Official species list vs. resource list
Draw any location and IPaC returns a resource list: species, critical habitat and other trust resources known or expected nearby, mostly from range data. It is not official correspondence[5][2]. A project a federal agency conducts, permits, funds or licenses needs the official species list, requested after defining the project[2].
What one returns: the resource list for a location in Utah County, Utah, names three species, the threatened Canada lynx and June sucker and the monarch butterfly, proposed as threatened. Each has final or proposed critical habitat; the location overlaps none. It adds 11 migratory birds, the bald eagle, NWI wetlands and the Utah field office[5].
When does an official species list need updating?
If the biological assessment doesn't begin within 90 days of the list, the agency must verify with the Service that it is still accurate[4]. When a species' range changes, IPaC flags the project with a species update notice[2].
Critical habitat and NWI wetlands in an IPaC report
The list covers listed, proposed and candidate species, experimental populations and similarity-of-appearance listings[2], and says whether your location overlaps each species' critical habitat[5].
Wetlands come from the National Wetlands Inventory, which may be out of date and may not match Clean Water Act boundaries. Confirm them on site and with the Army Corps; impacts may need a Section 404 permit[5][6].
Determination keys and the Consultation Package Builder
A determination key (DKey) can assist with, and for some species and activities conclude, consultation; its letters are official USFWS correspondence[2]. In Region 5, most projects using the range-wide bat key wait 15 days after a not-likely-to-adversely-affect letter while the office may audit it[7].
Where no key applies, the Consultation Package Builder generates a biological analysis usable as a biological assessment, to send to the field office[2]. The ESA section 7 guide covers what follows.