About this Collection

The following survey protocols were developed to standardize survey efforts for federally listed species. Survey protocols must be followed during all surveys to guarantee acceptance by our office. In addition, in coordination with conservation partners we offer threatened and endangered species survey trainings. Please see below, and in species-specific libraries, for opportunities as they become available.

Threatened and Endangered Species Training Opportunities

In coordination with partners, including the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, we offer threatened and endangered species survey trainings each year. These trainings are mandatory for those who plan to conduct surveys in Utah for Mexican spotted owls, Utah prairie dogs, southwestern willow flycatchers, western yellow-billed cuckoo, Mojave desert tortoise, or listed plant species.

We annually host surveyor trainings for the following species and will update individual species pages as new information and trainings become available. For training dates and information, surveyor documents, and contact information, please go to the species' specific libraries below.  

Completion of the survey training course may be a requirement for obtaining an ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) endangered species permit, which is necessary for certain species to conduct surveys. If you intend to conduct surveys this year in Utah and do not hold a permit, please complete a permit application form as soon as possible available on-line at the USFWS epermits site.

Permit processing procedures necessitate applying 90-days in advance of planned surveys to ensure timely issuance of the permit.  We strongly recommend applying for survey permits at least 3 months prior to the survey season to allow for enough time for the permit to be approved.

If you have received a permit in the past few years and plan to continue surveying, please check your permit to see if you need to renew it.  If you do, a letter stating that you have taken the survey training course, had a permit in the past, and are requesting renewal should be submitted to our Regional Office in Denver prior to your permit’s expiration date.

Permit reports must be sent to the respective Ecological Services Field Office in the state(s) where surveys are conducted, immediately following each field season.  Annual reports are necessary to maintain valid survey permits.  These reports provide us with valuable information regarding distribution of the species.  Negative results are just as important to submit as positive results; in addition, annual reports should be submitted even if you did not survey for the species that year. Please see the contact information within each species library for annual reporting.