Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID MT_2024_Creel

A bird’s eye view: Using Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) to assess the effects of aquatic metal contamination on riparian insectivores in the Upper Clark Fork River Superfund site 

Institute: Montana
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2024-09-01 End Date: 2025-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $2,500 Total Non-Federal Funds: $1,175

Principal Investigators: Bridger Creel

Project Summary: This research will use Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) to assess the effects of aquatic metal contamination on riparian insectivores in the Upper Clark Fork River Superfund site. The Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR) in Western Montana represents the largest Superfund site complex in the United States due the magnitude and extent of aquatic mine-waste contamination in and along the river, forming a gradient of metal concentration. The study will investigate how tree swallows respond to the gradient of metal concentration and whether they will primarily be affected by metal exposure through their prey, or the loss of nutritionally important aquatic prey.