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eLearning Tool for FEMA Grant Applicants

Section C: Endangered Species and Fish and Wildlife Coordination

• C-1 - Determining if there are protected species or designated critical habitat in the area affected by the project.
• C-2 - Determining if your project removes vegetation.
• C-3 - Determining if your project is near water or in a natural stream or body of water.
• C-4 - How to Address Adverse Effects.
• C-5 - How to provide relevant and helpful support documentation.

C-4 How to Address Adverse Effects.

Adverse effects to protected species, their habitat, or habitat located in proximity to water involve the “taking” (killing) or harassment of any federally listed threatened or endangered species, or the removal or degradation of their habitat and habitat in close proximity to water. When considering adverse effects, be aware of ways your project could affect a nearby body of water. These could include: sedimentation or pollution runoff; changes in water flow into a body of water; changes to stream alignment or contouring riparian habitat; and any changes that may affect the normal flow or flood flow of a stream.

When possible, all projects should be designed to avoid adverse effects to protected species, their habitat, and habitat in close proximity to water. If adverse effects cannot be avoided, develop appropriate treatment measures into the scope of work so adverse effects are reduced and minimized. Listed below are some of the possible adverse effects that your project may have, together with possible treatment measures that you may include in your project to avoid, reduce, or minimize adverse effects. The list is illustrative, and does not include all adverse effects that a project may have or all of the ways to potentially treat those effects.

Adverse effects

• Intentional or accidental take of threatened or endangered animals, ocean going fishes, or marine mammals

Treatment Measures

• Avoid adverse effects by realigning the project area to avoid protected species.
• Avoid adverse impacts by constructing barriers to prevent protected species from entering the project area.
• Avoid adverse effects by restricting construction activities to times of the year that protected species are not present in the project area.
• Reduce or minimize adverse effects by removing and relocating protected species from the project area before construction activities begin.

Adverse effects

• Intentional or accidental take of threatened or endangered plants

Treatement Measures

• Avoid adverse effects by surveying the project area for protected plant species and fence those areas off from construction activities.
• Reduce and minimize adverse effects by removing and relocating protected species from the project area before construction activities begin.
• Reduce and minimize adverse effects by fencing the project area to prevent construction equipment from inadvertently straying off site near protected plant species.

Adverse effects

• Reduction in the quantity of quality of riparian habitat, critical habitat, essential fish habitat, or migratory bird flyways

Treatement Measures

• Avoid adverse effects by realigning the project area to avoid protected habitat.
• Avoid, reduce or minimize adverse effects by building culverts that maintain the continuity of streams.
• Avoid, reduce or minimize adverse effects by restricting construction activities to times of the year that would minimize impacts to habitat (e.g., when the ground is frozen or times of low flow in streams).
• Avoid, reduce or minimize adverse effects by restricting equipment from operating in or near waterways.
• Reduce and minimize adverse effects by utilizing BMPs to reduce erosion and sedimentation; using in-stream erosion prevention measures
• Reduce and minimize adverse effects by surveying the project area for protected habitat and fencing those areas off from construction activities.
• Utilize equipment that would minimize effects to protected habitat.
• Compensate for adverse effects by planting trees and shrubs to promote habitat regeneration after construction activities are completed.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 11-Aug-2010 14:17:13 EDT