Fish & Wildlife Surveys on the Hanford Site
Four fish and wildlife species on the Hanford Site are monitored annually by the Ecological Monitoring and Compliance Project: fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). These species are of special interest to the public and to stakeholders. Monitoring consists of estimating numbers of fall Chinook salmon redds, surveying for steelhead redds, assessing bald eagle nesting, and conducting an inventory of mule deer. The species are monitored to assess abundance, condition, and distribution. All have the potential to be impacted by Hanford Site operations and yearly monitoring provides baseline data for ecological assessments.
Another aspect of Hanford Site ecological monitoring involves characterizing habitats and associated species. This information is used to evaluate the biological resources on the Hanford Site and provide the data necessary to identify critical and priority habitats for special status species or communities, and establish mitigation criteria. These data can be integrated with contaminant monitoring data to assess potential impacts of Hanford Site contaminants to individuals and populations.
Recent Surveys
Summary information is published annually in the Hanford Site Environmental Report