Environmental Contaminants Program
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News and Activities

This page presents current issues straight from our Environmental Contaminants Specialists in our Field Offices located throughout the United States. Also, Region 6 (Southwestern U.S.) and Region 3 (Great Lakes Region) are currently maintaining their own success stories/news and activities pages.

10/27/2008: Obed Wild and Scenic River, Tennessee, Restoration Plan Being Developed
In cooperation with the National Park Service, environmental contaminants biologists from the Fish and Wildlife Service's Cookeville, Tennessee, office are developing a restoration plan for damages as...
10/27/2008: Wetlands Restored in Kent Co. Delaware to Offset Losses from Superfund Site
Along the Mispillion River in Kent County, Delaware, an eroded, degraded marsh has been transformed into vital habitat for local wildlife. The 56-acre private site consists of one of the river's origi...
10/27/2008: Trail Extension in Redding, California, Funded by Mine Restoration Project
Congressman Wally Herger called it "a great day," and indeed it was. Approximately 75 agency representatives, including Rep. Herger, stakeholders and other members of the public gathered on Friday, Oc...
10/09/2008: Hudson River Responsiveness Summary for 2008 Avian Injury Plan Released
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Responsiveness Summary for the Study Plan for an Avian Injury Study, Year 3 (2008), as part of the Hudson River Natural Resource Damage Asses...
10/01/2008: Service responds to another large oil spill this time in the Midwest
On August 10th, 2008, a pipeline rupture released 5,780 barrels of crude oil into upland forest and wetland habitats near Albion in south eastern, Illinois. The affected wetlands included bottomland ...
09/30/2008: Hudson River Trustees Release Fact Sheet for Sediment Toxicity Pilot Study
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Fact Sheet for a preliminary investigation regarding sediment toxicity and associated injuries to natural resources as part of the Hudson Riv...
09/10/2008: Fact Sheet for Waterfowl Injury Assessment - Hudson River Damage Assessment
A Fact Sheet, entitled "Waterfowl Investigations 2007-2008", is now available on the Hudson River website. These investigations is part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) for the Hudson ...
09/03/2008: New Jersey Wastewater Treatment Plant Chemical-Monitoring Plan Developed
New Jersey Field Office staff met with the Senior Project Manager for the proposed Branchville Area Wastewater Treatment Facilities in Sussex County to develop a chemical-monitoring plan ensuring prot...
09/02/2008: Hudson River Amphibian Preliminary Investigation Information Released.
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Data Report and Fact Sheet for a preliminary investigation of amphibian breeding habitat and screening of breeding pool sediments for PCBs co...
08/07/2008: Keystone Sanitation Landfill Superfund Site Restoration Project Completed
The Service's Pennsylvania Field Office completed one of the two selected restoration projects for the Keystone Sanitation Landfill Superfund Site. The project consisted of conserving, via a permanen...
07/28/2008: Hudson River Trustees Release Avian Injury Study Plan for Year 3 (2008)
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released the Final Study Plan for Year 3 (2008) of an Avian Injury Study. This study is part of the Hudson River Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NR...
06/09/2008: Hudson River Data Report & Fact Sheet - Amphibian Preliminary Investigation
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Data Report and Fact Sheet for the preliminary investigation of bullfrog tadpoles and sediment samples conducted in 2003. This preliminary i...
04/22/2008: Alaska Abnormal Frog Study Published
A study looking at frog abnormalities and road proximity has been published in Environmental Health Perspectives. The study was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Environmental...
03/31/2008: Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Site (PA) - New Information on Investigations
The Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Site in Pennsylvania is the site of a former zinc smelting operation. For most of the 20th Century, the Palmerton, PA facility emitted large quantities of metals inc...
03/24/2008: Hudson River Trustees Release Draft Study Plan for 2008 Avian Injury Study
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Draft Study Plan for an Avian Injury Study for 2008 for public review and comment. This study is part of the Hudson River Natural Resource Da...
12/28/2007: Report for Preliminary Investigation of PCBs in Hudson River Bats Released
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a "Work Summary and Data Report" for a preliminary investigation of PCBs in Hudson River bats. The Trustees are working cooperatively to condu...
11/07/2007: Settlement Reached for Saline Branch an Salt Fork, Ilinois
A settlement has been reached with the responsible parties for a 2002 fish kill along the Saline Branch and Salt Fork of the Vermilion River in Illinois. As part of the settlement, a total of $491,000...
10/05/2007: Oil Spill Settlement Leads to Protection of Rare Bird's Habitat
The wood chip carrier New Carissa grounded in Feb 1999 near Coos Bay, Oregon, broke apart & released 70-140 thousand gallons of fuel oil. Oil killed or injured over 3,100 sea & shorebirds, including 2...
10/04/2007: New Environmental Contaminants Research Published
A USGS publication titled "Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Environmental Contaminants, Health Indicators, and Reproductive Biomarkers in Fish from the Mobile, Apalachi...
09/11/2007: "Crown Jewel" of Jordan River Restoration in Utah to Begin
The Great Salt Lake Audubon Society's Jordan River Restoration project, funded in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program, is po...
09/10/2007: Call for Nominations for The Pollinator Advocate Award
The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign's (NAPPC) is calling for nominations for two awards: 1) The Pollinator Advocate Award recognizes individuals and/or organizations which hav...
