Washington D.C. 2

Today was also a lighter day as I had some personal meetings and appointments planned. So, the photos are a bit sparse.

However I started the morning with a visit to the Department of the Interior . You might wonder why I would even bother with that. It is actually very relevant for a few reasons. First, the Department of the Interior oversees all of the natural and cultural resources of the U.S. Basically all of the destinations I have been visiting, and issues in which I have become interested, on this trip. For example, the entire second floor is devoted to the National Park Service . And tribal affairs are managed by the DOI.

The DOI was created in 1849 as a container for all of the stuff not yet assigned to any other department - effectively the “department of everything else.”   See the diverse list of bureaus and offices on their website. It was entrusted with a wide range of varied responsibilities ranging from the construction of the national capital's water system to exploration of the western wilderness to oversight of the District of Columbia jail. It also regulated territorial governments, managed hospitals and universities, managed of public parks, and assumed basic responsibilities for Native Americans, public lands, patents, and pensions. Basically anything to do with internal development of the Nation or the welfare of its people. A chronology of dates is listed on the DOI website, but some highlights I found interesting are:

1872 Congress establishes Yellowstone as the first National Park.
1887-1889 The Interstate Commerce Commission is established in Interior. The Dawes Act authorizes allotments to Indians.
1902 The Bureau of Reclamation is established to construct dams and aqueducts in the west.
1916 President Wilson signed legislation creating The National Park Service.
1934 The Taylor Grazing Act is enacted to regulate economic uses of public lands. The first Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp is issued. The Indian Reorganization Act abolishes the allotment system established in 1887, forms tribal governments, and affirms the Secretary's trust responsibilities. Oversight of Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico is transferred to Interior.
1935 The Bureau of Reclamation completes construction of Hoover Dam.
1977 The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act is established to oversee state regulation of strip coal mining and repair of environmental damage.

The DOI houses a small museum that gives a more detailed chronology and houses a few artifacts. Both the short film (there is one at every museum) and the wall exhibits paid tribute to the horrible treatment of indigenous people and the shift in relationship of the U.S. government from mass consolidation of native tribes to negotiating treaties with tribal authorities to supporting the remaining First American population in various ways. The latter is obviously still contentious. As one example, the Bureau is still called The Bureau of Indian Affairs. Hmmm - if we can rename professional sports teams, what about government entities??? Just a question.

But one of the reasons I wanted to visit the building is to see all of the art commissioned by the DOI over the years. The wall are filled with photos by Ansel Adams and paintings and murals by other well-known artists. There are apparently even more that are available to view only on a special tour (which I might not have time for on this visit). This is not listed on their website, I learned about it from another source.

I next headed meet my friend and colleague John Butler and his wife Terilynne for lunch at Founding Farmers. John is NIST Fellow & Special Assistant to the Director for Forensic Science. I’ve known John pretty much my entire career as we both entered the forensic DNA field when it was in its infancy in the early 1990s. John was headed to the airport to catch a flight to a meeting in Europe, but kindly made time to meet with me. I had not seen him in person since well before the pandemic, so it was very good to catch up. John, being John, brought old copies of books Keith Inman and I wrote over 20 years ago for me to sign. As well he presented me with a signed copy of his latest book, co-written with Suzanne Bell, Understanding Forensic DNA . John, Terilynne and I spent a very enjoyable two and a half hours chatting and catching up.

I had another afternoon museum activity planned, but decided there was insufficient time remaining to do it justice. So it will get punted to tomorrow. Because this is a big city with lots of services, I took advantage to schedule some much-needed body work. All of the driving, hiking, walking, carrying, etc does take a physical toll. At the recommendation of my hotel, I found Etalon Day Spa and was lucky enough to get Kay as my therapist. In addition to providing great services, I found out that Kay is originally from Mongolia. It was very interesting talking to her both about Mongolia and her experiences in the U.S.

Tomorrow will be a full day of exploring Washington D.C.