United States Department of Energy
National Environmental Research Parks

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Savannah River Ecology Laboratory /University of Georgia G. Wein, N. Frazer, T. Rea, D. Karapatakis, and F. Munson

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What is a NERP?	"A National Environmental Research Park is an outdoor laboratory where research may be carried out to achieve national environmental goals, as articulated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ..."    NERP Charter July 1994
	The designation opens the site to scientists from other government agencies, universities, and private foundations for use as a protected outdoor laboratory where long-term projects can be set up to answer questions about man's impact on the natural environment."   AEC news release, Spring 1972
	"The Parks, which are situated on DOE land holdings, are unique because they provide opportunities for research to study the compatibility of the environment with energy technology options."

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 National Environmental Research Parks: A resource for the nation The United States Department of Energy's National Environmental Research Parks
 

Site	Year Designated	Acres	EcoRegion
Savannah River	1972	198,000	Southeastern Mixed Forest
Idaho	1975	568,000	Shrub-steppe
Los Alamos	1976	28,400	Juniper-Pinyon and Grassland
Hanford	1976	366,000	Shrub-steppe
Oak Ridge	1980	21,500	Eastern Deciduous Forest
Fermi Lab	1989	6,800	Tallgrass Prairie
Nevada	1992	865,000	Desert Shrub

    National Environmental Research Parks and Associated Ecoregions NERP Objectives  

•	Assessment and Monitoring - develop methods to assess and monitor the environmental impact of human activities
•	Prediction - develop methods to estimate or predict environmental responses to human activities
•	Demonstration - demonstrate the effects human activities have on the environment and evaluate methods to minimize any adverse effects   U.S. Department of Energy   Office of Environmental Research July 1994

     

Bald Eagles on the SRS	Restored Carolina bay at the SRS

 
NERP Activities  

•	Research on energy activities, ecosystem dynamics, contaminant transport, bioremediation, model development, and theory validation
•	Long-term monitoring of climate, flora, and fauna
•	Public information and education
•	Undergraduate and graduate training in environmental research
•	Collaboration with local, regional, private, and government organizations involved with the environment
•	Inventory of biodiversity, threatened and endangered species