Ecosystem
Management on the
U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site
U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site
Gary Wein and Elizabeth Lemaster
In this 1988 satellite image, to the right, showing a 30,000 km 2 box centered on the 803 km 2 Savannah River Site (SRS), the distinct boundaries of the SRS are obvious. The protected status of the SRS has provided an area conducive to maintaining the natural biodiversity of the Southeastern Upper Coastal Plain. The site is home to:
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Upper Three Runs Creek, which has
the highest diversity of aquatic insects of any stream in our hemisphere • 380 isolated depressional wetlands (280 Carolina bays) • 101 species of reptiles and amphibians • 50 species of birds, including 3 that are federally endangered • 46 species of mammals, 79 species of fish • 1,400+ species of plants. | |||
 The
SRS is distinct from the surrounding landscape for two primary reasons: 1) it
is protected from public access because of its mission,
and 2) its timber is managed by the Savannah River Forest Station (SRFS).
The satellite image to the left shows land use change between 1974 and 1992.
This analysis indicates that on the SRS pine stands have been continuous and that
significant pine regeneration has occurred. This is not the pattern off
site. | |||
 In
1972, the SRS was designated as the first National
Environmental Research Park (NERP) by President Richard M. Nixon. The
NERP mission is dedicated to the study of the interaction of human-managed environments
with natural systems. As part of the NERP Program, 30 DOE
set-asides, 10 in 1972 and an additional 20 in 1989, (totaling 5.761 ha, 7% of
SRS) have been established as sites that represent unique and relatively undisturbed
habitats of the region, protect threatened biota, and provide sites conducive
to longer-term ecological research. The NERP Program and the Set-Aside Program
administered by Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
(SREL), have funded seed grants to conduct baseline ecological studies.
These NERP Reports have been used as resource documents for Environmental Impact
Statements as required by NEPA and Environmental and Ecological Risk Assessments
as required by CERCLA
and RCRA. | |||
 Ecosystem
Management requires both research and information management. Geographic
Information System (GIS) technology is providing a powerful tool for spatial management
of information. Spatial analyses are critical components of SRS's landscape
approach to management. By utilizing this technology, the multitude of research
and information gathered since 1951 is accessible to all organizations on the
site. This is vital to ensure that the best available scientific information
is being used in our NEPA and decision-making process. | |||
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