Introduction

The Consultation Initiation Template (CIT) has been created to help Federal agencies, their delegated agents and consultants prepare and submit the information - generally known as biological assessments or biological evaluations (BA/BEs) - needed to request Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultations. The NOAA Fisheries Northwest Region (NWR) has developed a standardized template for BA/BEs to encourage consistency in format and content, to reduce our additional information requests and to facilitate and expedite our reviews.

CIT is also a completion checklist that Federal agencies and NWR will use to ensure that all applicable information has been provided. When we determine that a BA/BE is complete we will notify the Federal Action Agency that we have initiated consultation. Consultations can be tracked on our Public Consultation Tracking System (PCTS).

This site has links to ESA species lists, consultation regulations, the consultation handbook and other guidance - please click on the tab named Resources.

How to use this document

The document is divided into four main sections -

• Consultation Guidance
• Consultation Initiation Template/Checklist
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Resources

Each section begins with a title and a salmon image at the top of the page. To get to a particular section, click on the appropriate button at the top of each page (near the salmon image.)

Disclaimer and Trouble Reporting

NOAA Fisheries has made every attempt to make this process as easy, complete, and error-free as possible. Problems or errors may exist in the procedures discussed in these documents. We´d be happy to hear about any problems you find with this site, the contents, or the procedures outlined. We will make every effort to respond quickly to correct any errors found. If you find any problems with this process that you´d like us to look at, please contact April Wolstencroft at CIT.Support@noaa.gov

About NOAA Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries (formerly named National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS) is the principal steward of the nation´s living marine resources. It protects marine and anadromous species under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. An Agency of the Commerce Department´s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Fisheries also regulates the nation´s commercial and recreational fisheries. It manages species under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act throughout federal waters, which extend 200 miles from the coastline.

The NOAA Fisheries, Northwest Region, administers programs off the coast of Oregon and Washington, and in the vast inland watershed habitats of Pacific salmon and steelhead in those two states, and Idaho. The region´s principal responsibility is implementing the Endangered Species Act for 25 populations of listed salmonids, covering more than 40 percent of the land base of three states. It also manages the West Coast groundfish fishery, a complex comprising more than 80 species.