Changes to the Endangered Resources Review Program

Proposed Changes to Chapter NR 29 - Endangered Resources Information Fees

The Endangered Resources Review Program (Review Program) is in the process of considering and implementing a variety of changes to the services that it provides to better meet the priority needs of its customers and partners for endangered resources information, training, and support.

This webpage provides information about two initiatives. Please contact Sarah Carter if you would like more information. You can reach Sarah at (608) 264-8968.

Initial Review of Program Services: 2008-2009: Background
Process and stakeholder involvement
Meetings and documents
Developing a Natural Heritage Inventory Certification Program: 2009-2010: Background
Process and stakeholder involvement
Meetings and documents

Initial Review of Program Services: 2008-2009

Background

The Review Program provides a variety of services to other DNR programs and to external partners and customers, including endangered resources reviews of proposed projects, data sharing agreements for conservation, research, and planning purposes, review and issuance of Endangered and Threatened Species permits, training, and technical support (more about the program). In July 2008 we began a formal review to evaluate existing services and consider additional tools and services to better serve our customers and partners. Our goal was to redesign the Review Program to provide the services most important to the conservation of Wisconsin's rare resources and to the work of our stakeholders in an efficient, effective and financially feasible manner.

Process and stakeholder involvement

Stakeholders were a key component of the redesign process. Input was requested from current and past customers of the Review Program as well as other organizations and DNR programs with an interest in the topic. Three meetings with each stakeholder advisory group (internal and external) were held between September 2008 and June 2009.

External Stakeholder Advisory Group: Individuals who volunteered to serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Group represented private businesses (e.g., utilities, developers, environmental consultants, private foresters), non-profit organizations, university researchers, county forests, federal and state agencies, and county and local units of government. In addition, another ~50 stakeholders requested to be kept informed of progress via email.

Internal Stakeholder Advisory Group: We also assembled an internal advisory group of DNR staff from other programs and regions to consider how we can better support and coordinate with other DNR programs, and how proposed changes to the Review Program might impact other DNR programs. The group consisted of representatives from the following programs: Environmental Analysis, Forestry, the Office of Energy, Science Services, Stormwater and Watershed.

Public input: Public notice was provided for all external stakeholder advisory group meetings, and the public was also invited to submit comments or questions via an online form.

Meetings and documents

The 1st meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Group was held on September 10, 2008. The purpose of the meeting was to provide background on the Review Program and its existing services, gather information on how stakeholders interact with the program, and receive suggestions for how the program could better serve its external customers and partners.

The 2nd meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Group was held November 5, 2008. The purpose of the meeting was to gather feedback on a preliminary report identifying potential changes to the program, drafted based on input received at the previous meeting.

The 3rd meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Group was held on June 2, 2009. The purpose of this third and final meeting was to provide information on 1) progress made to date in implementing stakeholder suggestions for improvements to the Review Program and 2) changes being considered for implementation in the near future. We also asked the group how well these changes meet their priority needs, if there are additional changes they would like the Review Program to consider, and how they would like to be involved in future initiatives.

The final report for this initial review of program services, titled "Summary of initial service improvements implemented in response to the 2008-2009 stakeholder review of the Endangered Resources Review Program", is available here [PDF 119KB]. Part 1 of the report summarizes the stakeholder input process and provides links to the input received and resulting recommendations. Part 2 of the report summarizes suggestions received from stakeholders in each of the main service areas, and lists specific improvements made to date and planned for the near future in each area. The report also outlines one new service currently in development: a pilot Certification Program that would accompany efforts to share detailed NHI data with a broader group of customers and partners. Part 3 of the report outlines future steps the Program will take to continually evaluate, improve, and expand services.

Developing a Natural Heritage Inventory Certification Program: 2009-2010

Background

One of the primary stakeholder messages received during the initial program review was a request for expanded sharing of detailed Natural Heritage Inventory (NHI) data with customers and partners accompanied by appropriate training and safeguards. In response to this request, the Program is proposing to develop and implement a pilot NHI Certification Program. The intent of the NHI Certification Program is to provide individuals with comprehensive training to help ensure the security and correct interpretation and application of detailed NHI data.

Process and stakeholder involvement

At our June 2009 stakeholder meetings, the Review Program asked for volunteers who would be interested in working together with Review Program staff to help develop an NHI Certification Program. The following individuals have volunteered to serve on the NHI Certification Working Group: Bill Poole from Natural Resources Consulting, Inc.; Melody Walker from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection; Mike Grisar from WE Energies; John Wagner from The Nature Conservancy; John Siepmann from Siepmann Realty; and Bill Carity from Carity Land Corporation. In addition, Department staff from the Bureaus of Endangered Resources (Sarah Carter, Rori Paloski), Science Services (Dreux Watermolen), and Watershed (Pam Biersach) will participate in the working group. The tentative timeline for development of the NHI Certification Program is October 2009 - July 2010, with rollout of the 1st NHI Certification session anticipated in early 2011.

