NEW SCIENTIFIC STUDY RELEASED TODAY REVEALS HIGH MERCURY IN VERMONT AND OTHER NEW ENGLAND STATES
VINS Research Shows that Problem Extends to Forest Songbirds like Bicknell's Thrush

Woodstock , VT - Groundbreaking research conducted over the past 5 years by more than 50 scientists, including VINS Conservation Biologists Chris Rimmer and Kent McFarland, have yielded surprising insights on the extent of mercury pollution across the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada . >From lakes to mountaintop forests, data were painstakingly collected on air, water, fish, birds, and other wildlife at thousands of locations. Today, the BioDiversity Research Institute (BRI) and Environment Canada, the two umbrella organizations who have led this landmark effort, will present their findings at a press teleconference in Washington , DC at National Wildlife Federation Headquarters. These findings will be published in 21 papers on mercury in a special double edition of the peer-reviewed journal Ecotoxicology on April 1, 2005. A new BRI report, Mercury Connections, was also released today, distilling the papers for non-scientists.

The comprehensive research reveals that not only is mercury loading higher and more pervasive than previously reported by the EPA, but it has been documented in some unexpected places. Until this point, most studies have focused on mercury in fish and fish-eating birds in aquatic environments. These new findings, however, show that animals in non-aquatic habitats also have elevated mercury levels. One of the project's most significant discoveries is the presence of mercury in terrestrial, mountain-dwelling songbirds like the Bicknell's Thrush. This rare species, which VINS has studied closely since 1992, nests almost exclusively in high elevation forests of the northeastern U.S. and Canada, and winters in the Caribbean Greater Antilles. VINS's data, reported in the Ecotoxicology volume, reveal that Bicknell's Thrush and other songbirds in Vermont's Green Mountains are accumulating mercury, and that nearly all of it is in the toxic methyl form.

Mercury is an element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. Through mining and industrial processes, mercury is emitted into the air or discharged to water as a byproduct of combustion or improper waste disposal. Much of the mercury pollution in the Northeast originates from airborne emissions from coal-fired power plants, industrial boilers and waste incinerators. Waterborne sources include landfills, wastewater treatment plants and some manufacturing facilities. Estimates reveal that U.S. emissions constitute the largest source (60%) of mercury that is deposited to the Northeast. Once in the air and water, mercury makes its way to watershed systems and mountain tops, presenting a risk to ecological and human health. The extent to which it poses a risk depends, in part, on whether or not mercury is converted into the bioavailable, toxic form known as methylmercury, which can be consumed by organisms and accumulate up the food chain.

According to Dr. David Evers, executive director of BRI, author of Mercury Connections and co-editor of the special issue of Ecotoxicology, "We expected mercury to be widespread, but we were surprised to discover just how high the mercury levels are in animals like mink." The VINS Ecotoxicology paper provides the first account of elevated mercury levels in forest-dwelling songbirds. The discovery of mercury in non-aquatic birds is a wake-up call that mercury emissions are even polluting remote forests. According to Chris Rimmer, Director of Conservation Biology for VINS, "Since 2001, we have collected blood and feather samples from four species of mountain-dwelling songbirds at two Vermont sites, Mt. Mansfield and Stratton Mountain. These include Bicknell's Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and White-throated Sparrow. We also sampled Bicknell's Thrush at 20 other sites from Vermont to Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula.". VINS's data on Bicknell's Thrush provide the most comprehensive information to date on mercury in a strictly terrestrial, insect-eating songbird. "An important finding was that feather mercury levels were greatest in Bicknell's Thrush older than two years, suggesting that mercury in these birds builds up over time. Moreover, nearly all of the mercury we measured was in the methyl form, indicating its bioaccumulation in food webs within high elevation forest environments," adds Rimmer.

"This report confirms our growing fears that mercury is affecting far more wildlife species than previously thought," says Catherine Bowes, Northeast Program Manager for National Wildlife Federation. "From loons to salamanders and otters to songbirds, mercury is finding its way into the food web and accumulating at high levels. Wildlife are truly on the front lines of the mercury contamination problem, and this new research makes a compelling case for reducing mercury pollution today." Dr. Evers added, "This research shows the mercury problem is greater than we thought and that we need to take action to protect our fish and wildlife resources."

The Mercury Connections report identifies nine major biological "hotspots" of mercury in northeastern North America and presents them in a map that represents large areas where mercury is elevated in two or more wildlife species. While no hotspots were specifically identified within Vermont, the VINS study documented a clear connection between atmospheric mercury deposition and mercury concentrations in Bicknell's Thrush blood. The spatial pattern of mercury in thrush blood showed levels that were highest in areas expected to receive high inputs of mercury in leaf litter. The higher mercury blood concentrations of birds in the southern (Stratton Mountain) versus northern (Mt. Mansfield) Green Mountains paralleled deposition estimates for the two sites.

VINS's research on mercury in Bicknell's Thrush will continue, as scientists attempt to trace the specific pathways by which songbirds accumulate mercury, and the synergistic effects that mercury and other environmental stressors like acid rain may have on terrestrial bird populations. VINS looks forward to being closely involved in future studies that will shed crucial light on the risk that mercury poses to ecological health.The report is available on the BRI website at www.briloon.org/mercury. For more information, please contact Chris Rimmer at VINS at (802) 457-2779 ext. 120 or at crimmer@vinsweb.org.

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