The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, acting as trustees for the Missouri portion of the Tri-State Mining District-Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration, invite the public to review and offer written comments on the Draft Shoal Creek Mussel Restoration Plan until Nov. 30, 2026. All comments must be received or postmarked by 5 p.m. The public can review the draft restoration plan below.
Written comments may be submitted by mail to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Attn: Scott Hamilton, 101 Park DeVille Drive, Suite A, Columbia, MO 65203 or by email to scott_hamilton@fws.gov or elliot.hollingsworth@dnr.mo.gov. Public participation is a vital part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration process. The trustees welcome all comments and input on the draft restoration plan.
The Trustees recovered more than $25 million in settlements from responsible parties for natural resource restoration within the Tri-State Mining District. In May 2012, the Trustees finalized the Springfield Plateau Regional Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment, establishing the framework for using recovered funds. In October 2021, the Trustees finalized the Shoal Creek Watershed Restoration Plan, which identified specific restoration actions within the watershed.
Building on these efforts, the Draft Shoal Creek Mussel Restoration Plan proposes augmenting, or increasing, mussel populations within Shoal Creek. The intent is to restore and enhance aquatic natural resources affected by historical mining activities and to compensate the public for lost ecological services.