The Fish and Wildlife Service recognizes the critical role transportation plays in the economic and ecological well-being of human communities. Transportation projects influence the character of a region by the number of people and the type and amount of goods and service that it transports. Transportation designs can influence the plant, fish and wildlife habitat and the ecological health of the United States. The Service encourages the design of transportation projects that provide the greatest value to the greatest number of people while avoiding or minimizing impacts to habitat and the disruption of the ecological processes that naturally sustain these areas.

The Service's Project Planning Program develops and guides policy and products that facilitate the agency's role in transportation planning.

The Project Planning Program does this in a variety of ways by gaining an understanding of local transportation needs, the Service provides technical information that enables the State Departments of Transportation and local transportation planning organizations develop alternatives with minimal environmental impacts through a streamlined environmental review process. Service participation in transportation planning:

• Provides Service involvement in statewide/metropolitan planning process or State transportation plans (STPs);
• Gathers and shares information on current events and issues related to environmental protection and transportation planning;
• Identifies and promotes innovative practices that protect natural resources;
• Identifies and promotes innovative practices that streamline the environmental review process; and
• Promotes partnerships with other Federal, State, and local governments and non-governmental organization to address the efforts above.

Environmental Stewardship Excellence Award

The Environmental Stewardship Excellence Award is awarded every 2 years to Service employees or offices that utilize partnership-based approaches with transportation agencies toward enhancing long-term ecological protections while meeting the increasing transportation needs of the nation.

The Fish and Wildlife Service encourages nominations from any person including any of our many partners within the transportation planning community such as Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a State Department of Transportation or natural resource agency, regional government or non-governmental organization or internally from other Fish and Wildlife Service peers.

Nominees are reviewed by a panel of judges who conduct an independent evaluation of the entries and make a recommendation to the Service. The judges are selected to represent the Federal Highway Administration, a State or local transportation agency, and a nationally recognized environmental or transportation non-governmental organization. The Assistant Director - Fisheries and Habitat Conservation and the Assistant Director - Endangered Species make the final award decision.

The Environmental Stewardship Excellence award is presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Earth Day, April 22 of the respective year.

• Solicitations of Nominations
• Evaluation Considerations
• Transportation Award Excellence Fact Sheet
• Application

What's New in Environmental Streamlining

Director's Memorandum Handbook on Departmental Review of Section 4(f) Evaluations

Handbook on Departmental Review of Section 4(f) Evaluations, February 2002

Federal Highway Administration's Environmental Streamlining

Federal Highway Administration's Online NEPA Community of Practice

Executive Order on Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure Project

Keeping It Simple: Easy Ways to Help Wildlife Along the Roads