Participants will also need to work with NRCS field personnel to develop a conservation plan, which is a requirement of any EQIP contract. For more information please contact your local NRCS office or USDA Service Center. There were two identical sessions, one in the afternoon and a second one in the evening. The Gunnison Basin Selenium Task Force is a group of private, local, State, and Federal interests committed to finding ways to reduce selenium in our local rivers while maintaining the economic viability and lifestyle of the Lower Gunnison Basin. This workshop was a public forum to exchange information about recent Selenium Task Force projects, and to provoke discussion about how to solve selenium problems in the Gunnison Basin.
Selenium is an essential trace element that occurs naturally in the environment.
Selenium is widely distributed in rocks, soils, water and living organisms. Selenium is highly mobile and biologically available in arid regions having alkaline soils, typical of western Colorado's irrigated valleys. The problem is elevated levels of selenium have been shown to cause reproductive failure and deformities in fish and aquatic birds. Based on known margins of safety between normal and toxic dietary exposures, selenium is more poisonous than either arsenic or mercury. However, selenium in minor amounts, is an essential nutrient for animals and humans.