2004 Mercury Workshop
sponsored by the USGS, Eastern Region

Date:
August 17-18, 2004

Location:
USGS National Center, Reston, Virginia

Purpose:
As part of its efforts under its DOI Landscape Initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Region held a workshop on mercury in the environment as it relates to Department of Interior resource management. The goals of the workshop were to enhance technology transfer on the science of mercury among DOI agencies in the Eastern Region, gain greater understanding of the needs of DOI resource managers relative to mercury in the environment, increase communication between the mercury research community and DOI resource managers dealing with mercury impacts, and forge a long-term strategy for mercury research that will benefit DOI resource management.

The workshop focused on the science of mercury as it relates to DOI resource management issues in the Eastern Region (east of the Mississippi River). These include the influence of ecosystem setting, of land and air management practices, of mercury source issues, and of impacts to living resources.

Workshop sessions and topics included:

• Overview of the mercury environmental problem and research.
• Panel presentation on DOI resource managers’ perspectives on mercury issues and needs for future research.
• Case studies on DOI lands evaluating sources and transformations of mercury and assessments of impacts to ecosystem health.
• Tools for accessing data, models, and ancillary information useful in assessing mercury in the environment.
• Recent scientific advances in the study of mercury that relate to DOI resource management.

The Workshop was Videotaped and is Available at this Web Site:
A video of the speakers and slides that were used in the presentations can be downloaded from this website. A list of the presentations is available by clicking Agenda, above. After choosing presentations of interest, you can view the video and download the slides by following instructions obtained by clicking Presentation Slides, above.