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Bethany Kunz, PhD

Dr. Bethany Kunz is a Biologist at the Columbia Environmental Research Center.

Science and Products

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Dusty road conditions at Squaw Creek

Land Stewardship Science Team

The Land Stewardship Integrated Science Team focuses on the potential for contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from land management activities like wildfire and dust suppression, vector control (for example: mosquitos and rodents) and invasive species (Asian carp and nuisance plants). Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
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Land Stewardship Science Team

The Land Stewardship Integrated Science Team focuses on the potential for contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from land management activities like wildfire and dust suppression, vector control (for example: mosquitos and rodents) and invasive species (Asian carp and nuisance plants). Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual...
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Dusty road conditions at Squaw Creek

Program Scientist Receives Award for Research on the Effects of Road Dust Control Chemicals

Dr. Bethany Kunz received the 2017 Environmental Excellence Award from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for her exemplary research to advance knowledge of the effects of transportation on the natural environment.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Columbia Environmental Research Center
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Program Scientist Receives Award for Research on the Effects of Road Dust Control Chemicals

Dr. Bethany Kunz received the 2017 Environmental Excellence Award from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for her exemplary research to advance knowledge of the effects of transportation on the natural environment.
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Biological and chemical data from chloride bioassays with native wetland species in natural and reconstituted Prairie Pothole waters

Biological endpoints for three focal test species [Daphnia magna (mortality), Psuedacris maculata (mortality, growth, and development), and Lemna gibba (growth)] in response to exposure to reconstituted or field-collected water under laboratory conditions. Field-collected waters were collected from wetlands within the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the United States. Reconstituted water was mixed
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Columbia Environmental Research Center

Chemical and biological data from acute toxicity tests with road dust suppressant chemicals and five freshwater organisms

Dust suppressants and soil stabilizer products are applied to unpaved roads worldwide to reduce dust production and stabilize road surfaces. Although these products may enter roadside surface water through runoff or leaching, little information is available on environmental fate or aquatic toxicity. The data reported here include the acute toxicity of 27 dust suppressant/soil stabilizer products t
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Chemical and biological data from acute and chronic exposure to sodium nitrate and sodium sulfate for several freshwater organisms in water-only bioassays

The responses (survival, growth, and/or reproduction) of test organisms in six concentrations of toxicants in several test waters with different water quality characteristics. In addition to the individual biological data, chemical, and water quality measurements from each toxicity test are also reported. Test organisms include unionid mussels (Lampsilis siliquoidea, Villosa iris), a midge (Chi
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Amphibian monitoring data collected from Indiana hardwood forests, 2015-2016

This data set contains information on detections of amphibians at four bottomland hardwood restoration sites in northeastern Indiana in 2015 and 2016. Amphibian communities were surveyed using four different methods - automated recording units, diurnal visual encounter surveys along transects, nocturnal transect surveys, and amphibian rapid assessments. The data set contains three tables: 1) site
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Columbia Environmental Research Center

Soil chemistry adjacent to roads treated with dust control products at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge

The health of soils along roadways is critical for maximizing habitat quality and minimizing negative ecological effects of roads. Adjacent to unpaved roads, soil chemistry may be altered by the deposition of dust, as well as by road treatment with dust suppressants or soil stabilizer products. If present in roadside soils, these product residues may be available to plants, terrestrial invertebrat
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Columbia Environmental Research Center
Dusty road conditions at Squaw Creek
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Chloride toxicity to native freshwater species in natural and reconstituted prairie pothole waters

Oil and gas extraction in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the northern USA has resulted in elevated chloride concentrations in ground and surface water due to widespread contamination with highly saline produced water, or brine. The toxicity of chloride is poorly understood in the high hardness waters characteristic of the region. We evaluated the toxicity of chloride to two endemic species, D
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David Harper, Holly J. Puglis, Bethany K. Kunz, Aida Farag
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Occurrence, fate, and transport of aerially applied herbicides to control invasive buffelgrass within Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District, Arizona, 2015–18

The spread of the invasive and fire-adapted buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) threatens desert ecosystems by competing for resources, increasing fuel loads, and creating wildfire connectivity. The Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park addressed this natural resource threat with the use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs). In 2010, the Rincon Mountain District initiated an aerial res

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Nicholas V. Paretti, Kimberly R. Beisner, Bruce Gungle, Michael T. Meyer, Bethany K. Kunz, Edyth Hermosillo, Jay R. Cederberg, Justine P. Mayo
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, National Water Quality Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Arizona Water Science Center, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Kansas Water Science Center

Aquatic toxicity of chemical road dust suppressants to freshwater organisms

Unpaved roads make up at least 14 million kilometers of the worldwide road network. Although investigations of road runoff often are focused on paved roads, unpaved roads contribute large volumes of runoff to roadside aquatic habitats and introduce unique constituents to runoff, such as chemical dust suppressants. At least 200 products across five chemical categories are commercially available for
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Bethany K. Kunz, Edward E. Little, Vincent L. Barandino
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Acute and chronic toxicity of sodium nitrate and sodium sulfate to several freshwater organisms in water-only exposures

