Description: <div style="text-align:Left;"><div><p>This feature service depicts designated critical habitat data for species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Delineated by the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fws.gov/">U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service </a>(USFWS) and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service</a> (NMFS), the associated polygons are enhanced with field attributes supporting ESA section 7 implementation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ranges represent anywhere an individual could be found based on the best available information at the time of delineation. Critical habitat represents specific habitat areas essential to conservation and continued existence of a listed species. When multiple files are associated with a species, individual files are converted to polygons, when necessary, and merged into a single file to represent the species as a whole.</p><p>For the additional information on species including habitats, life history and up-to-date spatial data for range and designated critical habitats please see <a target="_blank" href="https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/services">USWS</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species-directory/threatened-endangered">NMFS</a> websites or the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/map/national-esa-critical-habitat-mapper">NMFS National ESA Critical Habitat Mapper</a>. For NMFS species, these files can be used to ascertain the general distribution of a species however, NMFS recommends referring to listing documents, recovery plans, and status reviews as the sources of the best available information on threatened and endangered species under their jurisdiction.</p><p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-endangered-species-act">Endangered Species Act</a> (ESA) provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered species and the habitats in which they are found. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fws.gov/">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a> (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/">U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NMFS/NOAA) lead federal implementation of the ESA, though they are supported by other federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Section 7 of the ESA directs all Federal agencies to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to ensure actions do not jeopardized the further existence of threatened and endangered species or adversely modify designated critical habitats. As part of the Section 7 coordination, federal agencies work with USFWS and NMFS to identify species found within the jurisdiction of the United States that could be affected by actions carried out by the Agency. </p><p>Of note, the US EPA’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-chemical-safety-and-pollution-prevention-ocspp#opp">Office of Pesticide Programs</a> (OPP) is responsible for ensuring that Agency actions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are in compliance with ESA. OPP determines if ESA-listed species or their designated critical habitat may be affected by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-labels">pesticide products.</a> Pesticide products that “may affect” an ESA-listed species or its designated critical habitat may be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/endangered-species/about-endangered-species-protection-program">subject to additional regulation</a>. </p><p>Species ranges represent anywhere an individual of the listed species could be found based on the best available information at the time of delineation. As defined in ESA, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fws.gov/project/critical-habitat">critical habitat</a> delineates habitat characteristics in specific geographical areas and may be occupied or unoccupied by a threatened or endangered species at the time of listing. These areas must contain physical or biological features essential to conservation of a species and may require special management considerations or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that are not currently occupied by the species but that may be needed for their recovery. Range areas represent more generalized habitat where species are or could be found based on the best available information. For some species, best available information is based on site specific surveys. For others, it will be historical location information based on political boundaries. These areas are, therefore, less geographically explicit than critical habitat. Consideration of both the species range and critical habitat ensures the conservation of the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend. </p><p>To support EPA’s implementation of the ESA, critical habitat and range data for species subject to section 7 of the ESA are obtained by the US EPA from the USFWS <a target="_blank" href="https://ecos.fws.gov/">Environmental Conservation Online System</a> (ECOS) database each week. These data are supplemented with areas provided by NOAA’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/critical-habitat">National Marine Fisheries Service</a> (NMFS) where NOAA has species authority. For NMFS species not found in either location, a request was made directly to the NMFS scientists. Attributes and polygons are synchronized with the ECOS database weekly. These updates are incorporated into the <a target="_blank" href="https://epa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=2eec2ca4051a4d38a76e17ea0fca590a">OPP’s regulatory species</a> files routinely following a QA review. </p><p>Critical habitat represents specific habitat areas essential to conservation and continued existence of a listed species. The critical habitat feature service includes a single feature layer. Both feature services are updated each week by querying the USFWS <a target="_blank" href="https://ecos.fws.gov/">Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS</a>) database and incorporating any changes made for species. </p><p>These critical habitats will not include the modifications made to tailor layers for pesticide section 7 consultation. Using a watershed boundary to represent aquatic species is a common reason for tailoring a species for the purposes of pesticide consultation. These species ranges and critical habitats may differ from location information available from USFWS and NMFS, when the GIS data publicly by USFWS/NMFS (e.g. Area of Influence from <a target="_blank" href="https://ipac.ecosphere.fws.gov/">USFWS IPAC)</a>. Points and lines are also buffered by 15 meters to add a small area before adding the feature to the polygon layer.</p></div></div>
Copyright Text: Feature Service: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention, Office of Pesticide Programs; Data Steward: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Ecological Services; National Oceanic & Atmospheric Organization, National Marine Fisheries Service
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