Glossary/Acronyms

Select a letter from the list below to view glossary terms, acronyms, and abbreviations.

A B C D E F G H I L M N P R S T U W

A

Affected Environment: For an environmental impact statement, the geographic area that is affected by the proposed action. A description of the affected environment must include information necessary to assess or understand the impacts. The description must contain enough detail to support the impact analyses and must highlight environmentally sensitive resources (e.g., floodplains, wetlands, threatened and endangered species, and archeological resources).
AMWG: Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group, a federal advisory committee to the Secretary of the Interior.
Aquatic: Living or growing in or on the water

B

BO: Biological Opinion

C

CEQ: Council on Environmental Quality
CFR: Code of Federal Regulations
Colorado River Compact of 1922: Provides for the equitable division and apportionment of the use of the waters of the Colorado River System between the Upper Basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) and the Lower Basin states (Arizona, California, and Nevada).
Colorado River Storage Project Act of 1956: Authorized comprehensive development of the water resources of the Upper Basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) by providing for long-term regulatory storage of water, including construction of Glen Canyon Dam, to meet the entitlements of the Lower Basin states (Arizona, California, and Nevada).
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ): Established by National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), CEQ regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500–1508) describe the process for implementing NEPA, including preparation of environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, and the timing and extent of public participation.
Cultural Resources: Archaeological sites, structures, or features; traditional use areas; and Native American sacred sites or special use areas that provide evidence of the prehistory and history of a community.
Cumulative impacts: The impacts assessed in an environmental impact statement that result from the incremental impacts of the action when added to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions, regardless of what agency (federal or nonfederal), private industry, or individual undertakes such other actions. Cumulative impacts can result from individually minor but collectively significant actions taking place over a period of time.

D

DOI: U.S. Department of the Interior

E

Ecological Resources: Animals, plants, and the habitats in which they live.
Effects: Environmental consequences (the scientific and analytical basis for comparison of alternatives) that occur as a result of a proposed action. Effects may be either direct, which are caused by the action and occur at the same time and place, or indirect, which are caused by the action and are later in time or farther removed in distance, but are still reasonably foreseeable, or cumulative.
EIS: environmental impact statement
Endangered Species: Any species (plant or animal) that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant part of its range. Requirements for declaring a species endangered are found in the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA).
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA): Requires consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine whether endangered or threatened species or their habitats will be affected by a proposed activity and what, if any, mitigation measures are needed to address the impacts.
Environmental Assessment (EA): A concise public document that a federal agency prepares under the National Environmental Policy Act to provide sufficient evidence and analysis to determine whether a proposed action requires preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or whether a Finding of No Significant Impact can be issued. An EA must include brief discussions on the need for the proposal, the alternatives, the environmental impacts of the proposed action and alternatives, and a list of agencies and persons consulted.
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS): A document required of federal agencies by the National Environmental Policy Act for major proposals or legislation that will or could significantly affect the environment.
Environmental Justice: The fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, incomes, and educational levels with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
ESA: Endangered Species Act of 1973
Executive Order: A president's or governor's declaration that has the force of law, usually based on existing statutory powers, which requires no action by Congress or a state legislature.

F

Federal Register: The official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.
FR: Federal Register
FWS: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

G

GCDAMP: Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
GCMRC: Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center
GCNP: Grand Canyon National Park
GCNRA: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
GCPA: Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992
Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP): Provides an organization and process for cooperative integration of dam operations, downstream resource protection and management, and monitoring and research information, as well as to improve the values for which the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park were established.
Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG): The AMWG, a federal advisory committee to the Secretary of the Interior, incorporates those stakeholders with interest in the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and downstream resources and continues public involvement in the decision-making process.
Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC): The GCMRC is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey to provide relevant scientific information about the status and trends of natural, cultural, and recreational resources found in those portions of Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area affected by Glen Canyon Dam operations.
Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992: Directs the operation of Glen Canyon Dam in compliance with existing law to protect, mitigate adverse impacts on, and improve the values for which Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area were established, including, but not limited to, natural and cultural resources and visitor use.

