The National Environmental Research Parks are outdoor
laboratories that provide opportunities for environmental studies on
protected lands that act as buffers around Department of Energy (DOE)
facilities. The research parks are used to evaluate the environmental
consequences of energy use and development as well as strategies to
mitigate these effects. They are also used to demonstrate possible
environmental and land-use options. The research parks were established
by DOE and its predecessors, the Atomic Energy Commission and the Energy
Research and Development Administration. The seven parks are
administered through the regional DOE Operations Offices and coordinated
and guided by the Office of Science.
The concept of environmental research parks grew out of
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Energy Reorganization
Act of 1974, and the public's desire to protect the environment. The
idea is also consistent with the 1969 policy statement of the Federal
Council for Science and Technology, encouraging Federal laboratories to
make their unique research and training facilities available to a
broader spectrum of the scientific community.
The DOE National Environmental Research Parks provide
opportunities for many types of environmental studies. The parks are
especially convenient because they are associated with DOE national
laboratories that have a stable infrastructure and a cadre of
environmental scientists who are a resource for visiting researchers and
The objectives of the research parks are to conduct
research and education activities that will-
- Develop methods for assessing and documenting the
environmental consequences of human actions related to energy and
- Develop methods for predicting the environmental
consequences of ongoing and proposed energy development.
- Explore methods for eliminating or minimizing
predicted adverse effects of various energy and weapons activities on
- Train people in ecological and environmental
- Use the parks for educating the public on
environmental and ecological issues.
The seven DOE National Environmental Research Parks are
located within six major ecoregions of the United States (Figure 1).
These ecoregions cover more than half of the nation. In some cases the
research parks are the only ecological sanctuaries in the region. The
parks are especially important because within their borders they
provide secure settings for scientists to conduct research on a broad
range of subjects, such as plant succession, biomass production,
environmental behavior of radionuclides, cost and effectiveness of
revegetation of disturbed lands, and thermal effects on freshwater
ecosystems. The parks also provide rich environments for training
researchers and introducing the public to ecological sciences.
Figure 1. Department
of Energy National Environmental Research Parks
and Associated Ecoregions (click on image to enlarge).