4-26-01 The United States 2000/2001 Office of the Federal Register Revised June 1, 2001 Raymond A. Mosley, Director of the Federal Register. John W. Carlin, Archivist of the United States. On the cover: World War-I era American postcard with bald eagle and American flag, postmarked 1917. The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is the only eagle unique to North America. Admired for its majestic appearance and self-reliance, it became the national symbol in 1782 when the Second Continental Congress approved the design of the Nation's official seal. The Great Seal of the United States includes a shield that, according to Secretary Charles Thomson's journal of the Congress for June 20, 1782, is "borne on the breast of an American Eagle without any supporters, to denote that the United States of America ought to rely on their own virtue." Although the bald eagle has endured as an American icon, by the 1960s only an estimated 450 nesting pairs remained in the conterminous (lower 48) States. Farmers and ranchers aggressively hunted the bird to protect their livestock. In 1940 Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act which made it illegal to kill, harass, possess without a permit, or sell bald eagles. Still, the population continued to decline, largely due to the introduction of DDT and other pesticides, which contaminated the lakes and streams where the eagle fished. In 1967 the Department of the Interior declared a southern subspecies of the bald eagle as "endangered," signifying it was perilously close to extinction. In 1978 the Fish and Wildlife Service extended this designation to include all bald eagles in the conterminous United States. Through public information campaigns and subsequent Federal conservation efforts, including a ban on DDT, the prospects for the bald eagle have improved. In July 1995 the Fish and Wildlife Service upgraded the bald eagle's status from "endangered" to "threatened." In July 1999, with approximately 6,000 nesting pairs estimated to be living in the conterminous United States, the Service issued a proposal to list the bald eagle as a "recovered" species. For more information about the bald eagle's status as an endangered species, as well as related Federal regulations, visit the Fish and Wildlife Service Internet site at www.fws.gov. := For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328 Preface As the official handbook of the Federal Government, The United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The Manual also includes information on quasiofficial agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees. A typical agency description includes a list of principal officials, a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the Federal Government, a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority, a description of its programs and activities, and a "Sources of Information" section. This last section provides information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and many other areas of public interest. The 2000/2001 Manual was prepared by the Presidential and Legislative Publications Unit, Office of the Federal Register. Maxine L. Hill was Lead Editor, Karen L. Ashlin was Managing Editor, and Anna Glover was Chief Editor, assisted by Brad Brooks and Karen Thornton. THE FEDERAL REGISTER AND ITS SPECIAL EDITIONS The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register (see 1 CFR 9.1). Its focus is on programs and activities. Persons interested in detailed organizational structure, the regulatory documents of an agency, or Presidential documents should refer to the Federal Register or one of its other special editions, described below. Issued each Federal working day, the Federal Register provides a uniform system for publishing Presidential documents, regulatory documents with general applicability and legal effect, proposed rules, notices, and documents required to be published by statute. The Code of Federal Regulations is an annual codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register. The Code is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. The Code is kept up to date by the individual issues of the Federal Register. The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents serves as a timely, up-to-date reference source for the public policies and activities of the President. 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The Statutes volumes contain all public and private laws and concurrent resolutions enacted during a session of Congress; recommendations for executive, legislative, and judicial salaries; reorganization plans; proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution; and Presidential proclamations. Included with many of these documents are sidenotes, U.S. Code and statutes citations, and a summary of their legislative histories. PUBLICATION AVAILABILITY The publications of the Office of the Federal Register are available for sale by writing to the following address: Superintendent of Documents Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. Publications are also available for sale through the Government Printing Office online bookstore, at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/sale.html, and from Government Printing Office bookstores located in several major cities. Telephone inquiries should be directed to 202-512-1800. 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