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

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The Dragonfly Mercury Project is in a period of growth. In an effort to outline what that growth may look like, this prospectus describes the vision, mission, and goals of this national-scale effort to inform, educate, and forecast exposure and health risks associated with mercury contamination. The Dragonfly Mercury Project's multifaceted approach benefits diverse partners by providing authentic research experiences for youth and other volunteers while also producing information that can be used to quantify mercury risk and inform resource management.

This study 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.

View the full document here to read more about the effort to grow the value and impact of the Dragonfly Mercury Project.