North Dakota Ecological Services
Conservation Planning Assistance
The North Dakota Field Office is responsible for the Fish and Wildlife Service's involvement in federally funded water resources development project planning, permitting, and licensing. These include major public works projects constructed by Federal agencies, permits under the Clean Water Act, Section 404, and various Federal actions on and off Federal lands. We work under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). For additional information concerning NEPA, check out the Fish and Wildlife Service's NEPA Reference Handbook, and the Council on Environmental Quality, NEPANet.
What we do for you:
- We evaluate the impacts of water resource development projects on fish and wildlife.
- Make recommendations to mitigate (avoid, reduce, and compensate for) these impacts and enhance fish and wildlife.
- Provide technical assistance to federal and state agencies, private individuals, organizations and businesses regarding project impacts.
We continually strive to provide fish and wildlife resource information early in project planning before commitments of resources are made, while using an Ecosystem Approach to fish and wildlife conservation. To accomplish this, we look at the significance of the resources present, risk or threat to these resources, the Fish and Wildlife Service's ability to address resource needs, and opportunities for partnerships with others.