The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Missouri Department of Natural Resources, serving as Trustees for Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration, invite the public to an information meeting on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, to learn about a request for proposals for habitat restoration in southeast Missouri. The meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Mineral Area College, North College Center, 5270 Flat River Rd, Park Hills, Missouri.
Agency representatives will be on hand to present information on a request for proposals for riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian (stream corridor), floodplain and wetland restoration projects in the upper Big and Black river watersheds of southeast Missouri. Funding for the restoration projects comes from a $41.2 million settlement with ASARCO for natural resource damages associated with lead mining at five sites in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District.
The Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District spans multiple counties from 40 to 90miles south southwest of St. Louis, Missouri, and is located in the Big River/Meramec River, Black River and St Francois River watersheds. It isone of the largest lead-producing regions of the world. Natural resources injured by mining-related contamination include surface water, groundwater, fish, migratory birds, endangered species of freshwater mussels and their supporting ecosystems, including sediment and floodplain areas.
Heavy-metal mine, mill and smelter waste from ASARCO's operations affects thousands of acres of land in St. Francois, Madison, Iron and Reynolds counties. Runoff from these operations has affected sediment in over 100 miles of streams including Flat River Creek, Big River, Adair Creek, Logan Creek, Sweetwater Creek, the West Fork of the Black River, Logtown Branch, Little St. Francois River and Big Creek. With the release of this first request for proposals, the Trustees have taken the first step toward restoring the injured natural resources of southeast Missouri.
For more information about natural resources and the Southeast Lead Mining District, visit http://www.fws.gov/midwest/es/ec/nrda/SEMONRDA/index.html or http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/hwp/sfund/nrda.htm
