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| Columbia Environmental Research Center |
Brazos Field Research Station
Research focuses
on the effects of contaminants,
pesticides, agricultural chemicals, metals, and other environmental
stressors on fish and wildlife. The
primary species of concern are aquatic and raptorial birds, bats, small
mammals, reptiles, and amphibians in Texas and the Lower Rio Grande
Valley.
The
Brazos Field Research Station (BFRS) of the Columbia
Environmental Research Center (CERC) provides leadership and scientific
information for the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) by addressing regional, national and international environmental
contaminant issues, and assessing effects of habitat alteration on terrestrial
ecosystems. This includes floodplains, coastal habitats, wetlands, and
upland habitats. As part of the Biological
Resources Division (BRD) and the CERC, BFRS fulfills its mission by
developing and maintaining partnerships with Texas
A&M University, with other scientific entities, and with the Department
of Interior's natural resource management agencies.
The
BFRS works cooperatively with team members from CERC and with faculty and
graduate students of Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University in research
areas represented by the branch structure of the CERC including toxicology,
ecology, biochemistry and physiology, environmental chemistry, ecogeography, and
information technology.
The
BFRS, as a field station of CERC, conducts ecotoxicological field research and
provides technical assistance to meet the goals of the USGS. BFRS' focus on ecological and ecotoxicological capabilities provides a broad
foundation from which to address current and emerging natural resource issues.