08/08/2007: Hudson River Trustees Release Final Study Plan for 2007 Avian Injury Study
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released the Final Study Plan for an avian egg injection study for year 2007. The Final Study Plan was prepared as part of the Natural Resource Damage ...
08/08/2007: Contaminant Investigation - U.S. Naval Air Station, Brunswick, Maine
The Service's Maine Field Office coordinated a Superfund fish tissue contaminant investigation at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine. The effort was funded by Environmental Protection Agen...
08/08/2007: Draft Restoration Plan: General Electric - Housatonic River, Pittsfield, MA
The Service's New England Field Office Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Specialist and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Trustee Representative for the General Electric/Hous...
06/22/2007: Rachel Carson Stories - Contaminants Staff Celebrate Centennial Anniversary
The Service's Fish and Wildlife News just published a special Rachel Carson Centennial Anniversary Issue dedicated to Carson's work and legacy. Among the many articles and insights included in...
06/15/2007: Wetland Restoration on the Fox River National Wildlife Refuge
The Fox River/Green Bay Natural Resource Trustee Council have approved funding from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration settlement to restore the hydrological conditions in approxi...
06/15/2007: Cleanup Started in the Kalamazoo River
A significant cleanup of PCB contamination in the Kalamazoo River in southwestern Michigan has begun.ﾠ The Plainwell Impoundment cleanup aims to remove 4,400 pounds of PCBs - 132,000 cubic yards of ma...
06/13/2007: Sacramento Environmental Contaminants Division Chief Receives Award
Dan Welsh, received an award for his outstanding work on Natural Resource Damage Assessments and Restoration over the past 10 years and for exemplifying the concept of cooperative conservation. Dan h...
06/06/2007: Coeur d'Alene Basin Interim Restoration Plan Completed
The Coeur d'Alene Basin Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Trustees (Trustees) completed the Coeur d'Alene Basin Interim Restoration Plan (Plan) and Environmental Assessment on April 2...
06/05/2007: Comment Period - Hudson River Resident Waterfowl Injury Study Plan
Updated: June 29, 2007. The Trustees solicited comments from interested parties on this draft study plan. Comments were due by June 25, 2007. The Trustees are currently reviewing comments that...
06/04/2007: New "How To" Document - Cooperative Damage Assessments
Although the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration process is conceptually simple, an oil spill or hazardous substance release often involves complicated technical and legal issues. This ...
05/21/2007: Service Biologists Participate in BioBlitz
Environmental Contaminants Biologist, Kelly Geer, and Endangered Species Biologist, Deblyn Mead, participated in the Rock Creek Park BioBlitz May 18 and 19. A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event in which tea...
05/16/2007: Fish Advisories in National Wildlife Refuges - New Director's Order
This new Order from the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service covers National Wildlife Refuges, Wetland Management Districts, and National Fish Hatcheries. The Order directs managers of any of th...
05/02/2007: Hudson River Trustees Release Revised Avian Egg Injection Study Plan.
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a revised Avian Egg Injection Study Plan. The revised study plan incorporates changes made since the original release of the document, dated M...
04/25/2007: SMARxT Disposal Campaign featured in USA Today
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association's SMARxT Disposal Campaign was featured in USA Today's "Your Health". The April 22, 2007, article "Close the lid on old medi...
04/17/2007: Agencies Attend Spill Safety and Leadership Course, Lafayette, Louisiana
About 50 emergency responders from federal and state agencies from around the country gathered in Lafayette, La. last week. They were learning how to safely protect the wildlife that may be impacted b...
04/16/2007: Three Additional Chicks Hatch Unaided by Humans on Catalina Island.
On April 2, 2007, the Service announced that for the first time since intensive restoration efforts began nearly 30 years ago, two bald eagle chicks have hatched unaided by humans on Catalina Island o...
03/20/2007: Improper Disposal of Unused Medication Inspires New Awareness Program
ATLANTA, GA - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) have joined forces to help protect our nation's fish and aquatic resources from improper disposal of me...
03/16/2007: Hudson River Trustees Respond to Public Comments on Mink Injury Study
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Responsiveness Summary for the Mink Injury Study. The Responsiveness Summary provides Trustee agency responses to public comments on and que...
03/09/2007: Pioneering USFWS Biologist, Dr. Lucille F. Stickel, Mourned
It is with great sadness that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service marks the passing of the former Director of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Dr. Lucille F. Stickel, on February 22, 2007. Dr. St...
02/28/2007: Hudson River Trustees Release Draft Study Plan for 2007 Avian Injury Study
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Draft Study Plan for an Avian Injury Study - Amendment for Year 2 (2007) for public review and comment. The work proposed for 2007 entails...
02/21/2007: Collaborative Study on Chemical Contaminants in Fish Feed Used in Hatcheries.
Environmental Contaminants staff collaborated with the Service's Fisheries Program and the U.S. Geological Survey to determine the concentration of contaminants in feeds used in the Service's National...
01/30/2007: Completion of Restoration at Lavaca Bay, Texas
The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in partnership with Alcoa and our co-trustees, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the State of Texas, are celebrating the completion of ...
01/22/2007: Article Featured in Journal: Marine Ecology Progress Series
Behavioral impairment and increased predation mortality in cutthroat trout exposed to carbaryl is currently the featured in the Marine Ecology Progress Series (MEPS), a journal by the Inter-Research S...
