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When
hazardous chemicals accidentally or deliberately enter the environment,
they can produce harmful effects in all living things -- plants,
wildlife, fish, and humans. Sources of contaminants affecting
New Jersey's natural resources include oil spills affecting
coastal areas and dependent wildlife, past industrial discharges
of contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins that continue to make
fish unsafe for wildlife and human consumption, and former wide-spread
use of pesticides such as DDT, which nearly exterminated the
bald eagle and still contaminates the environment. |
The
Goals of the
New Jersey Field Office's Environmental Contaminants
Program |
(1)
identify and measure environmental contaminants
and their effects on fish and wildlife
(2) prevent losses of fish and wildlife, or degradation
of their habitats, from pollutant exposure
(3) evaluate and restore contaminated areas throughout
New Jersey |
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| The
New Jersey Field Office's Environmental Contaminants Specialists
fulfill these goals through activities such as conducting scientific
investigations to document and remedy contaminant-related problems
for fish and wildlife, monitoring long-term contaminant trends,
participating in oil and chemical spill clean-ups, consulting
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce impacts
to federal trust resources at Superfund sites, and ensuring that
polluters restore and compensate for environmental damage. Through
these actions, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service helps to ensure
a healthy environment for fish and wildlife -- and humans as well. |
What
Are Environmental Contaminants and Why Should We Be Concerned
About Them? |
| Stated
simply, environmental contaminants are materials that can pollute
our surroundings and adversely impact living organisms. Often
these pollutants are chemical compounds produced by human endeavors,
although environmental contamination can also come from non-human
sources such as naturally occurring metals, animal waste, oil
seeps, and algal blooms. Some well-known examples of manufactured
environmental contaminants include the organochlorine pesticide
DDT, linked to past declines of bald eagle and other bird populations,
and the industrial chemicals known as PCBs, compounds that can
adversely affect animal reproductive health. Although use of
these compounds has been prohibited in the United States for
many years, they continue to threaten living organisms due to
their persistence in the environment and their capacity to affect
all levels of a food chain. Depending on the concentration and
degree of exposure, contaminants may be harmful to a wide variety
of plant and animal species, including humans, and could have
long-lasting consequences for our environment. Environmental
contaminants may pollute soil, surface water, or aquatic sediments.
Many compounds also leach through soils into groundwater, potentially
impacting drinking water supplies. Numerous pollutants are discharged
directly into the atmosphere by human industry, where winds
may transport them to Earth's most remote corners. It is important,
however, to note that industry is not the sole source of contaminants;
individuals also contribute to this problem through the use
of household pesticides and fertilizers, improper disposal of
hazardous materials (e.g., used motor oil, paints, cleaning
products), and even by driving the family car. The
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) is responsible for
conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants
and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Environmental Contaminants Program, developed in
response to pollutant-related threats to our natural trust resources,
is one way the Service fulfills this mandated responsibility.
Biologists in this program identify and evaluate toxic substances
in the environment, and strive to prevent or reduce their negative
impact on wild living resources. |
What
Role Does the Environmental Contaminants Program Play in New
Jersey? |
Much
of New Jersey is highly industrialized, which has contributed
to the State becoming the nation's most densely populated. Attendant
with this growth is the increase in creation and potential discharge
of environmental contaminants. Despite these intense pressures,
New Jersey still boasts a surprising richness of fish, wildlife,
and natural habitats. Protecting this natural diversity from
pollution-related impacts is the primary mission of contaminants
biologists stationed at the New Jersey Field Office (NJFO). The
goals of the NJFO's Environmental Contaminants Program are to:
(1) identify and measure environmental contaminants and their
effects on fish and wildlife; (2) prevent losses of fish and
wildlife, or degradation of their habitats, from pollutant exposure;
and (3) evaluate and restore contaminated areas throughout New
Jersey. These goals are achieved through the following work
activities: Superfund
Activities --
Participate in the Biological Technical Assistance Group, a
cooperative effort with other federal agencies that assists
the U.S. EPA in investigating and reducing contaminant impacts
from New Jersey's Superfund hazardous waste sites. National
Wildlife Refuge Land Acquisition Screening --
Ensure that lands acquired for future inclusion into the National
