Anchorage Fish & Wildlife Field Office
Environmental Contaminants

Assessment and Monitoring Program

The Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Field Office’s Environmental Contaminants specialists assess contaminants and their effects on National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) and on many fish, wildlife, plant and habitat resources occurring off NWRs. We assist Refuge staff in overseeing contaminants-related (mostly military site clean up) activities occurring within or “upstream” of Refuge lands. We conduct scientific research on issues such as the effects of chronic oiling on sea ducks, contaminant exposure in red-throated loons and causes of deformities in black-capped chickadees. We also assist with prevention activities and national investigations, such as the abnormal amphibian project, and conduct training at the Service’s National Conservation Training Center and other local and national venues. Our work is conducted in close association with and offers technical advice to many partners, including Alaska Native communities and numerous federal agencies.

The Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Field Office is also home to the Service’s Regional Spill Response Coordinator for Alaska. This coordinator works closely with industry and regulators in oil and hazardous waste spill planning and response relative to fish, wildlife, and their habitats.

Our Customers include:

• Federal, State, Tribal, and local entities acting on behalf of the public to develop harbors, airports, roads, energy projects and economic developments like fish-processing plants.
• Sponsors of federally-funded, -licensed, and -permitted projects such as those above.
• Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges.
• Other Service programs including: Marine Mammals Management, Migratory Bird Management, Endangered Species, Realty and Refuges.

• Contaminants prevention through review and comments on federally-funded, -licensed, and -permitted projects.
• Contaminants identification and assessment on NWRs and where contaminants may be affecting wildlife resources.
• Contaminants clean-up and resource restoration conducted cooperatively with others.
• Technical support for contaminants prevention, risk assessment, clean-up, permitting, and wildlife investigations.
• Furthering the fields of environmental contaminants and resource restoration by developing/applying new scientific procedures, filling critical data gaps and conducting cooperative training.

For more information on the Service’s Environmental Contaminants program, please see the Alaska Region Environmental Contaminants page or the national Service Environmental Contaminants information, or contact our Environmental Contaminants Assessment and Monitoring branch chief, Kim Trust, at Kim_Trust@fws.gov or by phone at 907-271-2783.

Last updated: July 31, 2008