Natural and Cultural Resources

Mission Support Alliance Cultural and Historic Program Maintain procedures to ensure DOE compliance with National Historic Preservation Act, American Indian Religious Freedom Act, Archaeological Resources Protection Act, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and other applicable cultural resources, laws, regulations, and DOE directives Meet professional standards under regulations developed by the Secretary of the Interior

 Environmental Monitoring Project at Hanford Site  EAS staff members have supported the Environmental Monitoring Project for more than 30 years. We worked with MSA to support to protect Hanford Site natural resources. Specific EAS responsibilities and support functions to the project are to: Characterize and monitor biota to assess their abundance, vigor or condition, and

Characterizing Aquatic Habitat for Steelhead Spawning at the Washington Closure Hanford The EAS team conducted surveys in the 100 Area, 300 Area, and inter-areas of the Hanford Reach to determine if steelhead spawning habitat existed in these locations, according to accepted habitat suitability criteria, and document any steelhead spawning activity (fish or redds) at these

Counting Fall Chinook Salmon Redds and Identifying Redds Located in Areas of Potential Contaminated Groundwater Upwelling on the Hanford Site    The Hanford Reach supports the largest run of spawning fall Chinook salmon remaining in the Pacific Northwest. The Department of Energy began conducting aerial surveys to identify and count salmon redds in the Hanford

Assessing migrating fish in the Columbia River   Managing fisheries in the Columbia River system requires ongoing data to assist resource managers to evaluate the status of fish stocks, particularly threatened and endangered species. The EAS team works with Normandeau Associates and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify and count adult fish at

Assessing frogs and toads along Hanford Reach   The Department of Energy monitors these anurans on the Hanford Site because they are considered sentinel species and serve as fundamental indicators of ecological health. EAS staff routinely conduct surveys for anurans to help protect sensitive breeding areas from project operations. EAS surveyed known anuran breeding pools on

Characterizing Mollusks and Other Macro-Invertebrates at the Hanford Enclosure  EAS surveyed more than 40 locations in the riparian and aquatic zones between the 100 and 300 Areas of the Hanford Site to gather information on mollusks and other macro-invertebrates for the DOE. EAS located, identified, collected, and measured mollusks, including rare species such as the pebbles

EAS, working with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, conducted snorkel surveys in the Hanford Reach to locate, identify, and measure freshwater mussel species inhabiting near-shore habitats. The study was intended to provide a more comprehensive characterization of freshwater mussel species composition and distribution in the Hanford Reach, estimate mussel densities, and determine the age structure of