Project Review
If you require a review of your project with a federal nexus (funding or permitting) for impacts to federally listed species or critical habitat, please use the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) system. IPaC is an online project planning tool that streamlines the environmental review process.
If the information you find in IPaC leads your agency to a determination that the proposed project will have “no effect” on listed species(s), then no further correspondence is necessary. Please retain the documentation generated from your IPaC review for your files.
Consultation with our office on a project is necessary only when the information provided via IPaC leads you to a determination that the proposed project may affect a listed species or critical habitat. We also recommend that you coordinate with our office if your project may affect species proposed for such listing or proposed critical habitat. In such cases and for all other inquiries, please contact us by email (TwinCities@fws.gov for Minnesota projects and GreenBay@fws.gov for Wisconsin projects) to be directed to the appropriate contact.
Midwest ESA Section 7 Technical Assistance
Step-by-step ESA section 7 consultation guidance for federal agencies and their applicants, as well as designated non-federal representatives.
Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC)
IPaC is a digital project planning tool that provides information to project proponents to help determine whether a project will have effects on federally listed species or designated critical habitat, as well as other sensitive resources managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As a decision-support tool, IPaC improves the consultation process by informing more accurate and consistent determinations.
Minnesota-Wisconsin Determination Key (D-key)
View a D-Key DemonstrationThis standing analysis supports the Minnesota-Wisconsin Endangered Species Determination Key (Dkey) delivered by the Service’s Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) system. The Minnesota-Wisconsin Ecological Services Field Office developed this DKey to streamline the process of reviewing certain routine and predictable projects that are not likely to result in adverse effects (or take) of Federally threatened, endangered, candidate, and proposed species in Minnesota and Wisconsin.