Note 22. Stewardship Property, Plant, and Equipment

This note provides information on certain resources entrusted to the Department and certain stewardship responsibilities assumed by the Department. The physical properties of stewardship property, plant, and equipment (Stewardship PP&E) resemble those of the General PP&E that is capitalized traditionally in the financial statements of federal entities. Due to the nature of these assets, however, valuation would be difficult and matching costs with specific periods would not be meaningful. Therefore, federal accounting standards require the disclosure of the nature and quantity of these assets. NOAA is the only entity within the Department that has Stewardship PP&E.

Stewardship Marine Sanctuaries, National Marine Monument, and Conservation Area:

NOAA maintains the following Stewardship PP&E, which are similar in nature to stewardship land:

National Marine Sanctuaries: These protected waters provide a secure habitat for species close to extinction, and also protect historically-significant shipwrecks and prehistoric artifacts. Each of the 13 individual sanctuary sites, which include near-shore coral reefs and open ocean, conducts research and monitoring activities to characterize existing resources and document changes.

Papahãnaumokuakea Marine National Monument: The majority of all coral reef habitats located in U.S. waters surround the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). The Papahãnaumokuakea Marine National Monument, located off the coast of NWHI, encompasses nearly 140,000 square miles of U.S. waters, including 5,178 square miles of relatively undisturbed coral reef habitat that is home to more than 7,000 species. The Monument will be managed by NOAA, with the Department of the Interior, and the State of Hawaii.

Aleutian Islands Habitat Conservation Area: This conservation area in Alaska may harbor among the highest diversity of deep-water corals in the world, and protects habitat for deep water corals and other sensitive features that are slow to recover once disturbed by fishing gear or other activities.

Additional information on the above Stewardship PP&E is presented in the Required Supplementary Information section. Written policies to guide the acquisition, maintenance, use, and disposal of the above stewardship responsibilities are currently being developed.

Heritage Assets:

Heritage assets are unique for their historical or natural significance, for their cultural, educational, or artistic importance, or for their significant architectural characteristics. The Department generally expects that these assets will be preserved indefinitely.

In cases where a heritage asset also has a practical and predominant use for general government operations, the asset is considered a multi-use heritage asset. The cost of a multi-use heritage asset is capitalized as General PP&E and is depreciated over the useful life of the asset.

Historical artifacts are designated heritage assets if they help illustrate the social, educational, and cultural heritage of NOAA and its predecessor agencies (U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, U.S. Fish Commission, the Weather Bureau, the Institutes for Environmental Research, the Environmental Science Services Administration, etc.). These include, but are not limited to, bells, gyro compasses, brass citations, flags, pennants, chronometers, ship’s seals, clocks, compasses, shipbuilders’ contracts, personal equipment, clothing, medals and insignia, barometers, rain gauges, and any items which represent the uniqueness of the mission of NOAA and its predecessor agencies.

NOAA has established policies for heritage assets to ensure the proper care and handling of these assets under its control or jurisdiction. The Deputy Under Secretary of NOAA has established the Heritage Assets Working Committee to administer NOAA’s stewardship policies and procedures. In carrying out these policies and procedures, the NOAA Heritage Assets Working Committee:

• Maintains a nationwide inventory of heritage assets, ensuring that they are identified and recorded in the Personal Property Heritage Asset Accountability System;
• Establishes nationwide NOAA policies, procedures, and standards for the preservation, security, handling, storage, and display of NOAA heritage assets;
• Tracks and updates each loan of NOAA heritage assets, including assigning current values and inventory numbers, and reporting the current condition of heritage assets;
• Determines the feasibility of new asset loans, such as meters, standard tide gauges, portraits, and books for exhibit loans;
• Collects heritage assets and properties of historic, cultural, artistic, or educational significance to NOAA.

NOAA maintains the following heritage assets:

Galveston Laboratory: Galveston Laboratory is comprised of seven buildings that were originally part of Fort Crockett, an Army coastal defense facility built shortly after 1900. These buildings are eligible for placement on the National Register. Due to their historic significance, exterior architectural features, and predominant use in government operations, the Galveston Laboratory is considered a multi-use heritage asset. This facility is undergoing a renovation in three phases. Phases I and II are complete.

