USGS Biology: Status & Trends

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Welcome to the BEST Project

Mission of the BEST Project

The BEST Project is a component of the Status and Trends Program (S&T) of the USGS Biological Resources Discipline. The mission of the S&T Program is to measure, predict, assess, and report status and trends of the Nation’s biological resources to facilitate research, enable resource management and stewardship,and promote public understanding and appreciation of the Nations natural resources. The BEST Project supports the S&T Program by monitoring select species and habitats for indications of effects associated with exposure to environmental contaminants; develops operational biomonitoring methods and tools, and synthesizes and transfers contaminant-effects information to natural resource managers, the USGS, other Federal and State agencies, and the public.

The goals of the BEST Project are to:

measure and assess the effects of contaminants on selected species and habitats;
conduct research and synthesis activities directed at providing innovative biomonitoring methods and tools for operational applications;
deliver effective and efficient tools to DOI bureaus for assessing contaminant threats to species and lands under their stewardship.

The BEST Project is unique among national monitoring projects and programs with its emphasis on characterizing the effects of environmental contaminants on the health of biological resources and their supporting habitats. Through its Large River Monitoring Network (LRMN) and its associated database, the BEST Project applies and interprets a standard suite of contaminant-effects measures including morphometric, biochemical, reproductive, histological, and tissue residue endpoints in resident fish collected from major interjurisdictional rivers of the U.S. In addition to its LRMN, the BEST Project, works in conjunction with USGS Science Centers, to develop field and laboratory guidance documents and exploits existing information through its Contaminants Exposure and Effects – Terrestrial Vertebrates (CEE-TV) and associated databases to support a better understanding of the distribution and effects of environmental contaminants on the Nations biological resources The unique, systematically-collected data and analyzed information provided by the BEST Project enhances the S&T Program’s ability to meet its science-based management and conservation mission.

The BEST Project monitors, identifies, and assesses the effects of environmental contaminants on the Nation’s biological resources, particularly those under DOI stewardship, to provide scientific information for guiding the decisions and actions of natural resource managers.