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Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana’s Monitoring and Adaptive Management

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By Wetland and Aquatic Research Center November 15, 2022

The USGS is participating in the Louisiana-Trustee Implementation Group Monitoring and Adaptive Management work group to assess the injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and to select the appropriate restoration measures to compensate the public for the injury to coastal and marine resources.

The Science Issue and Relevance: After the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, federal and state agencies including the Department of Commerce (represented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]), the Department of the Interior (DOI; represented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the five Gulf States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas formed a Trustee Council. The Trustee Council works together to collectively assess the injuries caused by the spill and to select the appropriate restoration measures to compensate the public for the injury to, and lost use of, the resources each of the Trustees hold in trust for the public. The Louisiana-Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) work group was established by the Trustee Council to meet the monitoring and adaptive management obligations described in the Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (PDARP) and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PEIS) and Trustee Council Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). On behalf of DOI, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) participates in the LA TIG MAM. The work group consists of one primary and one alternate representative with technical expertise from each of the Trustee Council members.

Framework for building the LA TIG MAM Strategy
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Figure 1. Framework for building the LA TIG MAM Strategy from the foundation provided in the PDARP. The LATIG High Level Strategic Objective was synthesized from information and goals of the PDARP specific to the Deepwater Horizon injured resources in Louisiana. High level, fundamental, and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) objectives were then developed for each restoration type.

Methodology for Addressing the Issue: As directed by the Trustee Council, the LA TIG MAM work group is currently helping fulfill the following MAM responsibilities:

  1. Maintain and update MAM procedures and guidelines as part of the Trustee Council SOP and the MAM Manual. The LA TIG MAM work group will review the MAM provisions included in these SOP and recommend revisions, as needed, to the Trustee Council for future versions of these SOP. Support the TIGs in developing MAM SOPs compatible with these SOPs and the MAM Manual, as needed.
  2. Facilitate coordination and compatibility of MAM procedures within Louisiana. Promote efficiency and collaboration in addressing MAM priorities.
  3. Coordinate with TIGs and other science and monitoring programs in the Gulf of Mexico where appropriate, including the development of compatible monitoring standards, procedures and guidelines, and identifying and/or filling critical information gaps.
  4. Develop mechanisms to engage with the broader scientific community.
  5. Provide input on the functionality of the Restoration Portal for storing monitoring information and data, including, but not limited to, the development of interactive reporting and analysis tools.
Data sources for restoration type SMART objectives
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Figure 2. Assessing and reporting on the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) restoration effort in Louisiana through SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) objectives will depend on multiple sources of information. “Foundational Data Collection Programs” and “Other Sources” of data will be leveraged and enhanced. Collection of additional data will also be required to report on many objectives.

Future Steps: The LATIG MAM anticipates supporting the Trustee Council on the following activities:

  1. Review and approve MAM plans for comparability with the Trustee Council’s SOP and MAM Manual for compliance with regulatory requirements and determine MAM Plan’s readiness for inclusion in restoration plans.
  2. Identify MAM priorities for the TIG’s Restoration Area and communicate priorities to the Cross-TIG MAM working group.
  3. Ensure project monitoring data, monitoring reports, and other monitoring information are compatible with the MAM Manual and are submitted to the restoration portal.
  4. Provide TIG-related aggregated and quality controlled MAM data, information and evaluations to the Trustee Council and Implementing Trustee(s).

The USGS is participating in the Louisiana-Trustee Implementation Group Monitoring and Adaptive Management work group to assess the injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and to select the appropriate restoration measures to compensate the public for the injury to coastal and marine resources.

The Science Issue and Relevance: After the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, federal and state agencies including the Department of Commerce (represented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]), the Department of the Interior (DOI; represented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the five Gulf States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas formed a Trustee Council. The Trustee Council works together to collectively assess the injuries caused by the spill and to select the appropriate restoration measures to compensate the public for the injury to, and lost use of, the resources each of the Trustees hold in trust for the public. The Louisiana-Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) work group was established by the Trustee Council to meet the monitoring and adaptive management obligations described in the Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (PDARP) and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PEIS) and Trustee Council Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). On behalf of DOI, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) participates in the LA TIG MAM. The work group consists of one primary and one alternate representative with technical expertise from each of the Trustee Council members.

Framework for building the LA TIG MAM Strategy
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Figure 1. Framework for building the LA TIG MAM Strategy from the foundation provided in the PDARP. The LATIG High Level Strategic Objective was synthesized from information and goals of the PDARP specific to the Deepwater Horizon injured resources in Louisiana. High level, fundamental, and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) objectives were then developed for each restoration type.

Methodology for Addressing the Issue: As directed by the Trustee Council, the LA TIG MAM work group is currently helping fulfill the following MAM responsibilities:

  1. Maintain and update MAM procedures and guidelines as part of the Trustee Council SOP and the MAM Manual. The LA TIG MAM work group will review the MAM provisions included in these SOP and recommend revisions, as needed, to the Trustee Council for future versions of these SOP. Support the TIGs in developing MAM SOPs compatible with these SOPs and the MAM Manual, as needed.
  2. Facilitate coordination and compatibility of MAM procedures within Louisiana. Promote efficiency and collaboration in addressing MAM priorities.
  3. Coordinate with TIGs and other science and monitoring programs in the Gulf of Mexico where appropriate, including the development of compatible monitoring standards, procedures and guidelines, and identifying and/or filling critical information gaps.
  4. Develop mechanisms to engage with the broader scientific community.
  5. Provide input on the functionality of the Restoration Portal for storing monitoring information and data, including, but not limited to, the development of interactive reporting and analysis tools.
Data sources for restoration type SMART objectives
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Figure 2. Assessing and reporting on the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) restoration effort in Louisiana through SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) objectives will depend on multiple sources of information. “Foundational Data Collection Programs” and “Other Sources” of data will be leveraged and enhanced. Collection of additional data will also be required to report on many objectives.

Future Steps: The LATIG MAM anticipates supporting the Trustee Council on the following activities:

  1. Review and approve MAM plans for comparability with the Trustee Council’s SOP and MAM Manual for compliance with regulatory requirements and determine MAM Plan’s readiness for inclusion in restoration plans.
  2. Identify MAM priorities for the TIG’s Restoration Area and communicate priorities to the Cross-TIG MAM working group.
  3. Ensure project monitoring data, monitoring reports, and other monitoring information are compatible with the MAM Manual and are submitted to the restoration portal.
  4. Provide TIG-related aggregated and quality controlled MAM data, information and evaluations to the Trustee Council and Implementing Trustee(s).
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