01/05/2007: Critical Habitat for Piping Plover Protected from Shipwreck
On December 3 a sudden storm hit two tugboats in Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie and Grand Marais, Michigan, and the Seneca, which was being towed, was lost.ﾠﾠﾠ The U.S. Coast Guard later found...
01/05/2007: Pocosin Wetlands Being Restored in North Carolina
The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have committed to the restoration of 6,000 acres of degraded pocosin wetlands in Wash...
01/01/2007: Deformed Chickadees in Alaska
Since January 1998, nearly 1,500 Black-capped Chickadees with abnormal beaks have been identified in south-central Alaska. This is the highest concentration of such abnormalities ever recorded in a wi...
12/22/2006: Fact Sheet for Avian Investigations for the Hudson River
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Fact Sheet for Avian Inve...
12/15/2006: Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine features Fox River/Green Bay Restorations
The Fox River/Green Bay Natural Resource Trustee Council partnered with the Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine to develop a 16 page supplement to their monthly magazine. The...
11/29/2006: Endocrine (Hormone) Disruption in Fish
Chesapeake Bay Field Office (CBFO) received 2005 and 2006 monies from the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Off-Refuge Investigation Fund to assess endocrine disruption in bass at five locations in the P...
11/20/2006: For Public Review - Restoration Alternatives Cherokee County Superfund Site
The Service's Kansas Field Office is asking for public review and comment on preliminarily-identified environmental restoration alternatives for addressing mining-related contamination in and/or near ...
10/30/2006: Fact Sheet for Mink Investigations for the Hudson River.
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Fact Sheet for Mink Investigations for the Hudson River. The Fact Sheet provides a summary of the mink PCB-feeding laboratory study the Trust...
10/10/2006: World's Fastest Bird Continues to Rebound
When the American peregrine falcon soared off the list of endangered species in 1999, the bird's recovery from near extinction in North America was hailed as a tremendous conservation success story. T...
10/04/2006: Controlling Invasive Species in Chesapeake Marshlands Refuge Complex
Rachel Cliche, invasive species biologist for the Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Maryland, has led the charge to control invasive species. Through her efforts and those of ...
10/03/2006: Mink Injury Assessment - Hudson River Natural Resource Damage Assessment
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released the Final Study Plan for Mink Injury Investigations for the Hudson River. This Final Study Plan describes a mink PCB-feeding laboratory study ...
09/05/2006: Silver and Largescale Silver Carp Subject of Proposed Rule
Importation and interstate transport of live silver and largescale silver carp would be banned under a proposed rule published in today's Federal Register by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A peti...
09/01/2006: Rhode Island Restoration Site to Receive Coastal America Award
Coastal America is presenting a Partnership Award on September 11, 2006 to agencies and individuals in recognition of the collaborative success of the Lonsdale Drive-In restoration project in Lincoln,...
08/30/2006: Draft Report Available for Comment - Injuries to Hudson River Surface Water
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a draft report "Injuries to Hudson River Surface Water Resources Resulting in the Loss of Navigational Services," dated July 31, 2006. The rep...
07/31/2006: Hudson River Trustees Respond to Public Comments on Avian Egg Study
The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a Responsiveness Summary for the Avian Egg Injection Study Plan. The Summary provides Trustee agency responses to public comments on and quest...
07/25/2006: 3-Year Cleanup of Ashtabula River, Ohio, Sediment Begins
A three-year, $50 million cleanup of the Ashtabula River in Ohio has begun. The goal is to remove remove 25,000 pounds of hazardous PCBs...
07/18/2006: Scientists study effects of mercury in Bay-Delta birds
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, with assistance from the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, are conducting a variety of studies to assess the impact of mercury on b...
07/10/2006: $430K Awarded for Restoration of Natural Resources Injured by Discharge
The Department of the Interior (DOI), represented by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), and the State of Oklahoma (State) will receive $430K in settlement from the City of Okmulgee, Oklaho...
06/19/2006: Coeur d'Alene Basin Draft Interim Restoration Plan - for Review and Comment
The Coeur d'Alene Basin Natural Resource Trustees (Trustees), a partnership between the U.S. Department of Interior (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management), U.S. Department of A...
06/16/2006: Draft Study Plan for Mink Injury Investigations for the Hudson River
A Draft Study Plan for Mink Injury Investigations for the Hudson River is now available for public review and comment. Comments should be submitted by July 15, 2006. Background: Natural resources ...
05/03/2006: Idaho Waterfowl Habitat Project - Landowner, Agencies, Non-Profit, Team Up
Migrating waterfowl winging their way across Idaho's Panhandle will have a safe new place to rest and feed, thanks to a newly forged Conservation Easement agreement in the Coeur d'Alene Basin. The Agr...
03/16/2006: Studies Look at Pesticide Residues in Bats
Each year, the Indiana Department of Health Rabies laboratory has approximately 200 to 400 bats submitted for rabies testing. Many of these bats exhibited behavior that brought them to the attention o...
03/13/2006: Heart Defects Discovered in Songbirds from Polluted Areas
In 1995, contaminants biologists from the Bloomington, Indiana, Field Office (BFO) and researchers from Indiana University began studying songbirds at several Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs) contamina...
