Project Reviews

Federally funded, authorized, or implemented projects must be reviewed for impacts to threatened or endangered species. If a federal agency feels their project may affect a threatened or endangered species, consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service begins to ensure those impacts are properly assessed, are minimized when possible, and don't jeopardize the recovery of a species. Below are resources to help you navigate this consultation process.

Requesting a review of a development project by our office is a two-step process:

1. Request an official species list for your project area through the Service’s Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) system; then 
2. Send your complete project information to Ohio@fws.gov for review, including a copy of your IPaC-generated species list.  

Step 1: Request an official species list

Request an official species list for your project area through the Service’s Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) system (https://ecos.fws.gov/ipac/).  

• When creating a project name in IPaC we ask that you use the following format:  name of consulting firm (if applicable) - agency or project proponent (if known) - project name - any project code. 
• Use of the Northern Long-eared Bat Rangewide Determination Key is not recommended for any project in Ohio at this time. 
• Use of the Consultation Package Builder in IPaC is not recommended for most projects in Ohio at this time. 
• The FHWA Determination Dey for Indiana and Northern long-eared bat (NLEB) may be used for Federal Highways projects. 

Step 2: Submit your complete project information for review

Submit complete information for your proposed project to our office at Ohio@fws.gov with the subject line: Project submittal for review (IPaC#xxxx-xxxx). 

• You must attach a copy of your IPaC-generated species list to your email.  
• The Ohio Ecological Services Field Office will send a response email within approximately 30 days of receipt with technical assistance or further recommendations for specific species. 

After receiving our email response if you have questions or need additional coordination:  

• Please email Ohio@fws.gov or the biologist assigned to the project (if known).  
• Please include the IPaC Consultation Code in the email subject line and a copy of your IPaC output letter in your email to help expedite our review.