Notice: Current permit holders for federally listed threatened and endangered species

Upcoming deadlines for 2023 annual reports on endangered species survey and recovery-related activities! Check your federal 10(a)(1)(A) permit for the specific due date. Send your report via email to the USFWS lead biologist(s), including the permit number in the subject line. While we encourage uploading reports to ePermits, direct emails to species leads are still required. 

If you had no activities, email a statement confirming so to the USFWS lead biologist(s). For late submissions or difficulties, contact the lead biologist(s) for assistance. We're here to help you stay compliant with your permit reporting.

The Austin Ecological Services Field Office is one of four field offices throughout the state of Texas under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ecological Services program. This program works closely with our partners to conserve the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitat by providing national leadership for the conservation of species and their habitats under the authorities of the Endangered Species Act, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, the Coastal Barrier Resources Protection Act, the Clean Water Act and more.
Important Notice:

In an effort to ensure continuity of operations of the Austin Ecological Services Field Office, please submit all project review requests in electronic format (email) until further notice. Questions or project requests located within the Field Office area of responsibility should be directed as follows:  

    

About Us

Our Ecological Services field office works to protect species that are federally listed as endangered or threatened as well as species that are candidates for Federal listing within a 74-county area throughout central and western Texas. 

We also provide technical and financial assistance to non-Federal landowners seeking to promote stewardship of Federal trust resources, such as migratory birds, interjurisdictional fish, and wetlands through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

What We Do

The conservation of our nation’s most imperiled species is at the heart of our office’s work. It drives what we do, from reviewing federally funded or authorized projects, to proactively working to recover rare species. All of our work is done in conjunction with partners, including state wildlife agencies, Tribes, other federal agencies, private industry, colleges and universities, and non-profit organizations.

Services
Mojave desert tortoise

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...

Two curious animals with long necks and what looks like black masks around their eyes peek out from a burrow in the ground.

​A Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) is a voluntary agreement involving private or other non-federal property owners whose actions contribute to the recovery of species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agreement is between cooperating non-federal property...

Our Organization

Our Ecological Services field office works to protect species that are federally listed as endangered or threatened as well as species that are candidates for Federal listing within a 74-county area throughout central and west Texas. We also provide technical and financial assistance to non-Federal landowners seeking to promote stewardship of Federal trust resources, such as migratory birds, interjurisdictional fish, and wetlands through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

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...
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,...

Our Species

Our staff are experts on several federal threatened and endangered species of central and western Texas, and we work to prevent the extinction and to recover our nation’s most imperiled species. Learn more about the species that are the focus of our conservation efforts.

A golden-cheeked warbler perches on top of an Ashe juniper tree

The golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia, GCWA) is a small, neo-tropical songbird weighing about 10 grams (0.34 ounces) and is about 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) long (Pulich 1976, pp. 126-128). Adult GCWA males have yellow cheeks outlined in black with a thin black line through each eye...

FWS Focus
Houston toad on a bed of pine needles

The Houston toad was first described by Sanders (1953) based on specimens collected from the area of Houston, Texas. The species is a small to medium-sized (5 to 8 centimeters [2 to 3 inches] long) amphibian covered with raised patches of skin that resemble warts. The Houston toad is generally...

FWS Focus

Projects and Research

Working with others is at the core of how we operate, and through those partnerships, we develop a number of conservation projects across central and western Texas. Learn more about some of the key efforts we have underway.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recognizes the critical role of transportation in the economic and ecological well-being of human communities. Transportation projects influence the character of a region by the number of people and amount of goods and services it transports. Transportation designs also influence plant and animal species and their habitats, and the ecological health...

Working with partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) uses a range of conservation tools to recover threatened and endangered species to ensure that they are able to survive on their own in the wild. These tools can include acquiring and restoring habitat, removing invasive species, conducting surveys, monitoring individual populations, and breeding species in captivity to...

Our Library

Sharing resources to support your plant and wildlife conservation efforts, or to help you better understand our efforts.

Photo of a captive held Houston Toad in its enclosure staring through the clear plastic walls at the camera
The documents below [Updated September 21, 2020] identify survey methods and reporting guidelines to be used for conducting presence/absence surveys for Houston toads (Bufo houstonensis) under a section 10(a)(1)(A) scientific research and recovery permit. Sound clips of Houston Toad are saved as...
Electromag Cave in Williamson County, Texas
Sixteen species of karst invertebrates are listed as endangered in central Texas. The following documents and links are provided to help you understand the life history and federal listing status of these species.
Photo of a fourteen Texas fatmucket mussels resting above a sand and algae streambed on a sunny day
Two species freshwater mussels are currently listed as endangered in Texas. An additional 8 species have been proposed to receive endangered species status in the state and 2 more are proposed to receive threatened status. The following documents and links are provided to help you understand the...

Get Involved

As a small office with a large work area, partnering with others is a foundation of our work - whether it be funding research, coordinating on-the-ground conservation efforts, or shepherding the next generation of conservation leaders. There may be opportunities for you to get involved conserving some of the rarest species and special habitats of central and western Texas, either with us, or with one of our myriad partners.

Location and Contact Information