02/15/2006: Creek chub PCB Research Recently Published in the Journal of Fish Biology
As part of the Bloomington, Indiana, Field Office's (BFO), continuing damage assessment efforts in the Bloomington Westinghouse PCBs case, several years ago the BFO initiated a comprehensive investiga...
02/07/2006: Service Contaminants Biologist's Research Featured in Bangor Daily News
Service wildlife biologist Steve Mierzykowski's work measuring toxin levels in bald eagles was featured on the front page of the Bangor Daily News on February 6, 2006. The article features Steve acti...
02/01/2006: Effect of Pesticide Use on Avian Reproduction, Klamath Basin Complex NWR
The final draft report "Effect of Pesticide Use on Avian Reproduction, Klamath Basin Complex National Wildlife Refuge" was completed during 2005. The objectives of this study were to (1) deter...
01/24/2006: Cancerous Lesions Confirmed in South River Fish in Maryland
Laboratory studies confirm suspicions that lip growths on catfish from a Maryland river are a form of skin cancer, according to Fred Pinkney, environmental contaminants biologist with the U.S. Fish an...
12/12/2005: Evaluating Water Quality in the Lower Truckee River
Results of this investigation revealed that trout in the Truckee River are being exposed to significant levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within the urban area of Reno and Sparks. Tro...
12/10/2005: Rearing Pond Water Quality's Effects on Endangered Razorback Suckers
The Service's Grand Junction Office conducted field work associated with the Refuge investigation entitled "Water Quality Assessment of Grow-out Ponds Used for Colorado River Endangered Fish Propagati...
12/01/2005: Contaminants Associated with Swine Confined Animal Feeding Operations Studied
The Nebraska Field Office (NEFO) is in the process of completing a final report for a study enitled "Environmental Contaminants Associated with a Swine Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation and Implic...
12/01/2005: Effects of Forestry Herbicides on Trout Early Life Stages
The Service's Montana Field Office (MTFO) entered the second year of an investigation entitled Effects of Forestry Herbicides on Early Life Stages of Bull Trout and Rainbow Trout. This work will in...
11/30/2005: Are They Safe to Eat? Fish Sampling at Hanford Reach National Monument
A cooperative research effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is attempting to establish whether irrigation drainwater has caused, or has the potent...
11/22/2005: Fish Kill Investigated in Michigan
Environmental contaminants staff from the East Lansing Field Office investigated a fish kill that apparently began sometime on Nov. 21, 2005, in the North Branch of the Ecorse River in Wayne County, M...
11/02/2005: Black Carp: Extension of Comment Period-Injurious Species Listing Proposal
The Service has extended the comment period on a proposed rule to add all forms of live black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), including gametes and viable eggs, to the list of injurious fish und...
11/01/2005: Kansas River Cleanup
Environmental Contaminants Staff of the Service's Kansas Field Office (KFO) assisted staff at the Fort Riley Army Base with the removal of approximately 2.5 tons of non-hazardous trash and debris from...
10/20/2005: Contaminants Program Involvement in Responding to Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near the Mississippi-Louisiana border. High winds and storm surges caused extensive damage in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Coastal communi...
09/14/2005: Draft Restoration Plan for the Cohasset, MN Enbridge Energy Oil Spill
The public is invited to review and comment on the Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the July 4, 2002 Enbridge Energy oil spill near Cohasset, MN (Draft RP/EA). The Draft RP/EA h...
09/07/2005: See Restoration In Action: Common Murres at Devils Slide Rock
In 1986, common murres on Devils Slide Rock off Central California's coast were wiped out when the transportation barge Apex Houston discharged approximately 20,000 gallons of crude oil while in trans...
09/05/2005: Barton Springs Salamander Recovery Plan Signed
The final Recovery Plan for the Barton Springs salamander (Eurycea sosorum), an endangered species that lives entirely within Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, was finalized on August 29, 2005. The salama...
09/01/2005: Final Restoration Plan for Love Canal and Other Sites in Niagara City, NY
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and New York State Department of Environme...
08/23/2005: Service Approves an Additional Nontoxic Shot Type - Considers Four Others
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today approved a non-toxic shot type composed of iron-tungsten-nickel for waterfowl and coot hunting in the United States. In addition, the Service will publish tomo...
08/15/2005: Draft Natural Resource Damage Assessment Plan for Palmerton Zinc
The Palmerton Natural Resource Trustee Council is seeking comments on the Draft Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Plan for the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Site, Carbon County, Pennsylvania. ...
07/14/2005: State, Federal Agencies to Meet with Public to Discuss Kalamazoo River Cont
State and federal agencies, acting as trustees for the natural resources of the Kalamazoo River, will be available Tuesday, July 19, 2005, to discuss the Stage 1 Natural Resource Damage Assessment Rep...
07/14/2005: Brown Pelicans Released After Oil Spill Cleanup at Breton National Wildlife
Sixty-three endangered brown pelicans that had been coated with light crude oil have been released on an island at Breton National Wildlife Refuge following treatment at a Venice, Louisiana rehabilita...
07/13/2005: Pelican Deaths, Dispersal at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating high chick mortality and the departure of many of the American white pelicans at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Medina, North Dakota. 1....
