Growing the Value and Impact of the Dragonfly Mercury Project: A Prospectus

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The Dragonfly Mercury Project (DMP) is in a period of growth. To outline what that growth may look like, this prospectus describes the vision, mission, and goals of this national-scale effort. The DMP informs, educates, and forecasts exposure and health risks associated with mercury contamination. The program's multifaceted approach benefits diverse partners by providing research experiences for youth and other volunteers while also producing information that helps assess mercury risk and inform resource management.

Vision

Resource managers, policy makers, scientists, and the public have the information and tools necessary to understand levels and drivers of mercury in the nation’s surface waters, enabling reductions of the impacts of mercury pollution on public health and wildlife.

Mission

We engage the public in providing actionable information about mercury in freshwater ecosystems to reduce risk to public health, inform policy and resource management, and advance science and public understanding of mercury pollution.

Main Goals

The Dragonfly Mercury Project is the most comprehensive assessment of mercury contamination and environmental risk in the nation's protected lands, and it continues to gain traction. Opportunities to grow the program for achieving goals central to the missions of resource management and environmental protection agencies include:

1. Developing risk forecasting models to identify safer water bodies for fishing and those that pose health risks to people and wildlife;

2. Informing management techniques and tools that could reduce mercury risk;

3. Assessing the effectiveness of domestic and international efforts to reduce mercury in the environment;

4. Engaging and enhancing learning of citizen scientists and the public; and

5. Communicating the importance and understanding of mercury issues for a variety of audiences.

Stakeholders

The DMP benefits the wide variety of groups that participate in and support the program. This nationwide study does everything from providing educational opportunities for students to generating data for land managers and fish consumers.

The DMP benefits many different groups including outdoor recreationists, land managers, and students.

Dragonfly Mercury Project

For More Information

To learn more, visit these DMP webpages about:

• Project background
• Study results

• How to get involved

Full citation: Dragonfly Mercury Project. 2020. Growing the Value and Impact of the Dragonfly Mercury Project: A Prospectus. (Eds) Flanagan Pritz, C., C. Eagles-Smith, S. Nelson, & A. Miller-Rushing.