Jessica Hogrefe, East Lansing Ecological Services Field Office, Michigan, recently completed three formal programmatic consultations for the revised Michigan National Forest Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans). 

The Huron-Manistee, Ottawa, and Hiawatha National Forests underwent Forest Plan revisions simultaneously, working with Hogrefe on their endangered species issues and section 7 consultation needs. 

Early consultation began in Spring 2004 and Hogrefe was able to participate early in the Forest Plan revision processes, ensuring that endangered species concerns were integrated early.  East Lansing also helped coordinate comments regarding other FWS trust resources, such as fisheries and migratory birds.  The consultations were completed with final programamtic biological opinions on March 2, 2006. 

This cooperative effort between the Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service resulted in three new Forest Plans that provide significant benefits to endangered species and other FWS trust resources.