04/08/2005: Parasites Causing Large-Scale Die Off of Water Birds on Upper Mississippi R
Intestinal parasites, known as trematodes or flukes, are believed to be the cause of a large scale die-off of lesser scaup, coots, and ring-necked ducks on Lake Onalaska and along the main channel of ...
09/24/2004: Hurricane Ivan Wreaks Havoc on Southeast Refuges
Hurricane Ivan has caused considerable damage to 10 National Wildlife Refuges in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and the Panhandle of Florida as well as the Ecological Services office in Daphne, Alaba...
08/27/2004: Three New Shot Types Approved for Waterfowl Hunters
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved three new non-toxic shot types B tungsten-bronze, a new formulation of tungsten-iron, and tungsten-tin-bismuth B for use in waterfowl hunting. The ap...
08/27/2004: Public Comment Open - Damage Assessment Plan, Cherokee Co. Superfund Site
CHEROKEE COUNTY TRUSTEE COUNCIL United States Department of the Interior State of Kansas The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Kansas Fiel...
07/14/2004: Great Swamp Refuge Habitat Restoration Featured in PARC Newsletter
New Jersey endangered blue-spotted salamanders were one of the first species to take advantage of the recently-restored wetlands at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Check out the story featured i...
06/15/2004: Pelican Exodus at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge Probed
Biologists are trying to determine what caused the disappearance of thousands of white pelicans from nesting sites at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in late May, and where the pelicans may have g...
05/18/2004: Fossil Fuel Contamination Alters Anacostia Catfish DNA and Ups Tumor Levels
Environmental Contaminant biologists with the Chesapeake Bay Field Office found that vehicle emissions and road runoff are linked with a high tumor rate in brown bullhead catfish from the Anacostia Ri...
03/31/2004: Addressing the Invasive Rodent Problem in the Aluetians
Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) have become established on at least 14 islands greater than 1,000 acres and many smaller islands in the Alaska Maritime NWR. The first invasive rodent introducti...
03/12/2004: World Water Monitoring Day
Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) staff joined the Americaﾒs Clean Water Foundation, the International Water Association and a growing list of partners on Clean Water ...
03/12/2004: Muddy River, Nevada, Fish Study Underway
Southern Nevada Field Office (SNFO) contaminant staff completed the second field season of a two-year study on contaminant uptake in Muddy River fishes. The Service partnered with U.S. Geological Sur...
08/18/2003: Ospreys: Whose (Fishing) Line is it Anyway?
During the past three years, the Serviceﾒs Chesapeake Bay Field Office and the U.S.G.S. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has been investigating the effects environmental contaminants may have on the ...
08/14/2003: Halby Chemical Superfund Site
The trustees, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the State of Delaware, together with the Responsible Parties (RPs), Crompton Corporation...
08/14/2003: Southeast Alaska Spill Contingency Planning
The Southeast Alaska (GRS) document was finalized on June 26, 2003. GRSs (Geographic Response Strategies) are oil spill response plans tailored to protect a specific sensitive area from oil impacts f...
08/14/2003: Reviewing DOE's Amchitka Island Radionuclide Risk Assessments
The Service's Anchorage, Alaska, Field Office recently reviewed the Department of Energyﾒs (DOE) newly released groundwater model and human health screening risk assessment for radionuclide contaminat...
08/12/2003: Endangered Salamanders perishing
NEW INFO The Austin Field Office has submitted a proposal to the City of Austin, Texas for funding to conduct supersaturation testing for the endangered Barton Springs salamander. The propose...
08/12/2003: High Rate of Tumors in Catfish from the Anocostia River in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office has released their final report on the 2000-2001 tumor survey of the tidal Potomac River watershed. The survey found that brown bullhead...
05/06/2003: Sea Otter Recovery Agencies Concerned About Dramatic Rise in Otter Deaths
4/29/2003 Service News Release: April mortalities more than double the 10-year average for threatened population

Forty-four southern sea otters have washed up dead on California beaches this m...
02/10/2003: Sonny Bono Salton Sea Refuge Endocrine Disruptor Study
The Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR has a variety of freshwater ponds managed for wildlife that are supplied with Colorado River water that carries municipal and industrial discharges and agricultural retur...
02/10/2003: Contaminant Effects on Frog Development at Great Bay NWR
The Serviceﾒs Chesapeake Bay and New England Field Offices are investigating Contaminant Effects on Frog Development at Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Newington, New Hampshire. This investigatio...
02/10/2003: Chalk Point, Maryland, Oil Spill Restoration
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Maryland Department of Environment have developed plans aimed ...
02/07/2003: Non-toxic Shot Approved for Upcoming Waterfowl Season
Hunters will now have a choice of eight non-toxic shots for waterfowl hunting. On January 10, 2003, the Service gave permanent approval to ENVIRON-Metal's HEVI-SHOT brand of non-toxic shot that con...
01/22/2003: Magcobar Mines Investigation, Arkansas
The Arkansas Fish and Wildlife Office has been working closely with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality regarding the site investigation plan for assessing the nature and extent of contam...
01/22/2003: Oil Spill Funds Protect Old Growth Forest
Over 100 acres of old growth forest, providing the largest contiguous block of marbled murrelet nesting habitat in the interior of Washington's Makah Indian Reservation, will be protected for the next...
01/22/2003: DDE-induced Eggshell Thinning in White-Faced Ibis
A continuing problem in western United States: White-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) nesting in Arizona in 2000 exhibited extreme eggshell thinning and possible reproductive failure associated with high ...
