West Bearskin Lake
Encyclopedia
West Bearskin Lake is an oligotrophic glacial lake
near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in Minnesota
, United States. West Bearskin Lake is a source of control sediment for US federal sediment toxicity studies. West Bearskin Lake is also home to Camp Menogyn
, a YMCA camp only accessible by boat.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States. West Bearskin Lake is a source of control sediment for US federal sediment toxicity studies. West Bearskin Lake is also home to Camp Menogyn
Menogyn
The YMCA Camp Menogyn is a wilderness youth camp located off the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais, MinnesotaThe mission of YMCA Camp Menogyn is to provide transformational experiences for young people age 12-18 through the practice of wilderness travel and the emphasis of the four core values of...
, a YMCA camp only accessible by boat.
Sediments and Scientific Significance
Due to the cleanliness of this pristine lake and physical attributes of the sediment, West Bearskin Lake sediment is ideal for sediment toxicity testing. West Bearskin Lake sediment is used as a control sediment in the federal government's toxicity tests and was used to develop the US EPA's toxicity testing methods.Some United States Government Federal Studies That Utilized West Bearskin Lake Sediment
- US EPA. 2000. Methods for Measuring the Toxicity and Bioaccumulation of Sediment-associated Contaminants with Freshwater Invertebrates Second Edition.
- Kemble, N.E., C.G. Ingersoll, and J.L. Kunz. 2001. Evaluation of Toxicity of Sediment Samples Collected from Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. United States Geological Survey. http://www.cerc.usgs.gov/pubs/sedtox/santaanareport.pdf
- Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC. 1998. Biota Sediment Accumulation Factors for Invertebrates: Review and Recommendations for the Oak Ridge Reservation U.S. Department of Energy. http://rais.ornl.gov/homepage/bjcor-112a1.pdf
- Mierzykowski, S.E., C.G. Ingersoll, and K.C. Carr. 1997 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New England Field Office Special Project Report: FY97-MEFO-1-EC Toxicity Tests and Sediment Chemistry at Site 9 (Neptune Drive Disposal Site). http://www.fws.gov/northeast/mainecontaminants/EC_Reports.htm
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1996. Bioavailability of Sediment-Associated Toxic Organic Contaminants, http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Task_rpts/1996/aqland06-3.html
Peer Review Journal Articles That Utilized West Bearskin Lake Sediment
Below is a partial list of studies that utilized West Bearskin Lake sediment.- Youa, J., A. Brennanb and M.J. Lydy. 2009. Bioavailability and biotransformation of sediment-associated pyrethroid insecticides in Lumbriculus variegatus. Chemosphere75:1477-1482.
- Brennan, A.A., J. You and M. J. Lydy. 2009. Comparison of cleanup methods for fipronil and its degradation products in sediment extracts. Talanta. 78: 1408-1413.
- Heinis, L.J., T.L. Highland, and D.R. Mount. 2004. Method for Testing the Aquatic Toxicity of Sediment Extracts for Use in Identifying Organic Toxicants in Sediments. Environ. Sci. Technol. 38: 6256–6262.
- Dawson, T. D., K. G. Lott, E. N. Leonard and D. R. Mount. 2003 Time course of metal loss in Lumbriculus variegates following sediment exposure. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 22: 886–889.
- Call, D.J., C.N. Polkinghorne, T.P. Markeet, L.T. Brooke, D.L. Geiger, J.W Goruch, K.A. Robillard, 1999. Silver toxicity to Chironomus tentans in two freshwater sediments. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 18: 30-39.
- Ingersoll, C.G., E.L. Brunson, F.J. Dwyer, N.E. Kemble. 1998. Use of sublethal endpoints in sediment toxicity tests with the amphipod Hyalella azteca. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 17:1508-1523.
- West, C.W. and G. T. Ankley. 1998. A Laboratory Assay to Assess Avoidance of Contaminated Sediments by the Freshwater Oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 35: 20-24
- Kosian PA, Hoke RA, Ankley GT, Vandermeiden FM. 1995. Determination of dieldrin binding to dissolved organic material in sediment pore water using a reverse-phase separation technique. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 14:445-450.
- Ankley, GT, Benoit, DA, Balogh JC, Reynolds TB, Day KE, Hoke RA. 1994. Evaluation of potential confounding factors in sediment toxicity tests with three freshwater benthic invertebrates. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 13:627-635.
- Gerald T. Ankley, Duane A. Benoit, Robert A. Hoke, Edward N. Leonard, Corlis W. West, Gary L. Phipps, Vincent R. Mattson and Lee A. Anderson. 1993 Development and evaluation of test methods for benthic invertebrates and sediments: Effects of flow rate and feeding on water quality and exposure conditions. Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 25:12-19
- Ankley, G. T., P. M. Cook, A. R. Carlson, D. J. Call, J. A. Swenson, H. F. Corcoran and R. A.Hoke. 1992. Bioaccumulation of PCBs from sediments by oligochaetes and fishes. Can J Fish Aquatic Sci 49:2080-2085.
- Call, D.J, C.N. Polkinghorne, T.P. Markee, L.T. Brooke, D.L. Geiger, J.W. Gorsuch, and K. A. Robillard. Toxicity of Silver in Water and Sediment to the Freshwater Amphipod Hyalella azteca. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 25: 1802–1808.