BRD Activities in South Carolina

• Coosawhatchie River was selected as an initial study site for an innovative data sharing and research program to restore Southern forested wetlands. In cooperation with the paper industry, the Southern Industrial Forest Research Committee, the State of South Carolina, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and others, the BRD will describe the features of these wetlands.

• Information obtained under the initiative described above will be used to help develop recommendations for the restoration of the ecological, recreational, and economic values of Southern forested wetlands. This project is one of a series of BRD regional science initiatives that demonstrate the importance of bringing together biological data from a variety of sources to support public and private decision making.

• The BRD is conducting contaminant surveys and field studies to assess the quality of water and sediment in the lower Savannah River and Charleston Harbor so that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can develop appropriate management strategies. Southeastern coastal rivers and estuaries produce abundant fish and shellfish that contribute significantly to the regional economy as well as provide habitat for endangered species and other wildlife.

• Most National Wildlife Refuges and many State wildlife management areas maintain impoundments in which water levels are manipulated to benefit waterfowl. The BRD is studying the importance of these impoundments to migrating shorebirds in coastal South Carolina. This information will be used to help agencies develop water management protocols that will maximize available habitat for shorebirds as well as for waterfowl.

• The National Water-Quality Assessment Program is a national effort by the U.S. Geological Survey to assess the health of our Nation's water resources by following a standard procedure to sample the water, sediment, and aquatic life in representative streams. The BRD is assisting with biological collections in the Santee River Basin.

• The Breeding Bird Survey is a cooperative program for gathering and analyzing quantitative information on populations of breeding birds in North America. The program is active in South Carolina, where 20 standardized routes are routinely surveyed.

• Researchers are studying alterations in biogeochemical cycling in Congaree Swamp National Monument; this research is intended to help define the most cost-effective means of protecting natural resources.

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biology.usgs.gov/state.partners/activities/sc-act.html
Last Updated: Wednesday, 09-Apr-2003 07:22:57 MDT
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