The work will be paid out of the award received from the U.S. Department of Interior. The Kansas
Geological Foundation was awarded a $300,000 appropriation in the U.S. Department of Interior's
budget for 2004. The award was the result of two and a half years of persistent effort on the part of
Dick Jordan and the Kansas Geological Foundation board members with the staff of Rep. Todd Tiahrt,
Sen. Pat Roberts and Sen. Sam Brownback in Wichita and Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Geological Survey was appointed to manage the award. Contact with the USGS was be-
gun in February and the KGF has been diligently working with their staff to complete their require-
ments. The final document was executed on April 14, 2004, and provides funding for scanning, some
hardware costs and fulfillment of the license fee to Net Impact Software, Inc. for the viewing software.
Funding for the Walters Digital Geological Library became scarce beginning in May, 2003, and the
KGF has limped along attempting to keep the project alive, while keeping Net Impact Software, Inc.
on board so that we could finish the project when the federal funds came through. Net Impact Soft-
ware is now beginning to "ramp up" scanning production to get the project back on track for comple-
tion.
In other news, Tyler Sanders, architect of the Walters Digital Library, resigned as the project man-
ager in February to return to his geology roots and resume pursuing prospecting and well site work.
The geological profession owes a great deal of gratitude to the many volunteers who have worked on
the Robert F. Walters Digital Geological Library project. Be sure to say thank you when you see them.
----Jon Callen
Kansas Geological Foundation