01/17/2003: Indiana Bats
The Rock Island Field Office continues to assist the Army in the conservation of Indiana bats and habitat enhancement at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant near the City of Burlington, Iowa. The City of ...
01/17/2003: Tenyo Maru Seabird and Education Restoration Project Updates
Two seabird restoration projects completed their first year of work, Restoration of Common Murre Colonies in Copalis National Wildlife Refuge and Terrestrial Survey of Marbled Murrelets in the Pacific...
01/17/2003: Trumpeter Swan Die-offs in northwest Washington Investigated
UPDATE: For the third year in a row, there has been a large die-off of trumpeter swans in northwest Washington. The birds are picking up large amounts of lead shot. During the previous two y...
01/17/2003: Mercury investigations in the Walker River Basin, Nevada
Elevated mercury concentrations were discovered by staff of the BioDiversity Research Institute in the blood of common loons that use Walker Lake in western Nevada during both spring and fall migratio...
01/17/2003: Everett Harbor, Washington, Osprey Project
During routine banding operations in July 2001, local birders discovered a deformed osprey nestling and three dead osprey nestlings in the Everett Harbor area. Last year 26 breeding pairs of osprey w...
01/17/2003: Injurious Wildlife Listing - Brushtail Possum
In a final rule published on June 11, 2002, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service adds the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) to the list of injurious live mammals under the Lacey Act (18 U.S.C. 42...
02/05/2002: Evaluating Contaminants at Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge
Service staff recently completed an assessment of known potential contaminant threats to Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge was established on December 24, 1980, as an endangered sp...
02/05/2002: Reducing Pesticide Impacts at Klamath Basin via Education and Cooperation
Klamath Falls EC staff continue to be actively involved in Klamath Basin Refuge issues. Recently, the EC staff participated in a presentation to farmers who hold agricultural leases on Klamath Basin ...
02/05/2002: Evaluating Contaminant Threats to Declining Plains Fish
The Serviceﾒs Manhattan, Kansas Field Office and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks recently completed the first of two field seasons as part of a study entitled ﾓContaminant Evaluation of Ha...
02/05/2002: Contaminant Testing in Upper Ten Mile Creek Mining Area, Montana
Contaminant staff recently assisted the Environmental Protection Agency in conducting tests to see how toxic (poisonous) the water from Ten Mile Creek may be to fish and other aquatic life. Ten Mile ...
02/05/2002: Evaluating Contaminant Impacts to Sea Otters Along Washingtonﾒs Coast
Sea otters were extirpated from Washington Stateﾒs coast in the early 20th century. The current population is a result of two reintroduction efforts, in 1969 and 1970, in which a total of 59 otters w...
11/26/2001: Stringfellow Superfund Site, Riverside County, California
The Carlsbad Officeﾒs Environmental Contaminants program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) are currently evaluating possible threat...
11/26/2001: Alcoa/Lavaca Bay Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan Completed
A Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan for the Aluminum Company of Americaﾒs (Alcoa) Point Comfort Operations (PCO) plant was recently completed. The Alcoa PCO plant is located o...
10/16/2001: North Cape Restoration Funds Contribute to Enormous Land Conservation Deal
Five hundred thousand dollars will be put towards the purchase of a conservation easement on approximately 762,000 acres of land in northern Maine (the Pingree Easement). An additional $200,000 over ...
10/09/2001: Study Evaluates Risk to Birds from Cadmium
Phosphate is mined primarily to be used in fertilizer, but is also used in animal feed supplements as well as a variety of consumer products, primarily as purified phosphoric acid for food and beverag...
10/02/2001: 2001 Water Festival - Grand Junction, Colorado
The annual Children's Water Festival held at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado, on May 15 and 16 was a continued success this year. Grand Junction Environmental Contaminants (EC), Endang...
10/02/2001: Studies Evaluate Polymer's Value in Protecting Fish and Wildlife From Toxin
As part of the Department of Interior's National Irrigation Water Quality Program (NIWQP), the Service's Grand Junction (Colorado) Office is actively involved in work with selenium and its impact on f...
09/28/2001: Major Inland Oil Spills on Alaska's North Slope
Two major inland oil spills occurred earlier this year at Alaskaﾒs North Slope oil production facilities. Both were the result of pipeline breaks. The first occurred when a six-inch flowline rupture...
09/26/2001: Hard-rock Mining and Migratory Birds
Some of the nationﾒs largest open-pit copper mines, and their associated mills and smelters have been a part of the New Mexico landscape for over 100 years. Smelter emissions along with numerous by-p...
09/25/2001: Oil Spill Settlement Adds 405 Acres to Texas Refuge
Four hundred five acres of bottomland hardwood will soon be added to the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge. This addition is the result of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) settlement ...
09/25/2001: Endangered Silvery Minnow and Water Quality Issues
The Middle Rio Grande river in New Mexico is home to Federally-listed endangered Rio Grande silvery minnows (Hybognathus amarus). Lack of precipitation and diversion and consumption of water have a...
09/18/2001: Important Marbled Murrelet Habitat Added to Willapa NWR
A 338-acre piece of property known as Teal Slough was recently added to the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southwest Washington. The property was acquired using funds received as part of t...
