Military Munitions and Explosives of Concern

Book excerpt: Approximately 40 national wildlife refuges managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(FWS), and between 200 and 300 forme rly used defense sites (FUDS) managed by the Bureau of Lund Management (BLM), still have munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) on-site. Therefore, land managers must be prepared for rhe possibility that personnel, authorized users (i.e., oil gas operator, former, rancher, etc.), or visitors will encJunter unexploded ordnance (UXO) or discarded military munitions(DMM) on certain public lands and refuges. IJXO and DMM encounters th t cause injury or death have been rare. However, public use of BLM and FWS lands is increasing, alcng with the potential for exposure to UXO and DMM. The BLM and FWS developed this handbook to provide managers with important information on what lo do when UXO and DMM are encountered and how to minimize the likelihood of an incident leading to injury or death."