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.

Latest News

A person wearing a wetsuit holds an eastern hellbender, wet after being pulled from the water, in two hands. The person's arms and hands and the salamander are visible, along with a yellow mesh fabric that's partially wrapped around the hellbender.
Endangered Species Act
Recovery plan for Missouri population of eastern hellbender
Working with our partners, we have developed a plan to save the Missouri Distinct Population Segment of the eastern hellbender, the largest salamander in North America. We announce the release of the final recovery plan for the Missouri Distinct Population Segment of the eastern hellbender, now...
Regal fritillary butterfly on a common milkweed
Endangered Species Act
USFWS Proposes ESA Protections for Both Subspecies of the Regal Fritillary Butterfly
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to list both subspecies of the regal fritillary, a large butterfly, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Based on a review of the best available science, the Service is proposing to list the eastern regal fritillary as endangered, and the...
logo that shows a silhouette of a bighorn sheet and bird going up the side of a mountain with the text "Endangered Species Athletics"
Wildlife Wonders
Endangered Species Athletics
The premier summer sporting event of 2024 is here – the Endangered Species Athletics competition! From July 20-July 27, 2024, 16 listed species from across the United States went feather-to-fin and leaf-to-paw in four virtual events: swimming, climbing, track and strength.
A silver bull trout swims among pink and green fish. The trout wears a swim cap and goggles
Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Athletics 2024 Swimming
Competitors from the ocean come face-to-face with their freshwater challengers in the Endangered Species Athletics swimming event. These athletes have steadily trained for this day by swimming against the current and consuming a diet of raw, lean proteins and leafy greens. Now, they will see how...
Brown and black striated freshwater mussels sitting a steel truck bed
Endangered Species Act
Draft recovery plan for four imperiled freshwater mussels
They have quirky names and are often mistaken for stones, but freshwater mussels are very much alive and perform critical ecological functions in rivers and streams. We've drafted a plan to save four imperiled mussels protected under the Endangered Species Act: the rayed bean, sheepnose, snuffbox...
Grotto sculpin underwater
Endangered Species Act
Draft Recovery Plan for grotto sculpin open for public comment
The grotto sculpin is a rare, endangered cave-dwelling fish unique to five cave systems in Perry County, Missouri. Today, we at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are announcing a draft plan to save this unique fish and opening a 60-day public comment period.
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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...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA

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.

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. 

One gray bat with its wings open wide flying in a cave
Image Details
Bat Conservation in Missouri

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:...
Bat Conservation in Missouri
Big creek crayfish nestled under rocks
Image Details
Crayfish Conservation in Missouri
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...

Crayfish Conservation in Missouri

Our Library

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