Phase III commenced in October 2004, and is subdivided into four different projects. Phase III-A, renovation of Building 306 and mechanical/electrical site work, was completed in January 2006. Phase III-B, renovation of Buildings 301, 305, and 307, was completed of March 2007. Phase III-C-1, renovation of Building 303 and site work was completed in May 2007. Phase III-C-2 New SS Cooling Tower is ongoing with an expected completion date of October 2007. The overall renovation for the Galveston Laboratory is 90 percent complete as of September 30, 2007.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) St. George Sealing Plant: On St. George Island, in the Pribilof Islands group, Alaska is the only remaining northern fur seal pelt processing building in the world. In 1986, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Properties, within the Seal Islands National Historic Landmark. The Pribilof Island commercial fur seal harvest was an extremely profitable business for the U.S. government, and, by the early 1900’s, had covered the purchase price of Alaska. The building is the largest on the island, and is comprised of four distinct work areas from the seal pelt processing area. In 1950, the original wood-framed pelt processing plant was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt in 1951 with concrete walls on remnants of the original foundation. Harsh weather, remodeling to accommodate fur seal experimental research, and a lack of maintenance funding after the expiration of the Northern Fur Seal Convention in 1985, resulted in significant deterioration of the building by the early 1990s.

In November 1999, after numerous site surveys and assessments, the building was rehabilitated by NOAA to facilitate continued use by the National Marine Fisheries Service Alaska Region and Alaska Fisheries Science Center to achieve NOAA’s mission. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge also use the building. The rehabilitation of the four areas of the plant has allowed the Traditional Council of St. George Island’s Tribal Government to use pelt processing infrastructure to fully utilize products from the subsistence harvest of northern fur seals. NOAA’s Preserve America program funded an interpretive display project in the Seal Plant to promote public outreach and education for the modest tourism program on St. George. The NMFS Sealing Plant is considered a multi-use heritage asset.

NMFS Cottage M, St. George: The last remnants of the United States commercial harvest of northern fur seals can be found on St. George Island, in the Pribilof Islands group, Alaska. In 1986, Cottage M (locally known as Cottage C), was listed on the National Register of Historic Places within the Seal Islands National Historic Landmark. The Pribilof Island commercial fur seal harvest was an extremely profitable business for the U.S. government and by the early 1900’s had covered the purchase price of Alaska. This building was constructed in the 1930s, and was the residence of the island doctor and hospital through 1955, when the current clinic/hospital was built. Later, the construction of a health clinic on St. George Cottage M provided housing for government scientists and managers. In recent years, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge staff also use the building. The NMFS Cottage M is considered a multi-use heritage asset because of the critical housing for NOAA’s research and management staff, along with USFWS staff.

NMFS St. Paul Old Clinic/Hospital: On St. Paul Island, in the Pribilof Islands group, Alaska, fewer historic structures remain than on St. George Island. In 1986, the clinic/hospital was listed on the National Register of Historic Places within the Seal Islands National Historic Landmark. The old clinic/hospital is the combination of three historic buildings (physician’s house, 1929; dispensary, 1929; and hospital, 1934) connected in 1974 with an addition. The building was used as a clinic/hospital under a Memorandum of Agreement between NMFS and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and later, the Indian Health Service/Bureau of Indian Affairs (IHS/BIA) through 2006. A new health center was constructed on St. Paul in 2006 and a closeout procedure and custody transfer between NMFS and IHS/BIA is still being negotiated. The NMFS has not used the building to meet its mission for at least the past 20 years.

