Welcome to the PAFO Project Review Page!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Pennsylvania Field Office is happy to provide the Pennsylvania Guidance for Completing Project Reviews to our federal and non-federal partners to assist with Pennsylvania specific consultation and technical assistance, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (87 Stat. 884, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).  For detailed instructions on ESA Consultations agency-wide, please see the Endangered Species Act Consultation Handbook

Who should use this site and Guidance? 
  • Federal action agencies or designated non-federal representatives fulfilling their obligation under Section 7 Section 7
    Section 7 Consultation The Endangered Species Act (ESA) directs all Federal agencies to work to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to further the purposes of the Act. Section 7 of the Act, called "Interagency Cooperation," is the mechanism by which Federal agencies ensure the actions they take, including those they fund or authorize, do not jeopardize the existence of any listed species.

    Learn more about Section 7     of the ESA
  • Individuals or non-federal entities who would like technical assistance on avoiding take to federally listed species
Should PennDOT follow this process?  
Why should you coordinate with PAFO? 
  • You are concerned that your project may adversely affect federally listed species
  • You received instructions through the State's project review tool (aka PNDI) to consult with the Service
  • You are unsure whether your project may affect federally listed species and would like technical assistance
Is the State's PNDI Site a Required Step?  
  • The PNDI tool is required by PA DEP (see DEPs )
  • PNDI facilitates consultation with the three state jurisdictional agencies in PA (PA Fish and Boat Commission, PA Game Commission and PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)
  • Therefore, we are asking all applicants to screen their projects through PNDI prior to visiting IPaC
Does PAFO require the use of IPaC? 
  • Yes, we require the use of in order to obtain an official species list and Project Code
  • However, you are not required to use IPaC Determination Keys (Dkeys)  
  • Dkeys are optional tools that facilitate consultation with our office
  • If you choose not to use Dkeys, you would need to determine the effects of the project on each species on your official species list  
  • Please see the Pennsylvania Guidance for Completing Project Reviews for detailed instructions
  • Please see Project Review Steps below for general guidance
  • Should you need assistance with the use of IPaC, please reach out to our office at 814-234-4090 or [email protected]
Where do I find species or project-specific consultation information?  
What if I have an Emergency Consultation? 
What if I'd like to ensure my project will not affect bald eagles?  

Project Review Steps

Detailed Instructions can be accessed within this document: Pennsylvania Guidance for Completing Project Reviews

~Step 1~ 

Review your project through the Pennsylvania Conservation Explorer (PNDI) tool at *

*If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Section of the PNDI receipt states: No Known Impact -- no further coordination is needed, and do not continue to step 2

~Step 2~ 

Obtain an official species list from the Information, Planning, and Consultation website

~Step 3~ 

Evaluate project for potential effects to listed species and designated critical habitat through IPaC IPaC
Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) is a project planning tool that streamlines the USFWS environmental review process

Learn more about IPaC Determination Keys or through an internal evaluation process.

~Step 4~ 

Make An effects determination:

  • No Effect*
  • May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect
  • May Affect, Likely to Adversely Affect

*If 鈥渘o effect鈥� determinations are made for each species and critical habitat on your list, the official species list letter, and your determination table, or your d-key letter can be used to document completion of ESA review, and there is no need to continue to Step 5

~Step 5~ 

  • Submit your project to PAFO if you determine further review or technical assistance is necessary.  
  • Submit the project to
  • Email Title Naming Convention: IPaC Project Code, IPaC Project Name, PNDI # (if available), Action Agency

Example: 2025-0000992, Route 77 Road Widening Project, PNDI #729882, Federal Highway Administration

Species and Critical Habitat Information

Bog Turtle (Threatened)

PA Qualified Surveyors \ Guidelines for Bog Turtle Surveys - Phase 1 and Phase 2  \ Phase 1 Survey Form \  Habitat Survey Supplemental Info

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Indiana Bat (Endangered)

PA Qualified Surveyors \ Range-wide Indiana bat and Northern long-eared bat Survey Guidelines

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Northern Long-eared Bat (Endangered)

Northern long-eared bat Consultation Guidance for Development Projects \ Land-based Wind Energy Guidance for the NLEB  \ Frequency Asked Questions on Final NLEB and TCB Tools \ Range-wide Indiana bat and Northern long-eared bat Survey Guidelines

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Threatened)

PA Qualified Surveyors

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freshwater Mussels (Endangered - clubshell, northern riffleshell, rayed bean, snuffbox, sheepnose, dwarf wedgemussel) (Threatened- rabbitsfoot, longsolid, round hickorynut) 

PA Qualified Surveyors \ Freshwater Mussel Survey Guidelines

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Northeastern Bulrush (Endangered)

PA Qualified Surveyors

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Small Whorled Pagonia (Endangered)

PA Qualified Surveyors

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bald Eagles* 

Protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act & Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act- Bald Eagle Guidelines \ Bald Eagle Screening Form \

* Please note that the bald eagle screening form is a self-certification process, and concurrence is not required.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PA Contains Designated Critical Habitat for the following species:

Piping Plover, Longsolid, Round Hickorynut, and Rabbitsfoot.  View or Download Critical Habitat Shapefiles at 

 \  FWS Critical Habitat Information

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Species Range Maps -  View or download species range maps at:

Industry Specific Information

Coal 

Range-wide Indiana bat PEP Guidelines \ PEP Fillable form \ MOA between OSM and USFWS \ MOA between OSM, BAMR and USFWS  \  USFWS Coal Mining Site

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oil, Gas and Mineral 

Oil, Gas and Mineral Management \ Guidance on Developing and Implementing a Bat Conservation Plan  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forestry  

Indiana Bat Forest Management Guidelines for Swarming Habitat \ Indiana Bat Forest Management Guidelines for Maternity Habitat \ Sustainable Forest Management Tools for the NLEB and TCB \ Forest Ecology & Management

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Development 

Northern long-eared bat Consultation Guidance for Development Projects  \ Guidance on Developing and Implementing a Bat Conservation Plan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Transportation

Programmatic Biological Assessment for the Effects of Transportation Actions on the Bog Turtles in PA \  Programmatic Biological Opinion on the Effects of Transportation Actions on the Bog Turtle in PA \ User's Guide for the PA Transportation Programmatic Consultation for Bog Turtle \ FHWA/FRA/FTA Section 7 Range-wide Consultation for Indiana bats and Northern long-eared bats  \ Effects of the PennDOT Replacement and Maintenance Program on Ohio River Mussels / PennDOT Procedures for Environmental Review

Avoidance and Minimization Measures for Emergency Consultations