State and federal trustee agencies work in cooperation to manage natural resources. The trustees have the duty and responsibility to protect a state’s public lands, waters, geologic and living resources on behalf of the citizens of the state. The governor designated the Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources as the state natural resource trustee. The department also shares trusteeship with the U.S. Forest Service (federal trustee) for certain sites on Forest Service property and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (federal trustee) over certain federal “Trust Resources” such as migratory birds, endangered species and the habitats connected with those resources. When a hazardous substance or pollutant release occurs, the trustees work to assess the damages and restore, rehabilitate, replace or acquire natural resources equal to those injured by the release.
Natural Resource Damage Assessments and Restorations (NRDAR) are often performed at hazardous waste contaminated sites undergoing Superfund remedial actions. Where possible, state and federal natural resource trustees and the parties responsible for the damages work together through a cooperative assessment process. The resulting Natural Resource Damage Assessment is used to determine the extent of the impacts and suitable restoration projects for the responsible party to perform as compensation for the injured resources. Resources used to conduct these assessments and information about current assessment studies are provided below. For more information about NRDAR, review the department's What is Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR)? - PUB2986 fact sheet.
References
- Quality Assurance Project Plan for Natural Resources Damages
- Memorandum of Understanding Between the Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources and U.S. Dept. of the Interior, with U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Addendum
Assessment Studies
- Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District, Phase I Damage Assessment Plan with Addendum
- Viburnum Trend Lead Mining District Transition Zone Assessment Study Report
- Viburnum Trend Lead Mining Sites, Preassessment Screen and Determination
- Big River Mine Tailings Site, Preassessment Screen and Determination
- Identification of Fish Passage Barriers Through Inventory and Assessment of Road-Stream Crossings Within the Big River Watershed
- Damage Assessment Plan for Jasper and Newton Counties