Routes are selected at random on the basis of one-degree blocks of latitude and longitude. Each 24.5 mile route, with 3 minute stopes spaced one-half mile apart, is driven by automobile. All birds heard or seen at the stops are recorded on special forms and the data are then transferred to machine punch cards.

Report provides information on distribution, abundance, and health of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, coastal and marine ecosystems, riparian ecosystems, the Great Plains, Interior West, Alaska, and Hawaii. It also discusses special issues: global climate change, human influences, non-native species, and habitat assessments.