U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands biomonitoring operations manual

摘要

The Biomonitoring Operations Manual is a document developed for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide a systematic and consistent approach to contaminant monitoring on lands managed by the Service. The document improves the process for identifying impacts from contaminants affecting Service managed resources and enhances the Service's collection of known and consistent quality data so comparisons can be made among different management areas. The Manual is part of a larger effort to monitor the status and trends of contaminants in resources managed by the Service. The Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) program may use information from the Manual and the Biomonitoring Operations Workbook (Workbook) to identify problems or test site specific approaches that can be applied to a regional or national effort. Many methods identified in the Manual are being considered for inclusion in the BEST program. The two efforts are designed to be complementary although the statistical designs may vary because of the slightly different objectives. The approach described requires Service personnel to identify the contaminant sources, the associated contaminants, and the different media/biota of the ecosystem that can be affected by contaminants. The contaminant transport pathways are then determined and a conceptual diagram of the system is developed to help identify the optimum components of the ecosystem to monitor. The data collected will allow the Service to identify the status of contaminants, their effects, and associated risks to the resource. The Service will be able to establish priorities for addressing contaminant related concerns on the Service lands. Sampling methods for five media, field oriented sampling summary sheets, decontamination guidance, documentation and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) standard operating procedures are also provided in the manual.