| Abstract: |
Several federal agencies are reclaiming land through remediation and
restoration, and are considering potential future land uses that are
compatible with current land uses and local needs. Understanding
potential recreational and wild game consumption patterns and risk
perceptions are critical for determining cleanup levels and assessing
potential risk associated with certain uses. In this article,
recreational rates of people attending the Lewiston "Roundup" rodeo
in northwestern Idaho were examined, as well as their perceptions of
the safety of consuming fish and game from two Department of Energy
(DOE) facilities: the Hanford Site and the Idaho National Engineering
and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). These are two of DOE's largest
sites. Lewiston is closer to Hanford, but is in the same state as
INEEL. Men engaged in significantly higher hunting and fishing rates
than women, but there were no gender differences in camping and
hiking rates. Rates of hunting and camping decreased significantly
with age, while rates of hiking were lowest for 31 to 45-yr-olds.
Level of education generally was not related to rates of recreation.
Over 70% of the subjects ate deer, elk, and self-caught fish; 30-50%
ate grouse, moose, and waterfowl, and fewer people ate other game
species. Overall, subjects were less concerned about eating the fish
and game from INEEL than from Hanford, and more people thought
Hanford should be cleaned up completely compared to INEEL. Mean rates
of fishing, hiking, and camping all exceeded the DOE's maximum
recreational exposure assumption of 14 d/yr used in their future use
documents. Although at present people are generally not allowed
access to DOE lands for recreation, recreation is one future land use
being considered for these federal facilities. Given that some people
would engage in multiple activities, the potential exists for people
living in the general region of Hanford and INEEL to exceed the 14-d
exposure assumption. The relative gender differences in recreational
rates mean that men are potentially more at risk, particularly since
hunting (on both sites) and fishing (on Hanford) are attractive. |