H

Historic properties: Any prehistoric or historic districts, sites, buildings, structures, or objects included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic Places maintained by the Secretary of the Interior. They include artifacts, records, and remains that are related to and located within such properties.

I

Indian trust assets: Lands, natural resources, or other assets held in trust or restricted against alienation by the United States for Native American Tribes or individual Native Americans.
Indian trust resources: Those natural resources, either on or off Indian lands, retained by or reserved by or for Indian Tribes through treaties, statutes, judicial decisions, and Executive Orders, which are protected by a fiduciary obligation on the part of the United States.
Indirect effects: Secondary effects that occur in locations other than those associated with the initial action(s) or that occur significantly later in time.
Invasive species: Any species, including noxious and exotic species, that is an aggressive colonizer and can out-compete other species.

L

Law of the River: A complex body of laws, court decrees, contracts, agreements, regulations, and an international treaty used to govern allocation and management of Colorado River water.
LMNRA: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
LTEMP: Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan

M

Mitigation: A method or process by which impacts from actions can be made less injurious to the environment through appropriate protective measures.

N

NAGPRA: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA): Requires federal agencies to prepare a detailed statement on the environmental impacts of their proposed major actions that will significantly affect the quality of the environment.
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA): A federal law providing that property resources with significant national historic value be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It does not require permits; rather, it mandates consultation with the proper agencies whenever it is determined that a proposed action might affect a historic property.
National Recreation Area: An area designated by Congress to assure the conservation and protection of natural, scenic, historic, pastoral, fish, and wildlife values, and to provide for the enhancement of recreational values.
NEPA: National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
NHPA: National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
NOA: Notice of Availability
NOI: Notice of Intent
NP: National Park
NPS: National Park Service
NRA: National Recreation Area

P

PDF: Portable Document Format

R

Reclamation: Bureau of Reclamation
Record of Decision (ROD): A document separate from but associated with an environmental impact statement (EIS) that publicly and officially discloses the responsible agency's decision on the EIS alternative to be implemented.
Reservoir: (a) A natural or artificial place to store water. (b) Water storage created by building a dam. (c) A pond, lake, or basin used for the storage, regulation, and control of water.
Riparian: Relating to, living in, or located on the bank of a river, lake, or tidewater.
River basin: (a) The land area surrounding one river from its headwaters to its mouth. (b) The area drained by a river and its tributaries.
ROD: Record of Decision

S

Sacred landscapes: Natural places recognized by a cultural group as having spiritual or religious significance.
Sacred sites: Any specific, discrete, narrowly delineated location on federal land that is identified by an Indian tribe, or Indian individual determined to be an appropriately authoritative representative of an Indian religion, as sacred by virtue of its established religious significance to, or ceremonial use by, an Indian religion; provided that the tribe or appropriate authoritative representative of an Indian religion has informed the agency of the existence of such a site.
SHPO: State Historic Preservation Office(r)
Socioeconomics: The social and economic conditions in the study area.
State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO): The State officer charged with the identification and protection of prehistoric and historic resources in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act.

T

Terrestrial: Pertaining to plants or animals living on land rather than in water.
Threatened species: Any species that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Requirements for declaring a species threatened are contained in the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Tribal land: In the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, tribal land is defined as: (a) all lands within the exterior boundaries of any Indian reservation; (b) all dependent Indian communities; (c) any lands administered for the benefit of Native Hawaiians pursuant to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, and section 4 of Public Law 86-3. In the National Historic Preservation Act, tribal land is defined as: (a) all lands within the exterior boundaries of any Indian reservation; and (b) all dependent Indian communities.
Tribe: Term used to designate a federally recognized group of American Indians and their governing body. Tribes may be comprised of more than one band.
Tributary: A stream that flows into another stream, river, or lake.

U

USGS: United States Geological Survey

W

Water right: A legal entitlement of an individual or entity to extract water from a water source (surface water or groundwater) and to use it for a beneficial use (e.g., potable water supply, irrigation, mining, livestock).