Lead Analysis of Plants at a Former Shooting Range at the EWU Prairie Restoration Site
Faculty Mentor
Carmen Nezat
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
May 2025
End Date
May 2025
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Geosciences
Abstract
An area of interest for studying soil contaminants resides along a section of land within the Eastern Washington University Prairie Restoration Site which has trace metals such as lead (Pb) from a being a former trapshooting range. The purpose of this experiment is to determine how concentrations of lead (Pb) are distributed in plants across the Prairie Restoration Site. The plants selected along the transect of interest include mustard tumbleweed, an unidentified wheat and another unidentified plant species. The plant samples were collected in December, 2024, leached in a 1 M nitric acid solution and analyzed for elemental concentrations including lead (Pb). Based on literature from sources such as the EPA, lead (Pb) concentrations above 0.1 mg Pb/g in organic matter are considered high and may negatively impact plant health. This is relevant because it may provide insight into how native species might fare against higher lead (Pb) concentrations in the soil. Our findings in this experiment could help guide along in selection of native plants that will tolerate undesirable environmental conditions and support the current flora that are representative of biodiversity in the region.
Recommended Citation
Tibbetts, Sophia and Burger, Ashleigh, "Lead Analysis of Plants at a Former Shooting Range at the EWU Prairie Restoration Site" (2025). 2025 Symposium. 8.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2025/ps_2025/p2_2025/8
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Lead Analysis of Plants at a Former Shooting Range at the EWU Prairie Restoration Site
PUB NCR
An area of interest for studying soil contaminants resides along a section of land within the Eastern Washington University Prairie Restoration Site which has trace metals such as lead (Pb) from a being a former trapshooting range. The purpose of this experiment is to determine how concentrations of lead (Pb) are distributed in plants across the Prairie Restoration Site. The plants selected along the transect of interest include mustard tumbleweed, an unidentified wheat and another unidentified plant species. The plant samples were collected in December, 2024, leached in a 1 M nitric acid solution and analyzed for elemental concentrations including lead (Pb). Based on literature from sources such as the EPA, lead (Pb) concentrations above 0.1 mg Pb/g in organic matter are considered high and may negatively impact plant health. This is relevant because it may provide insight into how native species might fare against higher lead (Pb) concentrations in the soil. Our findings in this experiment could help guide along in selection of native plants that will tolerate undesirable environmental conditions and support the current flora that are representative of biodiversity in the region.