Elevated nitrate (NO3) and sulfate (SO4) in surface water are of global concern, and studies are needed to generate toxicity data to develop environmental guideline values for NO3 and SO4. The present study was designed to fill existing gaps in toxicity databases by determining the acute and/or chronic toxicity of NO3 (tested as NaNO3) to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea), a midge (Chironom
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Ning Wang, Rebecca A. Dorman, Chris D. Ivey, David J. Soucek, Amy Dickinson, Bethany K. Kunz, Jeffery Steevens, Edward J. Hammer, Candice R. Bauer
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Benefits and limitations of installing driving surface aggregate at two federal lands sites

The worldwide network of unpaved roads is estimated to include at least 14 million km (8.7 million miles; 1). Although they are vital for local communities, these roads are expensive to maintain and may cause environmental damage through sediment and dust pollution (e.g., 2). Among aggregate-surfaced roads, locally available materials are often used as a surface wearing course, with little or no t
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Bethany K. Kunz, Eric H. Chase, Steve M. Bloser, Maureen A. Kestler, Brandon Jutz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Amphibian monitoring in hardwood forests: Optimizing methods for contaminant‐based compensatory restorations

Amphibians such as frogs, toads, and salamanders provide important services in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and have been proposed as useful indicators of progress and success for ecological restoration projects. Limited guidance is available, however, on the costs and benefits of different amphibian monitoring techniques that might be applied to sites restored in compensation for contaminan
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Bethany K. Kunz, Hardin Waddle, Nicholas S. Green
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Science support for evaluating natural recovery of polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in fish from Crab Orchard Lake, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, Illinois

IntroductionCrab Orchard Lake in southern Illinois is one of the largest and most popular recreational lakes in the state. Construction of the nearly 7,000-acre reservoir in the late 1930s created employment opportunities through the Works Progress Administration, and the lake itself was intended to supply water, control flooding, and provide recreational opportunities for local communities (Stall
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Bethany K. Kunz, Jo Ellen Hinck, Robin Calfee, Greg L. Linder, Edward E. Little
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Use of real-time dust monitoring and surface condition to evaluate success of unpaved road treatments

No abstract available.
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Bethany K. Kunz, Nicholas S. Green, Janice L. Albers, Mark L. Wildhaber, Edward E. Little
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Use of real-time dust monitoring and surface condition to evaluate success of unpaved road treatments

Fugitive dust from unpaved roads creates human health hazards, degrades road surfaces, and increases the cost of road maintenance. As a result, many different chemical treatments are applied to unpaved roads in an attempt to control dust and stabilize the wearing course. However, investigations of the effectiveness of these treatments have often been poorly planned or executed. The objective of th
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Bethany K. Kunz, Nicholas S. Green, Janice L. Albers, Mark L. Wildhaber, Edward E. Little
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Incorporating evolutionary insights to improve ecotoxicology for freshwater species

Ecotoxicological studies have provided extensive insights into the lethal and sublethal effects of environmental contaminants. These insights are critical for environmental regulatory frameworks, which rely on knowledge of toxicity for developing policies to manage contaminants. While varied approaches have been applied to ecotoxicological questions, perspectives related to the evolutionary histor
Authors
Steven P. Brady, Jonathan L. Richardson, Bethany K. Kunz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Dust control products at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, Texas: environmental safety and performance

Controlling fugitive dust while protecting natural resources is a challenge faced by all managers of unpaved roads. Unfortunately, road managers choosing between dust control products often have little objective environmental information to aid their decisions. To address this information gap, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collaborated on a field test of three d
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Bethany K. Kunz, Edward E. Little
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Unpaved road dust management, a successful practitioner’s handbook

This handbook provides broad programmatic aspects of unpaved road management. It is based on observations made during a national scan tour and provides useful and insightful excerpts of realworld examples and includes practical how-to instructions for determining what type of treatment may be needed for different situations. It ultimately strives to encourage road managers to think broadly about t
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David Jones, Angela Kociolek, Roger Surdahl, Peter Bolander, Bruce Drewes, Matthew Duran, Laura Fay, George Huntington, David James, Clark Milne, Mark Nahra, Andrew Scott, Bob Vitale, Bethany Williams
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Lehman, C.M., and Williams (Kunz), B.K., 2010, Effects of current-use pesticides on amphibians, in Sparling, D.W., Linder, G., Bishop, C.A., and Krest, S.K., eds., Ecotoxicology of Amphibians and Reptiles: (2nd ed.) Pensacola, FL, SETAC Press, p. 167-202

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Science and Products