Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge Air Quality Information
Overview
In 1975, Congress designated 5,577 acres of the northern section of Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge as a wilderness area, declaring that the area should remain undeveloped and "unimpaired" for future generations. The wilderness is open year round for hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
In 1977, Congress further acknowledged the uniqueness of the Lostwood Wilderness Area by naming it a Class I air quality area and giving it special protection under the Clean Air Act. Congress gave the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), as the Federal Land Manager of the Lostwood Wilderness Area, the responsibility to protect the air quality and air quality related values (AQRVs) of the area from manmade air pollution. AQRVs of Lostwood Wilderness include vegetation, wildlife, soils, water quality, and visibility.
Despite this protection, air pollution is impacting Lostwood. The air pollution comes from many sources, including power plants in both the U.S. and Canada , gas-processing plants, oil and gas wells, automobiles, and other mobile sources. Pollutants from near and distant sources may combine to form haze that reduces visibility in the wilderness area. In addition, there is concern that wetlands and associated biota in the wilderness area are at risk from “acid rain” (i.e., acidic rain, snow, fog, and dryfall).
The FWS has begun a program to better understand air pollution causes and effects at Lostwood, in partnership with the national Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) program. As part of this program, FWS operates a fine particle sampler that measures the pollutants in the air responsible for visibility impairment at Lostwood. In addition, FWS has studied some of the wetlands and lakes within Lostwood to determine if they are affected by acidic deposition from certain emissions, including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Limited studies conducted in the late 1980’s indicated that wetland water chemistry did not appear to be affected by acidic deposition. However, it has been found that in some areas, initial snowmelt releases a pulse of acids which concentrate at the bottom of the snow column. A pulse of acidic snowmelt could be significant in early spring, when frozen sediments reduce the interaction of the soil with surface water. Invertebrates that overwinter as eggs in Lostwood wetlands could be vulnerable to this episodic acidification.
The FWS is working cooperatively with industry and the State of North Dakota to reduce air pollutant emissions and protect the air quality and AQRVs of Lostwood. If Lostwood is not protected, unique wildlife and scenic values could be threatened or lost. The FWS hopes to preserve and protect this special area of wilderness for future generations.