FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2000
NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
Tamara Hamilton, DOE HQ, 202/586-5806
Peter Genzer, BNL, 631/344-3174
UPTON, NY - Plans to permanently preserve a unique Pine Barrens ecosystem, providing a home to more than 220 species of plants and 162 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, were announced today by Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson in Upton, New York. Under an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Secretary Richardson dedicated the Upton Ecological and Research Reserve -- an area of over 500 acres within the Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory Site -- for permanent preservation.
"Just as Brookhaven served our country with its research into peaceful uses of the atom, today it will assume a new role. With the help of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Long Island communities, we are making a public commitment to preserve this land and make it available for educational activities and ecological research," said Secretary Richardson. "This is the ninth site the Energy Department has reclaimed to ensure natural resources across the country are saved for present and future generations."
Secretary Richardson also outlined plans to increase the environmental cleanup budget at Brookhaven National Laboratory from $22 million in FY 2000 to $35 million in FY 2001 and beyond, and accelerate the schedule for completing cleanup from 2006 to 2004. The Secretary's plan also includes an additional $1.2 million to deploy a new technology that will enhance reactor cleanup. Brookhaven Science Associates, the site's research management contractor, also has been authorized to negotiate changes to subcontract for cleanup in order to provide new incentives for streamlining projects and accelerating the completion of the overall site cleanup program.
The Upton Ecological and Research Reserve is the latest example of the Energy Department's commitment to protect the environmental assets of its sites. Over 200,000 acres of unique wild lands have been preserved by the Energy Department because of their natural significance. The Pine Barrens land in the Upton Reserve creates a unique ecosystem of forests and wetlands. It provides habitat for approximately 27 endangered, threatened or species of special concern -- including the endangered eastern tiger salamander and state-threatened banded sunfish.Other wildlife species of interest that inhabit this area include the wild turkey, red fox, eastern box turtle and the red-tailed hawk.
The Energy Department will provide the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service $200,000 a year, over a five-year
period, for land management activities and research in the Upton
Ecological and Research Reserve.
As described in the memorandum of agreement, the Energy Department,
as the landowner, will manage the environmental compliance, safety,
health, fire protection, access, and cleanup activities, while
designating management responsibility to U.S. Fish and Wildlife
for the area's permanent protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service will manage the recovery efforts for the endangered resources
within the area, and perform day-to-day work at the reserve.
The proclamation and its associated
memorandum of agreement, signed by Secretary Richardson and Susan
McMahon, Acting Chief of the National Refuge System of the U.S.
Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
state of New York's Department of Environmental Quality, formalizes
DOE's commitment to maintain and permanently protect the reserve
for present and future generations.
Immediately following the signing, Secretary Richardson and Senator
Schumer presented certificates of recognition to students from
Ridge Elementary school and Bellport high school for scientific
achievement and environmental research.
- DOE -
R-00-284
Land and Wildlife Management Transfer at DOE Sites
The Department of Energy (DOE) holds 2.4 million acres of land, much of which has been used as buffer zones that separate DOE activities from nearby communities. Recognizing that its land holdings are ecologically significant, or contain threatened, endangered or rare species, or are unique in flora, fauna, vegetation and habitat, DOE has signed agreements to co-manage these parcels with federal and state agencies. As a result, over 200,000 acres of unique wild lands have been preserved because of their natural significance.
- The Hanford Reach - Hanford, WA
At the Hanford Site in Washington, 90,000 acres of shrub-steppe
habitat along the Columbia River was preserved on April 10, 1999.
The "Wahluke Slope" is now managed by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a National Wildlife Refuge. This
land had served as a safety and security buffer zone for Hanford
operations since the inception of the Manhattan Project in 1943,
resulting in an ecosystem that has been relatively untouched for
decades.
- The Rock Creek Reserve - Rocky
Flats Environmental Technology Site, CO
At Rocky Flats Site in Colorado, 800 acres of the Rocky Mountain
Front Range were preserved on May 17, 1999. The "Rock Creek
Reserve" is now managed by a partnership with the USFWS as
a Wildlife Reserve. It is also home to a variety of threatened
and endangered animal species, including the endangered Prebles
Meadow Jumping Mouse. This land had served as a safety and security
buffer zone for Rocky Flats for 25 years.
- Three Bend Scenic and Wildlife
Management Refuge Area - Oak Ridge Reservation, TN
At the Oak Ridge Reservation, 3,000 acres of fields, forests and
wetlands were preserved on June 24, 1999. The "Three Bend
Scenic and Wildlife Management Refuge Area" is now managed
by DOE and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The area provides
an important habitat and home for numerous threatened, endangered,
and rare animal species.
- Crackerneck Reserve - Savannah
River Site, SC
At the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, 10,000 acres of
unique plant and wildlife habitat were preserved on June 24, 1999.
The "Crackerneck Reserve" is now managed by the South
Carolina Department of Natural Resources as a biological and wildlife
refuge. The area has been spared by development since the Savannah
River Site was built in the early 1950's.
- Sagebrush Steppe Reserve - Idaho
National Engineering and Environmental Lab. (INEEL)
At the INEEL, 74,000 acres of high-desert land was preserved on
July 17, 1999. The "Sagebrush Steppe Reserve" is now
managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Since the land has been
a buffer zone for 50 years, it is still home to a large section
of sagebrush habitat.
- Hamburg Trail - Weldon Spring,
MO
At Weldon Spring the Department of Energy created a learning center
and Hamburg Trail, which links the nearby Katy Trail and the August
A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area -- a state wildlife refuge.
The Weldon Spring site is targetted to be closed in 2002 and
dates back to 1941.
- White Rock Canyon Reserve -
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), NM
At the LANL in New Mexico,1000 acres of canyon lands was preserved
on October 30, 1999. The "White Rock Canyon Reserve"
is now managed by the National Park Service, Department of the
Interior - to enhance and ensure protection of the habitat and
rare wildlife.
- Amsinckia grandiflora Reserve
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), CA
At the LLNL in California, 160 acres was preserved on April 28,
2000. The "Amsinckia grandiflora Reserve" provides
critical habitat for more than 300 species of plants and 95 species
of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Plants in the Reserve
that are protected include a portion of increasingly important
native grasses.
- DOE -
