PBP PA Biodiversity Metadata Form

[Dr. Dessie Severson`]

The Pennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership is in the processing of
collecting metadata concerning Pennsylvania's biodiversity.  If any of
you have datasets of Pennsylvania's biota, we would apprecite your
submitting an electronic metadata form.  The survey request is as
follows:

To:  Biodiversity Experts and Stakeholders
From:  Dessie Severson, Allegheny Institute of Natural History, on
behalf
of the Pennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership
Re:  Request for Information on Pennsylvania Biodiversity Datasets

The Pennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership (PBP), a public-private
partnership, formed to advance biodiversity issues in Pennsylvania
is
presently preparing a report on the current state of biodiversity
in
Pennsylvania as the first step in developing a statewide
biodiversity
conservation plan.  As part of this "state of the state" effort, we
are
compiling a directory of databases in Pennsylvania dealing with
biodiversity and are requesting your help in this effort.

If you have one or more specimen-based or ecological datasets of
Pennsylvania biota in any format (electronic or hard  copy), please
go to
http://www.upb.pitt.edu/ainh/metadata/index.htm and fill out and
submit a
metadata form.  The form can be accessed by clicking  on
"Biodiversity
Metadata Form".   PLEASE NOTE, we are NOT asking for access to your
datasets.  We are requesting a DESCRIPTION ONLY of your existing
datasets.
In so far as possible, we have developed a biodiversity metadata
form in
keeping with national standards for the collection of biological
metadata.
The form has been tailored specifically to the needs of PBP.

If you DO NOT  have a specimen-based or ecological dataset, please
go to
http://www.upb.pitt.edu/ainh/metadata/index.htm and click on "No
metadata
to report?  Click here".

If you know of a colleague who maintains a specimen or ecological
biodiversity dataset, please feel free to forward this message to
them.

The projected date of completion of the "state of the state" report
on
biodiversity is early 2002 and information compiled for that
report,
including a directory of Pennsylvania biodiversity datasets, will
be made
available through the PBP website (under construction).  Background
information about PBP is included on the url for the metadata form.

If you have any questions or comments about this project or would
like
additional information about PBP, please feel free to contact me
(severson at pitt.edu) or Sue Thompson, PBP Interim Executive Director
(sthomp at andrew.cmu.edu).

Thank you for your valuable assistance,
Dessie Severson

--
Dr. Dessie Ann Severson
Associate Director, Allegheny Institute of Natural History
Director, Biology Program, Division of Natural Science
University of Pittsburgh - Bradford
300 Campus Drive / Fisher Hall 203 C
Bradford, PA  16701
(814)362-7562
FAX:  (814)362-5088
email:  severson at pitt.edu