"The wild things and places belong to all of us." -- J. Drew Lanham
Concerned about a construction project in your community and how it may affect an endangered species?

Learn what the Endangered Species Act does and doesn't do in these situations. 

Latest News

Portrait of a hellbender under water
Endangered Species Act
Proposal to list the eastern hellbender as endangered
Today, we announced a proposal to list the eastern hellbender as an endangered species throughout its range under the Endangered Species Act. Eastern hellbenders are found in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania...
Brown and black striated freshwater mussels sitting a steel truck bed
Endangered Species Act
Proposing critical habitat for four mussel species
We're proposing to designate critical habitat for four species of endangered freshwater mussels. Habitat for the rayed bean, sheepnose, snuffbox and spectaclecase mussels can be found in 17 states in the central and eastern United States. We're proposing to designate a total of 3,974 river miles of...
Male monarch butterfly on rabbitbrush
Endangered Species Act
Monarch Butterfly Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing protection for one of the nation’s most beloved species, the monarch butterfly, and is encouraging the public to be part of its recovery. The Service is seeking public input on a proposal to list the species as threatened with species-specific...
green plant with purple blossoms
Endangered Species Act
Ocmulgee Skullcap Federally Protected
After reviewing public comments concerning the proposed threatened status of the Ocmulgee skullcap, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined the plant needs more protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and meets the criteria of an endangered species. Learn more about what this...
A woodpecker perched on a tree with a bug in its mouth.
Endangered Species Act
Downlisting of Red-cockaded Woodpecker from Endangered to Threatened
The Department of the Interior today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is downlisting the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. This milestone is the result of five decades of collaborative conservation efforts between the...
A sign on an Okefenokee swamp water trail reads Entering National Wilderness Area
Wildlife Management
Okefenokee Proposed Expansion
The Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a proposal that would expand the boundary of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, adding approximately 22,000 acres adjacent to the existing refuge. The Service is seeking public input on the proposal.
View All News

About Us

A shallow pool with granite rocks and small plants floating at the water's surface
Image Details

At Georgia Ecological Services, we are working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Our team is based out of three field offices located in Athens, Fort Moore, and Townsend, Georgia. With expertise ranging from mountains to estuaries, our biologists are working to conserve rare and imperiled species, like the Etowah darter and the eastern indigo snake, and promote the restoration of Georgia’s heritage landscapes, such as longleaf pine ecosystems. Learn more about our Projects & Research.

What We Do

pine trees
Image Details

We work with communities across Georgia and the southeastern United States to support conservation through: Endangered Species Listing and Recovery, Project Planning and Review, and Habitat Restoration.

To learn more about ways that you and your community can support conservation, check out our Projects and Research and Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. To request an Endangered Species Act review of your project, please visit Project Planning and Review.

Services
Butterfly rests on tall flowering plant.
ESA Section 7 Consultation
ESA Section 7 Consultation 

Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is titled Interagency Cooperation. It identifies the responsibilities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), National Marine Fisheries Service ( NMFS), and other federal agencies to use their authorities in...

Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Mojave desert tortoise
Habitat Conservation Plans

Since two-thirds of federally listed species have at least some habitat on private land, and some species have most of their remaining habitat on private land, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has developed an array of tools and incentives to protect the...

Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Permits
Business Owner/Commercial Business
Government or Government Representative - Local Government
Government or Government Representative - State Government
Adult island marble butterfly resting on a blade of grass.
Candidate Conservation Agreements

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) considers candidate species to be those plants and animals that are candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These are species for which we have enough information regarding their biological status and threats to propose them as...

Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Land Management and Conservation Assistance
Species Management
Landowner - Commercial
Landowner - Individual
Juvenile gopher tortoise
Conservation Banking

Conservation banking is a market-based system for conserving species and their habitat. It consists of a partnership between a landowner, one or more government agencies, and the community of developers and others who implement or fund projects that adversely affect endangered or threatened...

Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Land Management and Conservation Assistance
Species Management
Landowner - Individual
Private Land Owners/Managers
Public Land Manager

Our Organization

A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Partners for Fish and Wildlife: Nevada Coordinator Susan Abele Meets with Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Member to Conduct a Site Visit at Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation
The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides free technical and financial assistance to landowners, managers, tribes, corporations, schools and nonprofits interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land. Since 1987, we have helped more than 30,000 landowners to complete more than 50,...
Program
A duck flies over a tundra pond.
We use the best scientific information available to determine whether to add a species to (list) or remove from (delist) the federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. We also determine whether already listed species should be reclassified from threatened to endangered (uplist...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Gathering of Puffins on brown rock
The Coastal Program is one of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s most effective resources for restoring and protecting fish and wildlife habitat on public and privately-owned lands. We play an important role in promoting the Service’s mission and priorities, delivering landscape-scale...
Program
Falls Church,VA

Our Species

Georgia is home to more than 70 species of plants and animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. 

Our team of biologists at Georgia Ecological Services are the national lead for recovery efforts for 20 federally threatened or endangered species. We also work with other federally protected species that occur in our service area – including threatened and endangered species for which other offices have the recovery lead, and species protected under other laws, such as the bald eagle, protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Projects and Research

A forested landscape undergoing a prescribed fire
Image Details

Our team supports conservation at multiple scales, from on-the-ground species monitoring and habitat restoration to broader landscape-level planning.

Learn more about our Projects and Research.

Our Library

Looking for a specific document? Check out our Library Collections.

Snail darter in hand.
Post-Delisting Monitoring in the Southeast
This library includes background information about post-delisting monitoring (PDM) and recent PDM plans released for species in the southeast.
Library Collection
6 Items
Smal flock of white and grey shorebirds in the water. Photo appears to be taken from a distance
Avoiding and Minimizing Incidental Take of Migratory Birds
To better protect migratory bird populations and provide more certainty for the regulated public, the Service seeks to address human-caused mortality by providing information on beneficial practices to avoid and minimize the incidental injury and killing of migratory birds. The U.S. Fish and...
Library Collection
11 Items

Get Involved

Eric Prowell speaking to a group about the Etowah River
Image Details

We rely on strong partnerships and collaboration with state and local governments, non-profit organizations, industry and academic communities across Georgia and the southeast.

We work with federal, state, and local government agencies, universities, private landowners, businesses, and communities to accomplish conservation by protecting and recovering federally-listed, rare, and imperiled species. We assist in restoring habitat through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Coastal programs. We coordinate with project managers on federally authorized or funded projects to promote best management practices that avoid or minimize impacts to plant, fish, wildlife, and their habitats across Georgia.

Location and Contact Information