THE STATUS, DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY OF WILDLIFE ON THE UNITED-STATES-DOE HANFORD SITE - A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Since the inception of the U.S. DOE Hanford Site in 1943, numerous studies have been conducted on terrestrial wildlife. Onsite contractors have focused their attention on the role of wildlife in the uptake and transport of radionuclides. Graduate students from across the nation have also completed more than 15 theses on wildlife. This paper discusses the past history of wildlife research at Hanford and the individual species of wildlife that have been observed at Hanford. Forty species of mammals, 187 species of birds, 3 species of amphibians and 9 species of reptiles have been documented on the Hanford Site to date.