The Missouri Ecological Services Field Office focuses on Endangered Species, Environmental Contaminants, Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration, and Conservation Planning Assistance in the state of Missouri. Our goal is to work with people to conserve and restore endangered species, migratory birds, and their habitats, along with other important fish and wildlife resources.

Our Organization

A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...

Our Species

Our office works to conserve declining species and recover threatened and endangered species and their habitats with a focus on imperiled bat and freshwater mussel species. Our office has also been actively involved with the conservation and recovery efforts of Topeka shiner, Niangua darter, grotto sculpin and Ozark hellbender, among others. We use the Endangered Species Act to preserve and protect important habitat that imperiled species depend upon for their survival. We also use the Natural Resource Damages Assessment and Restoration program to study and restore injured natural resources using funds obtained from parties responsible for the injury.

A biologist holds an Ozark hellbender

The Ozark hellbender (C. a. bishopi) is restricted to southern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas (Nickerson and Mays 1973). The Ozark subspecies is described as having dark dorsal blotching and noticeably pronounced chin mottling as opposed to the dorsal spotting of the eastern subspecies which...

FWS Focus
A grotto sculpin underwater
The Grotto Sculpin is a small (approximately 2.5 inches long) troglomorphic fish. Typical of many cave-dwelling species, it is nearly blind and pale-colored.
FWS Focus
Cluster of roosting bats.

The Indiana bat is a medium-sized Myotis, closely resembling the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) but differing in coloration. Its fur is a dull grayish chestnut rather than bronze, with the basal portion of the hairs on the back a dull-lead color. This bat's underparts are pinkish to...

FWS Focus
Gray bats flying under tree canopy outside of Sauta Cave

Long, glossy fur, light brown to brown. Ears dark, usually black; longer than in any other myotis; when laid forward extend 1/4 cm (7 mm) beyond nose. Tragus long and thin. Calcar keeled.

FWS Focus

Projects and Research

Natural Resources Damage Assessment

The Missouri Field Office manages two very large mining sites, the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District and Tri-State Mining District, that encompass multiple Superfund sites, thousands of acres of impacted land, and hundreds of miles of contaminated streams.  The two mining districts make up the number one historic lead and zinc production areas in the nation, respectively.  Managing these cases requires extensive coordination and collaboration with state partners, Department of the Interior Office of the Solicitor, U.S. EPA and the Department of Justice. 

Outreach and Education

The Missouri Field office is dedicated to supporting conservation education across the state. Staff members often volunteer with partners at events to share the importance of conservation work, research, and partnerships. You can find our table at events such as Columbia Earth Day, Arrow Rock Birds, Bees and Blooms Festival, and many more. In 2023, the Missouri Field Office partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to produce educational videos about bats, crayfish, and freshwater mussels. Those videos can be located in the Missouri Ecological Services Video Library. 

Bats across North America are in decline, scientists across the globe strive to protect them.  Our agency actively collaborates with federal, state and non-governmental partners to conserve and restore listed bat species. The full video series on bat conservation in Missouri can be accessed on YouTube. 

 

 

Missouri's bats: flight to survival:...
Crayfish Conservation in Missouri

There are more than 600 species of crayfish in the world, and about 400 in North America. Invasive species are negatively impacting ecosystems across the world, including crayfish habit  Our agency actively collaborates federal, state and non-governmental partners to study and protect these aquatic invertebrates. The full video series on crayfish...

Get Involved

Our office frequently partners with schools, public and private conservation organizations, as well as local community leaders and national wildlife refuges to communicate our conservation mission and opportunities throughout the state of Missouri. We also work with these groups to develop projects, such as survey methods training, that may benefit at-risk as well as other important fish and wildlife species and their habitats.

Location and Contact Information