NMFS Aquarium: In Woods Hole, Massachusetts, this aquarium was established in 1885 by Spencer Baird, the originator of NMFS. In addition to being part of the first laboratory of today’s NMFS, this aquarium is the oldest marine research display aquarium in the world. It is used to educate the public, raise public awareness of NMFS activities, and accommodate in-house research for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, part of NOAA’s mission. The aquarium houses 16 permanent exhibition tanks and approximately 12 free standing aquaria and touch tanks holding more than 140 species of fish and invertebrates. The tanks range in size from 75 to 2,800 gallons. A 10,000 gallon outdoor habitat for resident harbor seals is scheduled for renovation in 2007. The general condition of the aquarium is good. The NMFS Aquarium is considered a multi-use heritage asset because it is also used for NOAA’s scientific research, which is part of its mission.

Office of Atmospheric Research (OAR) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), Lake Michigan Field Station (LMFS): In Muskegon, Michigan, the GLERL main building, constructed in 1904 by the U.S. Life Saving Service, is eligible for National Register designation and has been recognized by state and local historical societies for its maritime significance. With the creation of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, the facility was transferred and served as a base for search and rescue operations for 75 years. In 2004, a renovation project was completed that restored the exterior to its original architecture and color scheme - a style that is considered rare. Today, GLERL carries out research and provides scientific products, expertise, and services required for effective management and protection of Great Lakes and coastal ecosystems. GLERL/LMFS includes three buildings and a research vessel dockage. The function of the field station is to provide a base of operations for GLERL’s primary research vessel, which is presently the Research Vessel Laurentian, and to provide a focal point for GLERL’s research on Lake Michigan. Due to its historic significance, exterior architectural features, and predominant use in government operations, GLERL/LMFS is considered a multi-use heritage asset.

Collection-type Heritage Assets: The NOAA’s collection-type heritage assets are comprised primarily of books, publications, manuscripts, records, nautical chart plates, and artifacts. Many of these heritage assets are maintained by the NOAA Central Library (Library). The Library has an extensive collection of historical Coast and Geodetic Survey materials (from 1807) and Weather Bureau materials (from the 1830s), including foreign and historical meteorological data, information on instruments, and metadata. As evidenced by a search of international catalogs, 35 to 50 percent of the Library’s collection is unique. Historically, 40 percent of the items catalogued are not found anywhere else. Many older books cannot be replaced. The works include 17th century works of Francis Bacon and Robert Boyle, 18th century works of Daniel Bernouilli, Daniel Defoe, and Pierre Bougher, and 19th and 20th century works of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington Carver. Collections of the Library include a) the Charles Fitshugh Talman Special Collections Room – approximately 3 thousand titles and over 5 thousand items; b) the Coast and Geodetic Survey Collection – approximately 35 thousand items; and c) the Weather Bureau Collections – approximately 75,000 items. NOAA is currently reviewing the Library’s total inventory of approximately 2 million items to determine additional items that should be classified as heritage assets. Many Library items are contemporary documents that are not expected to qualify as heritage assets. The Library’s Regular Collection consists of over 700 thousand journal items (pre-1970 and current) and approximately 200 thousand books. Many Regular Collection items that are from pre-NOAA organizations are expected to be designated as additional heritage assets. NOAA expects to complete this review in FY 2008.

The NOAA’s collection-type heritage assets also include items in the Thunder Bay Sanctuary Research Collection (Collection). In 2004, the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (jointly managed by NOAA and the State of Michigan to protect and interpret a nationally significant collection of shipwrecks and other maritime heritage resources) established an agreement with the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library to jointly manage this Collection. Amassed over a period of more than 40 years by historian C. Patrick Labadie, the Collection includes information about such diverse subjects as Great Lakes ports and waterways, docks, cargoes, ships, shipbuilders, owners and fleets, machinery and rigging, notable maritime personalities, and shipwrecks. Special features of the Collection are extensive collections of a) data cards listing most of the ships on the Great Lakes before year 1900, a roster of some 15,000 vessels complete with descriptive data and highlights of the ships’ careers and their ultimate losses; and b) ship photograph negatives of 19th and 20th century Great Lakes ships. Heritage assets also include copies of vessel ownership documents, contemporary ship photographs, books, and other items documenting the Great Lakes history.