09/14/2001: The Endangered Desert Pupfish and Selenium
Populations of the endangered desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) inhabit the agricultural drains in the Imperial Valley of California. The Imperial Valley is a productive farming area. Ho...
09/14/2001: Endocrine Disruptor Study Initiated at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR
The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge has a variety of freshwater ponds managed for wildlife that are supplied with Colorado River water. This water carries municipal and industrial disch...
08/22/2001: Alaska Salmon Contaminants Study
Contaminantsﾒ specialists from the Fairbanks, Alaska office will be conducting a contaminant study on fish species used for subsistence purposes. The study will focus on chinook (Oncorynchus tshaw...
08/22/2001: Source of Heavy Metals in Bats Studied
With a possible exception or two, there is little historical evidence that bats roosting in abandoned mines are harmed by heavy metals found in the mines. Therefore, it is generally believed that hea...
07/25/2001: Clean-up of Contaminants Completed in Saginaw River and Bay, Michigan
The waters of Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron are cleaner today thanks to completion of a major dredging project that removed contaminated sediment from the lower Saginaw River. Officials from the U.S. Fish...
07/17/2001: Alabama Man Fined For Killing Birds With Illegal Use of Pesticides
Ronald Elmore of St. Stephens, Alabama has been sentenced to a fine and restitution of $7,692 for use of a registered pesticide contrary to its classification, use of a registered pesticide inconsist...
06/26/2001: Reducing Exposure of Lead to Waterfowl
The Service's Upper Columbia River Basin Field Office in Spokane, Washington is working with the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Environmental Protection Agency, State of Idaho and others to conduc...
06/26/2001: Effects of Chromium in the Columbia River in Spokane, Washington Studied
The Service's Upper Columbia River Basin Field Office in Spokane, Washington and the U.S. Geological Survey have completed laboratory studies assessing the potential effects of chromium contamination ...
06/26/2001: Spill Response Planning in Southeast Alaska
Oil Spill Geographic Response Strategies (GRSs) are being developed for up to sixty locations in Southeast Alaska. Site selection is limited to areas that have valuable natural and/or human resources...
06/22/2001: Studies Focus on the Health of Washington D.C.'s Rivers
The Chesapeake Bay Field Office (CBFO) will be continuing to focus on health of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. this year. Field work will involve collecting more brown bullheads, a species ...
06/22/2001: Tracking Oil Spills
The Rock Island Field (Illinois) Office contaminants program covers Illinois (excluding the Chicago counties), Iowa and the Mississippi River between the Wisconsin and Kentucky borders. The office may...
06/22/2001: Oil Spill Planning
Contaminantsﾒ biologists from the Rock Island Field Office in Illinois, as well as biologists from other Service field offices, assisted spill response agencies in the development of sensitive resourc...
06/15/2001: Hundreds of Birds Die in Florida
UPDATE: JUNE 11, 2001 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released detailed laboratory results from the 1999 Lake Apopka area bird deaths to members of the Technical Advisory Group which includ...
05/18/2001: Sugar Pill May Be Poisonous To Birds
The Sacramento Field Office's Division of Environmental Contaminants is investigating whether a scale-like protective covering excreted by an Australian insect and found on eucalyptus trees in Califor...
02/08/2001: That's a Lot of Chickens - The Impact of AFOs on the Delmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula is an area of land encompassing Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. One hundred and eighty miles long and up to seventy-one miles wide, it includes the eastern shore areas of Mary...
09/08/2000: Mysterious Disease Killing Birds in Several Southern States
Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM), formerly known as Coot and Eagle Brain Lesion Syndrome (CEBLS) and Avian Brain Lesion Syndrome (ABLS), is a disease in birds that is thought to be caused by a neur...
09/06/2000: Free-For-All With Furfural Kills 9 Million Fish
On the afternoon of January 25, 2000, a tanker truck hauling 9000 gallons of furfural near Brownsville, TX, overturned, spilling its contents into a storm drain leading to San Martin Lake and into Bro...
08/25/2000: Alligators Dying in Florida Lake
The Brunswick Field Office is working with several Federal and State partners to help identify causes of wildlife mortalities in Floridaﾒs Central Lakes. Many of Floridaﾒs lakes were used as muck far...
08/25/2000: Are Contaminants Harming Salmon Near Hanford Nuclear Reservation?
The Service's Upper Columbia River Basin Field Office in Spokane, Washington is currently working with the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct laboratory studies assessing the effects of chromium contam...
08/22/2000: Lake Erie Water Quality Study
Service contaminants staff, in cooperation with Ohio State University, conducted field sampling for the Lake Erie Ecological Investigation in Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio. Fish diversity was documented and...
06/16/2000: Service Contaminants Biologists Honored by Environmental Protection Agency
Division of Environmental Contaminants (DEC) staff Mary Henry and Scott Sobiech were recently honored at an Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs (EPA-OPP) award ceremony for t...
05/31/2000: Ravens Die From Insecticide Poisoning
In early June 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received reports of a large number (>20) of dead and dying ravens in the Sitka, Alaska area. Several carcasses were sent to the National Fish an...
05/24/2000: Fungus Contributes to Arizona Amphibian Deaths
A chytrid fungal infection has been identified as the cause of death in a rare species of leopard frog. The Ramsey Canyon leopard frog (Rana subaquavocalis) is confirmed in only two Arizona locations...
