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The Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center (ORNHIC) is part of the Oregon State University Institute for Natural Resources (INR). The INR was created by OSU and the Oregon Legislature in 2001 as independent institute in the Research Office. ORNHIC and OSU’s Valley Natural Resources Digital Library, make up the Information Office of the institute. Gail L. Achterman is Director of the Institute for Natural Resources.
ORNHIC has a staff of 10-15 employees who manage the Institute’s Information Center and the Oregon Natural Heritage Program. Currently, the center is located in Portland.
The Oregon Natural Heritage Program was created by the Natural Heritage Act of 1979. It is Oregon's Natural Areas Program and its Invertebrate Species Protection Program It is managed by OSU in cooperation with the Oregon Department of State Lands (http://statelands.dsl.state.or.us/). The Department is located in Salem, and manages 2.3 million acres of land owned by the State of Oregon. The Department acts as the administrative arm of the State Land Board, which is comprised of the Governor, Secretary of State and Treasurer.
ORNHIC's key function is to maintain, develop and distribute biodiversity information in Oregon. The center is working with partners to provide the most comprehensive information on plants, wildlife, fish, fungi, and vegetation throughout Oregon. To better do this, ORNHIC also manages the Oregon Gap Analysis Program (OR-GAP) a national program of the USGS to identify how well native animal species and habitats are represented in our present-day network of parks and reserves. Through OR-GAP, ORNHIC continues to develop and distribute GIS information on many of Oregon's species and habitats.
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