Wildlife Refuge system do not contain levels of contaminants
that might impact federal trust resources. Oil
and Chemical Spill Response --
Work with other agencies and organizations to prevent or reduce
adverse impacts to fish and wildlife from oil and chemical spills. Natural
Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration --
Act in conjunction with other government agencies to restore
natural resources injured by oil spills or Superfund sites. Contaminant
Investigations --
Conduct scientific studies on and off Service-owned lands to
document contaminant exposure in fish and wildlife and suggest
ways to minimize potential or observed impacts. Biomonitoring
of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) --
Measure long-term pollution trends in fish and wildlife and
their habitats (air, soil, water, sediments) on refuge lands. Pollution
Prevention --
Make recommendations to other State and federal agencies on
ways to eliminate or minimize contaminant exposure to New Jersey's
fish, wildlife, and natural environments. Examples of NJFO activities
include: pesticide registration review, participation in water
quality standards development, and the review of dredging permits. Endangered
Species --
Federal agencies must consult with the Service to ensure that
federally listed threatened and endangered species are not adversely
impacted by federal government activities. Contaminants biologists
review proposed federal activities for any risk of toxicant
exposure to listed species. |
What
Does All This Mean for the Citizens of New Jersey? |
When
contaminants are released into the environment, fish and wildlife
are not the only organisms that can be impacted. Humans also
can suffer from pollution in the environment, both from the
potential for direct exposure and from the indirect impacts
on our quality of life. Contaminant levels in drinking water,
fish, and shellfish have occasionally resulted in consumption
advisories, causing New Jersey's citizens and economy to suffer
due to restrictions on fishing, clamming, and recreational pastimes.
In addition, many people place an intrinsic value on wildlife
resources, and this value is diminished when pollution harms
the health and diversity of fish and wildlife populations. The
following examples of ongoing work by NJFO contaminants specialists
illustrate how both New Jersey's natural resources and human
inhabitants benefit from the Environmental Contaminants Program. Contaminant
Identification and Assessment:
NJFO biologists are conducting a contaminant investigation in
abandoned cranberry bogs within the Edwin B. Forsythe National
Wildlife Refuge. The biologists are investigating whether sediment-bound
organochlorines, detected in previous samples, have the potential
to move through the aquatic food chain and adversely impact
piscivorous (fish-eating) wildlife. Contamination Prevention:
In 1998, NJFO contaminants specialists became aware of a possible
threat to the State's only known population of the federally
endangered dwarf wedgemussel. The proposed construction of a
sewage treatment plant that will discharge into water harboring
the mussels prompted a joint effort with New Jersey's Division
of Fish & Wildlife to delineate the population range and
prevent actions possibly jeopardizing the mussel's survival. Contamination
Evaluation and Restoration:
NJFO biologists work with other federal agencies in evaluating
natural resource injuries resulting from exposure to contaminants,
and then develop restoration plans to compensate the public
for lost or impaired resources. A recent example involves a
$3.4 million settlement for improper disposal of pollutants
on land now part of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
The settlement will be used in a restoration plan designed to
compensate the public for the permanent loss of wetlands and
the ecological services they provided. |
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Will
We Always Need the Environmental Contaminants Program? |
| Regulatory
controls, improved technologies, and increased awareness have
done much to reduce the amount of contaminants discharged into
our environment during the last few decades; however, for the
foreseeable future, our industrialized lifestyle will continue
to produce and release a variety of pollutants. While NJFO biologists
will continue their efforts to counter the impact of environmental
contamination on wild living resources, New Jersey's citizens
can also play a role in protecting the environment. Community
involvement is necessary to monitor activities that may impact
our natural resources and to promote less harmful alternatives.
And as individuals, each of us has the responsibility to examine
our own actions and recognize that each reduction in pollution
enhances the quality of life for all creatures. |
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Fact Sheet
Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program in New Jersey |
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Last updated:
September 27, 2007
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Contact Us by e-mail
Contact Us Page of the New Jersey Field Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
New Jersey Field Office
927 North Main Street
Heritage Square, Building D
Pleasantville, New Jersey 08232 |
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