05/24/2000: North Carolina Water Quality
Service contaminants staff are taking part in the North Carolina Triennial Review Advisory Committee (TRAC). The TRAC was formed to guide revisions to the Stateﾒs water quality standards and includes...
05/03/2000: Biologist Receives Award for Work with Loons and Lead
Andrew "Drew" Major, a contaminants biologist with the New England Field Office, was the 1999 winner of the Northeast Region's prestigious John S. Gottschalk Partnership Award. Each year the award is ...
04/28/2000: Weed Control Strategy for Giant Salvinia
Giant salvinia, Salvinia molesta, a floating aquatic fern from Brazil, is an aggressive colonizer of slow/still waters - capable of doubling its population size in 2-3 days, ultimately forming mats o...
04/26/2000: Pesticide Registration Withdrawn
The pesticide registration application for use of chlorfenapyr on cotton was recently withdrawn by the chemicalﾒs manufacturer. Chlorfenapyr had been lauded as one of the most effective controls avai...
12/22/1999: Pinto Creek Restoration, Arizona
On October 22, 1997, more than 300,000 cubic yards of mine rock and tailings spilled into Pinto Creek, located in the Pinto Valley in Arizona, burying 8.1 acres of creek bed and surrounding upland wit...
12/22/1999: Open Water Dumping Project in Chesapeake Bay Stalled
New Information
On June 30, 2000 Gov. Parris N. Glendening ended plans to dump dredged materials from Baltimore's shipping channels into the Chesapeake Bay, citing a new study by the U.S. ...
12/22/1999: EPA Praises Service's Participation in Calcasieu Estuary
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of initiating an investigation of the sediments in the Calcasieu Estuary (Estuary) in Louisiana. The area around the Estuary is highly indu...
12/22/1999: Endangered Species and Pesticides - North Dakota's Mapping Program
Work is almost finished on an interactive mapping system which allows the user to start with a state level map and end with a detailed, site-specific map showing the potential of a restricted use pest...
12/22/1999: Anacostia River Restoration - Washington, D.C.
Chesapeake Bay Field Office (CBFO) Environmental Contaminants specialists are active participants in the Anacostia Watershed Toxics Alliance, a newly formed organization committed to applying a waters...
12/22/1999: Steller's Eider Contaminants Investigation
In conjunction with a larger project assessing reproductive success and habitat use in threatened Stellerﾒs eiders (Polysticta stelleri), Service contaminants staff collected blood samples from nest...
12/22/1999: Stuyvesant Spill at Humboldt Bay, California
On Monday night September 6, 1999, the dredge barge Stuyvesant owned by the Bean Dredging Co. and hired by the Corps of Engineers was dredging near the mouth of Humboldt Bay in northern California, ...
12/22/1999: Oil Pollution Act Area Planning Pays Off
The Twin Cities Field Office is continuing its work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Coast Guard, National Park Service, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Na...
12/22/1999: Integrated Pest Management for the Klamath Refuges
The first comprehensive Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM) for the national wildlife refuges system has been completed. The IPM plan covers the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refug...
12/22/1999: Freshwater Mussel Propagation
Service contaminants staff have been working with the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine to develop a freshwater mussel holding, propagation, and rearing facility to focu...
08/30/1999: Fox River Watershed Project
Contaminants staff from the Rock Island Field Office are participating in a newly formed watershed project, the Fox River Ecosystem team. The Fox River runs from Southern Iowa down through the Northe...
08/30/1999: Fish Advisories in Maryland and Virginia
Maryland and Virginia have issued health advisories warning people to limit consumption of channel catfish, greater than 18 inches in length, to no more than one, 8-ounce meal per month, due to PCB co...
08/30/1999: Water Quality in Lake Mead
The Southern Nevada Field Office (SNFO) continues coordination with local, State, and Federal agencies to address water quality issues at Las Vegas Wash and Lake Mead. The Service participates as a m...
08/30/1999: Service Staff Given EPA Award
Service contaminants biologist Pedro Ramirez and Service Special Agent Gary Mowad were awarded the Gold Medal for Environmental Achievement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Ramirez and M...
08/30/1999: Oil Field Waste Pits
Service contaminants staff gave a presentation on migratory bird mortality in oil field waste pits at a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oil and Gas Conference at Casper, Wyoming on March 2, 1999. The...
08/23/1999: Apex Houston Oil Spill Restoration
The restoration project for common murres on Devils Slide Rock is in its fourth field season this spring. The Devils Slide Rock murre colony, which once contained approximately 2,900 nesting murres,...
08/11/1999: Duwamish/Hamm Creek Estuary Restoration Project Signing Ceremony
On May 18, 1999, project partners held a ceremony to commemorate completion of an agreement providing a 7.1-acre easement to King County along Hamm Creek, a tributary of the Duwamish River. This ease...
08/11/1999: Midnite Uranium Mine
The Midnite Uranium Mine, located on the Spokane Indian reservation in eastern Washington, has recently been proposed as a Superfund (National Priority List) site, due to releases of uranium and other...
08/10/1999: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO)
Region 2, assisted by Regions 5 and 6, presented a briefing to the Directorate on issues associated with CAFOs on March 18, 1999. In response to questions from the Serviceﾒs Assistant Director-Refug...
Last Updated: September 29, 2008