Eulogy for the Reference Site (poster available for download)

Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 2000 Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN November 12-16, 2000

Landis, W. G., Institute of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Huxley College of Environmental Studies, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA. The use of reference sites has a long history in environmental science and specifically in environmental toxicology. The construct of a reference or control site is a legacy of the balance-of-nature model of ecological systems and laboratory experimental design. The balance of nature construct, i.e., that nature strives toward an ideal equilibrium state, has been falsified by field research and experimental model ecosystems. The classical laboratory experimental model cannot be transferred to ecological systems because ecological systems are not closed. In other words, a reference site is like warp travel, not part of reality. However, environmental managers cannot make decisions without a reference site and the idea of a reference site is written into many regulations. So what can we use as a better method of comparison? Three clear alternatives exist. The first involves documenting gradients within the ecosystem, i.e., low to high concentration of contamination, and performing investigations accordingly. This requires recognizing that site replication or independence is not possible and employing analysis methods to deal with these types of data. The second alternative involves creating a mathematical reference space based on existing ecological areas judged by a value-driven assessment to be the type of ecological system that is desirable. This approach can provide distributions and uncertainties for the variables of interest. The third alternative is to create a set of goals (again, value-driven) for the desired state of the ecosystem of interest. The reference space is delineated completely by stakeholder values rather than by referencing other ecosystems or sites.