The US Fish and Wildlife Service Branch of Air Quality (BAQ) serves to preserve and improve air quality within National Wildlife Refuges. THE BAQ has several responsibilities, these include the following:
- Reviewing air quality permits
- Monitoring air quality visibility
- Modeling air quality impacts
- Conducting special studies to evaluate air pollution impacts to resources
- Identifying and inventorying resources sensitive to air pollution
- Providing technical assistance to refuges and regional offices
- Working on prescribed burning issues relevant to air quality
- Providing input on State and Federal policy/regulatory development
- Enhancing public awareness of air quality issues
The BAQ participates in air quality monitoring and modeling programs on a nationwide scale. Some examples of these are:
- The IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments) Program coordinates visibility monitoring
- The National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) monitors pollutants in wet deposition
- IWAQM (Interagency Workgroup on Air Quality Modeling) develops recommendations on modeling analysis techniques for Class I areas
To visit the BAQ click the following link: http://www.fws.gov
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2010. "Air Quality: USFWS Branch of Air Quality. 2010. Accessed on 9 September 2013. Available at http://www.fws.gov
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