How is the SAMAB Program Organized?

The organizational structure of the SAMAB program consists of three entities:

• The SAMAB Cooperative
  (federal and state agencies join voluntarily)
  

• The SAMAB Foundation

• The SAMAB Consortium
  (The SAMAB Consortium is presently being developed. It will consist
  of colleges and universities that affiliate with the SAMAB program.)
  

The SAMAB Cooperative consists of Federal and State agencies who have signed the "Interagency and Cooperative Agreement": (as of July 1995, 11 federal and three state agencies have signed, with two other federal agencies giving it 'active' consideration).

The Cooperative is managed by an executive committee (representing the signatories) who has overall responsibility. The coordinating office is charged with day-to-day operations and coordinating the overall activities of the program. Presently the SAMAB Cooperative office is staffed with a full time executive director and a full time environmental planner.

Committees, made-up of representatives from both the public and private sectors, define issues, develop a plan of work, and implement the vision of the program. The six committees are:

• Research and Monitoring
• Resources Management
• Sustainable Development
• Cultural and Historical Resources
• Environmental Education
• Public Affairs

In 1990, the non-profit SAMAB Foundation was formed to complement the Cooperative; to involve other interest groups such as private industry, other non-profit organizations, and special interest groups; and to help find means to support the program. The Foundation has established its own Board of Directors; members of the Board consists of:

(1) Private industry
(e.g. Duke Power, Georgia Power, The Chevron Companies, WBIR-TV)


(2) Non-governmental organizations
(e.g. National Parks and Conservation Association, Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club)


(3) Universities and Colleges
(e.g. University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Carson-Newman College, Appalachian State University)


(4) Local Communities
(e.g. Pittman Center, Tennessee)

The Foundation is expected to become a significant fund-raiser.

The Foundation and the Cooperative work together to identify important natural resource and economic development issues. Independently and together, they develop means for addressing these issues.