Elements in elk tissues harvested in pre-uranium mining and non-mining areas, 2019

Publication Date

2021-04-09

Time Period

2019

Cleveland, D.M. and Hinck, J.E., 2021, Elements in elk tissues harvested in pre-uranium mining and non-mining areas, 2019: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P95I7UK2.

Type: Download

These results are part of a baseline study on the impacts of uranium mining in the Grand Canyon watershed on tribal resources. Tribal members are concerned that uranium and co-occurring ore body elements from a uranium mine near the south rim of the Grand Canyon has or may be taken up by resources like elk. The uranium mine is located approximately 50 kilometers (in the most direct distance between the two locations) from the Tribal lands upon which guided elk hunts occur annually. As of 2019, the uranium mine is on standby; the shaft has been sunk to full depth, but no ore has been brought to the surface. Elk tissues were collected from the tribal hunting grounds, and from an elk farm in the midwestern United States as a reference. The reference site was chosen based on the availability of a cooperator in a region having no past or present uranium mining. Results are reflective of pond conditions at the time of collection.

• Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC)
• USGS Data Release Products