Alaska’s wild lands, including its National Wildlife Refuges
are often envisioned as pristine, but even the most remote areas of
the state often have a legacy of contamination. Past and current activities
that have introduced contaminants to Alaska’s refuges include
oil exploration and production, mining, military activities, and even
nuclear weapons testing on Amchitka Island. Sites of past activity were
often abandoned, and due
to the high cost of removal, debris and entire structures were left
to decay. In some areas, hazardous materials were spilled with little
or no cleanup. Abandoned, and usually empty, 55-gallon drums dot the
landscape on many refuges. These drums eventually rust and release any
remaining contents. Long range atmospheric transport and even migrating
fish and wildlife can also bring detectable concentrations of contaminants
from distant sources to National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska.
The Environmental Contaminants Program helps address refuge contaminant
issues by providing technical assistance to refuge managers and their
staff, by conducting studies of refuge resources, and conducting refuge-scale contaminant assessments. We also work with
other programs to initiate refuge cleanup projects,
coordinate Service pesticide use as part of a refuge's integrated
pest management, and evaluate land transfers to ensure the Service does not acquire contaminated property.
