The Savannah River Site was designated as the first National Environmental
Research Park (NERP) by the Atomic Energy Commission in
1972. NERPs were established to provide tracts of land where
the effects of human impacts on the environment could be
studied. There now are seven NERPs at DOE reservations throughout
the United States.
NERPs are unique outdoor laboratories where
ecologists, engineers and land managers work together to
improve our understanding of how human activities affect
the environment. These areas also serve as islands of habitat
where native species thrive and endangered, threatened,
and sensitive plants and animals are protected.
The existence of ongoing human activities
such as energy production, industrial, and cleanup operations
provide unique opportunities for study. However, portions
of each NERP are protected from the effects of human activities
as much as possible. NERPs are an important national legacy.
Their continued existence will enable us to provide sites
where new technologies can be developed that will help counteract
the impacts of human activities both on the SRS and in other
industrial areas throughout the United States and the world.
History
of the NERP
In 1970 the Office of Science and Technology
delivered to President Nixon ten recommendations concerning
federal lands. The tenth recommendation instructed Federal
agencies to accelerate their efforts to set aside locations
for ecological research and wildlife preservation.
As a result of this recommendation, the Savannah River Site became
the first National Environmental Research Park, or NERP.
This opened the site to scientists from other government
agencies, universities and private foundations for use as
a protected outdoor laboratory where long-term projects
could be conducted to address questions about human impacts
on the environment.
The value of the SRS NERP clearly is demonstrated
in the more than 2,000 published scientific findings based
on work done on-site. Resident scientists have produced
a series of over 20 NERP technical reports describing and
cataloging the plants, animals, ecological communities,
and habitats of the SRS. Also, more than 200 doctoral dissertations
and master’s theses have proven the value of this national
treasure in educating environmental scientists and in providing
us with a broader understanding of how to minimize adverse
impacts of human activities on the environment.
The Savannah
River Site NERP
Along the western border
of the state of South Carolina lies the Savannah River Site,
a Department of Energy nuclear production facility. Spanning
more than 300 square miles, the SRS plays a key role in
the nation’s defense mission by housing nuclear materials
and waste processing facilities, as well as research laboratories.
Roughly 85% of the site is forested and over 20% of 
the site is
valuable wetlands, including more than 200 Carolina bays.
At the height of the Cold War in the early
1950s, the Atomic Energy Commission, now the Department
of Energy, acquired the vast land area for the SRS. Here,
the government built reactors to produce nuclear materials
for weapons, and the site served a critical role in maintaining
America’s military defense during the years that followed.
Today, the site still serves important functions in national
defense, waste processing, environmental remediation and
ecological research. Unlike a national park, the SRS NERP
serves as an outdoor laboratory for environmental research
on energy technologies and the effects of human activities
on the natural environment. In the years since the park
was first named, the SRS has come to demonstrate the compatibility
of nature, human technology and environmental research.
Greg Rudy, Manager of the DOE-SR Operations
says, "As the country’s first National Environmental
Research Park, the Savannah River Site advanced the science
of ecology while fulfilling its major defense missions.
This foundation is essential as the Site continues its national
defense and environmental work and prepares to take on new
nuclear missions in support of our Nation’s international
nonproliferation efforts in the post Cold-War era."
Set-Aside Areas
Especially valuable components
of the Savannah River NERP are the DOE Research Set-Aside
Areas, representative habitats that DOE has preserved for
ecological research. These 30 areas, encompassing more than
14,000 acres, are protected from most routine site operations,
and active management is not allowed. Largely unaffected
by industrial activities, the Set-Aside Areas serve as natural
reference areas or "controls" for environmental
research and monitoring efforts. Set-Asides provide baseline
areas for comparing the effects of human activities and
valuable information on how contaminated areas should look
and function after they have been cleaned up.
NERP Objectives
- Assess and predict impacts
of human activities on natural ecosystems.
- Manage for sustainable
natural resources (timber, wildlife, soil, water, and
air).
- Develop environmental
restoration and cleanup methods and standards.
The Savannah River Site
National Environamental Research Park 
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