A second Forestry NHI Certification Working Group is working to develop an NHI Certification Program specifically for forestry user groups. Members of this working group include Ray Perry from Wisconsin Cooperating Foresters and Perry Forestry Consulting, Dan Peterson from NewPage Corporation, and Department staff from the Bureau of Endangered Resources (Sarah Carter, Rori Paloski) and Division of Forestry (Drew Feldkirchner, Carol Nielsen, and Paul Westegaard). The tentative timeline for development of an NHI Certification Program for Forestry is December 2009 - Fall 2010.

It is our intent to keep all interested stakeholders informed of our progress throughout this process via periodic email updates and posting of agendas and summaries of meetings on this webpage. Please feel free to contact Sarah Carter if you have questions, comments, or suggestions at any time.

Meetings and Documents

NHI Certification Working Group

The 1st meeting of the NHI Certification Working Group was held on October 14, 2009, in Madison. The purpose of the meeting was to review membership of the working group, clarify the role, goal, and expectations of the working group, review relevant legal sideboards and the current process for sharing of detailed NHI data, and identify a tentative process and timeline for reaching the goal. In addition, the group discussed the different user groups that may be interested in NHI Certification and, for each, the types of products/actions that rely on or incorporate NHI data.

The 2nd meeting of the NHI Certification Working Group was held on December 1, 2009, in Fitchburg. The primary purpose of the meeting was to identify a list of core competencies for an NHI Certification Program: what areas would individuals need an awareness of, what tools/information would they need to be knowledgeable about, what specific skills would they need, and what actions would they ultimately need to be competent performing to be considered NHI Certified. In addition, the group discussed a draft process that NHI Certified individuals would use for conducting Proposed Endangered Resources (ER) Reviews and a draft format for Proposed ER Reviews.

The 3rd meeting of the NHI Certification Working Group was held on January 12, 2010, in Fitchburg. The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss sample NHI Certification evaluation questions based on the core competencies identified at the December meeting. In addition, the group discussed a draft outreach plan for a specific customer group (local planners) that may be interested in participating in the Certification Program when it becomes available.

The 4th meeting of the NHI Certification Working Group was held on March 10, 2010, in Fitchburg. The primary purposes of the meeting were to reach consensus on the general approach to, format, and content of an evaluation; identify areas where applicants from different user groups may already have knowledge and skills; and discuss priority areas for provision of training. In addition, the group discussed outreach plans for different customer groups that may be interested in knowing about or participating in the Certification Program, and discussed major topics to be addressed in the program guidelines.

The 5th meeting of the NHI Certification Working Group was held on April 16, 2010, in Fitchburg. The primary purpose of the meeting was to draft program guidelines for the proposed pilot certification program.

The 6th and final meeting of the NHI Certification Working Group was held on June 9, 2010, in Madison. The primary purpose of the meeting was to conduct a final review of and approve the program competencies, guidelines, and example exam questions. The group also discussed 1) estimated costs for certification and 2) how members envision certification applying to themselves or the people or organizations with whom they work, in part to help identify issues that needed to be clarified.

Forestry NHI Certification Working Group

The 1st meeting of the Forestry NHI Certification Working Group was held on December 18, 2009, in Madison. The purpose of the meeting was to review membership of the working group, clarify the role, goal, and expectations of the working group, and identify a tentative process and timeline for reaching the goal. In addition, the group discussed different forestry user groups that may be interested in NHI Certification and, for each, the types of products/actions that rely on or incorporate NHI data, and current and desired future mechanisms for accessing NHI data.

The 2nd meeting of the Forestry NHI Certification Working Group was held on January 7, 2010, in Madison. The purpose of the meeting was to clarify the overall goal of the initiative and the specific charge of the working group, and to review the NHI data and their use in reviewing forestry practices and drafting MFL plans.

The 3rd meeting of the Forestry NHI Certification Working Group was held on March 17, 2010, in Madison. The primary purpose of the meeting was to review and discuss the draft guidance for conducting Proposed Endangered Resources Reviews.

The 4th meeting of the Forestry NHI Certification Working Group was held on April 21, 2010, in Madison. The primary purpose of the meeting was to review and discuss a draft list of competencies for NHI Certification for forestry users.

The 5th meeting of the Forestry NHI Certification Working Group was held on May 12, 2010, in Madison. The primary purposes of the meeting were to reach consensus on competencies for NHI Certification for forestry users, identify areas where different user groups may already have knowledge and skills, and discuss priority areas for provision of training.

The 6th meeting of the Forestry NHI Certification Working Group was held on July 19, 2010, in Madison. The primary purposes of the meeting were to review and approve competencies for a certification program for forestry users, discuss an evaluation for forestry users, discuss information likely to be requested in an annual report for the certification program, and begin to draft program guidelines for a certification program for forestry users.

The 7th meeting of the Forestry NHI Certification Working Group was held on August 4, 2010, in Madison. The primary purpose of the meeting was to draft program guidelines for a certification program for forestry users.

The 8th and final meeting of the Forestry NHI Certification Working Group was held on August 18, 2010, in Madison. The primary purpose of the meeting was to conduct a final review of and approve program guidelines for a certification program for forestry users and to discuss a plan for outreach and education to forestry users regarding both the certification program and, more broadly, how to facilitate more effective consideration of endangered resources in forestry planning and practices.

Last Revised: August 27, 2010