Do I still need to contact a USFWS office if I use IPaC?
While IPaC will provide project proponents with valuable information, in many cases it will still be necessary to contact USFWS offices directly. For example, while IPaC may provide project design recommendations (i.e., conservation measures) that are likely to lessen the potential impacts of proposed activities, in most cases it will still be necessary to contact the USFWS to complete section 7 consultation or to obtain any needed section 10 permits. On the other hand, unless otherwise specified, species-lists are obtained from IPaC are considered to be the USFWS’ official responses. As directed by IPaC, these responses may be printed out and kept on hand in the project proponents’ administrative record. The need to contact USFWS offices directly is anticipated to decline as the IPaC system is developed in future phases.
