (UN) New Economic Zones - Population resettlement scheme undertaken in southern Vietnam after 1975 to increase food production and alleviate population pressure in congested urban areas, especially Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The sites selected for resettlement previously had been undeveloped or had been abandoned in the turbulence of war. - WB New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail - The vehicular tour route along existing public roads in the State to promote "public appreciation, education, understanding and enjoyment, through a coordinated interpretive program of certain nationally significant natural and cultural sites associated with the coastal area." The Coastal Heritage Trail is managed jointly by the National Park Service and the State of New Jersey. New Leasing Regulations - Newly revised long-term leasing authority that combines previously separate historic and non-historic leasing regulations. - DOI/NPS http://www.nps.gov/cuva/management/rmprojects/ruraleis/ New Road Construction - Classified and temporary roads are included in this category. - USDA Forest Service New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) - Federal standards for very large new sources of air pollution. - Bioenergy Glossary New Source Review (NSR) - First established under the 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments, New Source Review/Prevention of Significant Deterioration (NSR/PSD) is a pre-construction permitting program for large industrial facilities. NSR was designed to hold the line against future emission increases by preventing significant emission increases that could result from major expansions or modifications of the facility. - EPA New Urbanism - A term used to describe development which focuses on the restoration of urban centers and towns within coherent metropolitan regions, the reconfiguration of sprawling suburbs into communities of neighborhoods and diverse districts, the conservation of natural environments, and the preservation of our built legacy. - Smart Growth Green Development Glossary Newe (or "Shoshone") - Of the people. Newly Industrializing Countries - The term, originated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), describes nations of the Third World that have enjoyed rapid economic growth and can be described as "middle-income" countries (such as Singapore and the Republic of Korea). NEXCO - National Association of Exporting Companies Next Wave - The next business cycle for a COI (Community Of Interest). It is expected that delivery of Next Wave COI Resources will occur during the next COI Cycle, either because of the level of effort and resources required or the timing of the opportunity. - GWOB Nexus (essential nexus, or the doctrine of "unconstitutional conditions") 1) Nollan v. California Coastal Commission (U.S. Supreme Court 1987) The "government may not require a person to give up a constitutional right -- here the right to receive just compensation when property is taken for a public use -- in exchange for a discretionary benefit conferred by the government where the property sought has little or no relationship to the benefit." (as quoted in Dolan v. Tigard) 2) Penn Central Transportation v. City of New York (U.S. Supreme Court 1978): The Supreme Court upheld regulations of property rights because "the restrictions imposed are substantially related to the promotion of general welfare..." 3) Keystone Bituminous Coal Assn. v. De Benedictus (Justice Stevens U.S. Supreme Court 1986), a low-point of property rights rulings in the U.S. Supreme Court, validated regulatory taking within certain wide parameters to protect a statute that was passed "in order to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the public." This case undid much of the results of Pennsylvania Coal (see Regulatory Taking). Keystone focused on "the economic impact of the regulation, its interference with investment-backed expectations, and the character of the government action." Commenting on the decision Richard A. Epstein wrote, "The effect this reformulation of the problem is, of course, to distance the analysis of the takings question from the original constitutional text that it is to explicate..." "The general principle of eminent domain law has always been, and logically must be, this: What has the state taken, and not what the owner retained," Epstein commented. - Zoning (Case Law) Glossary 90% Marginal Confidence Interval - Each parameter estimated (time, latitude, longitude and depth) includes an error value (eg. a +/- b). The marginal confidence interval is from a-b to a+b and has been derived so that the true value will fall into this interval 90 percent of the time REGARDLESS OF THE VALUES of other parameters estimated at the same time. - USGS Earthquake glossary NF - Nature's Fabric NF - The Needmor Fund NF - New Frontier NF - Northeast Farmers (Nebraska) NFA - National Futures Association NFAH - National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities NFAP - National Forestry Action Plan (IUCN) NFC - National Farm Census NFC - National Farm Crisis NFC - Native Fish Conservancy NFC - Native Forest Council NFC - Network For Change NFCPC - National Federation of Coffee Producers of Colombia NFDRS - National Fire Danger Rating System NFF - The National Forest Foundation NFFAO - National FFA Organization NFH - National Fish Hatchery (USFWS) N4HC - National 4-H Council NFHE - Neighbors For Historic Eaton (NY) NFI - National Flood Insurance (FEMA) NFI - Natural Features Inventory NFIB - National Federation of Independent Business, "The voice of small business," 600,000 members NFIB - National Foundation for Independent Business NFIP - National Flood Insurance Program (FEMA) NFLC - National Federal Lands Conference NFM - Non-Fuel Minerals NFMA - National Forest Management Act (1976) NFMP - Nearshore Fishery Management Plan http://www.www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/nfmp/ NFP - National Fire Plan NFP - National Forest Plan NFP - Northwest Forest Plan http://www.or.blm.gov/nwfp.htm NFPA - National Forest Protection Alliance (The National Forest Protection Alliance is nothing more than a collection of a large number of loosely associated groups that are organized around specific local concerns. There are a hundred or more of these groups -- outfits such as CU Sinapu -- a group dedicated to introducing the gray wolf in Colorado.) NFPCA - National Fire Prevention and Control Administration (now FEMA) NFPP - The National Fish Passage Program (DOI/USFWS) http://fisheries.fws.gov/fwsma/fishpassage NFRAP - The archive No Further Remedial Action Planned (NFRAP) database contains information on sites that have been removed from the inventory of Superfund sites. Archive status indicates that to the best of the EPA's knowledge, Superfund has completed its assessment of a site and has determined that no further steps will be taken to list that site on the National Priorities List (NPL). NFS - New Food System NFU - National Farmers Union NFW - National Federation of Wildlife NFWF - National Fish and Wildlife Foundation NG - National Grasslands NG - National Guidelines NG - Next Generation NGA - National Governors Association NGC - National Grazing Committee (Sierra Club) NGCP - No Grain Crop Present (wildlife habitat consideration; i.e., grain is good for wildlife habitat) NGES - National Governors' Education Summit NGF - Nebraska Groundwater Foundation NGFA - National Grain and Feed Association NGL - Next Generation Leadership NGLS - Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN) NGMB - The None-Game Migratory Bird cost-sharing program (DOI/USFWS) NGMDB - National Geologic Map Data Base http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ NGO - Non-Governmental Organization |