Federal Projects

The Panama City Field Office works with several other federal agency partners on fish and wildlife conservation in the Florida Panhandle. This is authorized under several laws, including the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Sikes Act, Federal Power Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and others. Each of these laws includes provisions for the consideration of fish and wildlife in the planning and implementation of federal actions.

Our office routinely coordinates with Eglin Air Force Base, Tyndall Air Force Base, the Apalachicola National Forest, and others on the management of Federal lands in Northwest Florida. When part of Northwest Florida is declared a Federal disaster area, such as following a hurricane, we work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency so that its cleanup and recovery efforts avoid impacts to fish and wildlife. We advise the Army Corps of Engineers on the maintenance of federally authorized navigation projects, such as the Gulf Intra-Coastal Waterway, and on the operations of dams and reservoirs in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. An example of our work with the Army Corps of Engineers under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act is the Big Escambia Creek Restoration Project.

In addition to endangered species and wetlands, migratory birds are a federal trust resource and are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Communication Towers and Antennas may pose a hazard to migratory birds in flight and may pose a threat to nesting birds attracted to the site. The Service has developed Interim Guidance at the national level which we recommend project proponents follow in the design and location of communication tower facilities.