Life Sciences Commons^™

Assessment Of Selenium And Atrazine Exposure And Effects To Wildlife At The North Platte National Wildlife Refuge, Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

This study evaluated selenium and atrazine exposure and effects to fish and wildlife at North Platte National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. Atrazine was detected in 2 of 54 water samples and at low concentrations that are not of concern. However, concentrations of selenium and strontium exceeded toxicity guidelines in water, sediment, invertebrates, whole-body fish and wood duck eggs. Concentrations of selenium in water at Refuge sites frequently exceeded a 2 μg/L total recoverable threshold for selenium bioaccumulation and were greatest at Stateline Island (9.7 μg/L) and Little Lake Alice (24 μg/L). In sediments, strontium concentrations were …

Evaluation Of Wetlands Created With Effluent From A Swine Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Using Mallard Sentinels: Implications For Mcmurtrey National Wildlife Refuge, Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Previous work by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified nutrients, elemental contaminants, algal toxins, bacterial pathogens, and hormones as contaminants of concern (COCs) associated with wetlands created from the secondary effluent of a large swine concentrated animal feeding operation. In this follow-up study, COC exposure and effects to waterfowl were evaluated using game farm mallards. Mallards were kept in enclosures built on two created wetlands (treatment sites) and two reference wetlands that are federally managed for waterfowl habitat. Water quality in the created wetland enclosures had higher specific conductivity, BOD, turbidity, pH, and nutrients than reference wetlands. Algal blooms …

Contaminant Exposure And Reproductive Health Of Sandhill Cranes In The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska., Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick, Karen J. Nelson, Timothy S. Gross

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The central Platte River Valley provides crucial staging habitat for the endangered whooping crane (Grus americana) and the mid-continent population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis). Platte River flow depletions and the conversion of native wet meadows for agriculture and other purposes has decreased the cranes natural habitat in the central Platte River Valley, and waste corn now makes up most of the cranes diet while they are in the Valley.

The purpose of this research was to measure organochlorine, elemental contaminant, and pesticide exposure to sandhill cranes from the central Platte River Valley, and to evaluate their reproductive condition. Pesticides …