The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management sustainability teams support DOE priorities, including ecological health, conservation, land reuse, land management, and energy conservation. The LM Ecosystem Management Team works hard to create, restore, protect, and enhance ecosystems and to create partnerships that support these priorities at several LM sites.
“LM’s conservation efforts prioritize increasing pollinator habitat, improving habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, conserving remnant native ecosystems, and improving early successional ecological communities that have established in disturbed or remediated areas,” said LM Beneficial Reuse Asset Manager Diana Trettin. “We are consistently seeking ways to improve our conservation efforts. There are several exciting conservation projects taking place at numerous LM sites across the country.”
One ongoing conservation project includes studying pollinators at the Bluewater, New Mexico, Disposal Site. LM ecologists monitor more than 220 acres of naturally occurring horsetail milkweed. Native milkweed stands support monarch butterflies and are growing at the Bluewater site and at nearby sites in New Mexico.
Due to a significant decline in their population over the past 20 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed monarch butterflies as a “candidate” species, which means USFWS has determined that the monarch butterfly is eligible for listing under the Endangered Species Act. LM Support contractor ecologists identified the need to study monarch habitat, vegetation composition, life cycle, and species diversity at the Bluewater site to characterize monarch butterfly populations and other native pollinators.
“These studies provide valuable information that can be used to guide natural resource management decisions, future reclamation, vegetation management, and potential conservation reuse opportunities across LM sites,” Trettin said.
In addition to monitoring and supporting the growth of pollinators at sites across New Mexico, LM continually works to protect and grow natural habitats at several of its western sites, such as the Gunnison, Colorado, Disposal/Processing Site and Rocky Flats site in Colorado.
Several western LM sites are in or near the designated critical habitat for the threatened Gunnison sage-grouse bird, a species protected under conservation agreements to prevent federal listing.
To protect the birds, fence flagging was installed recently at several LM sites to reduce hazards to sage-grouse, which can collide with fences when startled by predators, vehicles, or other disruptions.
“The fencing is just step one in our conservation efforts to help Gunnison and greater sage-grouse,” Trettin said. “LM is looking for more opportunities to improve the habitats at LM sites in any way we can.”
The Rocky Flats site and surrounding area is home to more than 300 elk. To facilitate elk movement between the Rocky Flats Site and the surrounding Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge, Rocky Flats ecologists have installed several wildlife crossings along the boundary fence. These wildlife crossings are made of easy to find materials (wire, zip ties, irrigation tubing) and help elk cross over the fence without getting scratched or caught in the barbed wire. Game cameras have captured elk successfully using these crossings.
To further protect natural habitats, LM began partnering with the Dolores River Restoration Partnership in 2015. DRRP is a coalition of public and private organizations, including federal land-management agencies, local governments, landowners, and other interested parties that work to reduce invasive species and restore native riparian habitat along the Dolores River in Colorado and Utah. The goal is to manage and restore vegetation and monitor and measure the results.
“LM prioritizes conservation reuse opportunities and partnerships where LM land holdings can be used for natural resource protection, habitat enhancement, species preservation, ecosystem restoration, education and other protective, noncommercial activities,” Trettin added.
In 2022, the Dolores River corridor on DOE’s uranium lease sites met criteria for restoration success. LM will continue to manage the corridor riparian habitat and implement habitat enhancements along the lease tracts.
“While these projects are just a few examples of LM’s conservation efforts being made around the country, they are a great example of what LM does to create, restore, and protect several natural habitats on LM sites,” Trettin said. “We have several upcoming projects for many of LM’s national sites, and we are excited to continue the work already taking place.”
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