NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT (NRDA) The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT) Environment Division, together with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Department of Interior (DOI) have been working together on a Natural Resource Damages Assessment (NRDA). Natural Resource Damage Assessments are covered under the Superfund law, also known as CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980). The Superfund law specifically requires that certain contaminants in the environment be cleaned up (remediated) to protect human health. This law also provides for restoration of injured natural resources. The NRDA program is responsible for the identification and restoration of natural resources that have been injured by the release of hazardous substances. The ultimate goal of our program is to restore local ecosystems to their full function since the survival of Mohawk culture is intimately intertwined with the health of Akwesasne, including the people, future generations, the land, air, water, fish, wildlife, plants, medicines, trees, and the ecosystem as a whole. In order for assessment and restoration efforts to be successful, we will need the input and knowledge of many people. The NRDA program is currently undergoing a Cultural Assessment project in an attempt to provide a process to determine how and to what extent the culture of the Mohawk people has been affected by injuries to the natural resources of the St. Lawrence River basin.