The Illinois-Iowa Field Office is the home of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services Division, for the states of Illinois and Iowa. Ecological Services at the Illinois-Iowa Field Office includes the following programs: Endangered Species, Environmental Response and Restoration, Conservation Planning Assistance, and Species Recovery. Our mission is to provide leadership and expertise using sound science to conserve and restore endangered species, migratory birds, wetlands and other important fish and wildlife resources in Illinois, Iowa and the greater Midwest.

If you need a species list or to start a project review, visit the link below.

https://ipac.ecosphere.fws.gov

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...
Regal fritillary butterfly on a common milkweed
Endangered Species Act
USFWS Proposes ESA Protections for Both Subspecies of the Regal Fritillary Butterfly
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to list both subspecies of the regal fritillary, a large butterfly, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Based on a review of the best available science, the Service is proposing to list the eastern regal fritillary as endangered, and the...
People searching a plot around a wind turbine with wind turbines in the background.
Energy
Seeking public comment for Alliant Wind Interstate Wind Project Habitat Conservation Plan
We're seeking public comment on a draft habitat conservation plan and environmental assessment for the Alliant Wind Interstate Wind Project in eight wind facilities in Iowa and one facility in Minnesota.
Wind turbines in northwest Indiana
Energy
Seeking public comment on Cardinal Point Wind Project Habitat Conservation Plan
We at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are seeking public comment on a proposed habitat conservation plan amendment and supplemental environmental assessment for the Cardinal Point Wind Project, a 60-turbine wind project in McDonough and Warren Counties, Illinois.
People searching a plot around a wind turbine with wind turbines in the background.
Energy
Seeking public comment for Great Pathfinder Wind Project Habitat Conservation Plan
We're seeking public comment on a proposed habitat conservation plan amendment for the Great Pathfinder Wind Project in Hamilton and Boone counties, Iowa. The plan accompanies an application to amend an Endangered Species Act permit for Great Pathfinder Wind LLC that would add authorization of...
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What We Do

Our conservation vision is to provide enduring resource benefits through strategic conservation actions that support a growing conservation estate and a more resilient landscape throughout Illinois, Iowa and the greater Midwest. If you require a review of your project with a federal nexus (funding or permitting) for impacts to federally listed species or critical habitat, please see our project review page for more information. 

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

Section 7 Consultation is the process that federal agencies must use to ensure they are not harming listed species or their habitat. Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to consult with us on actions that they:

...
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
Tortoises saved and released on Eglin range
Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans (INRMPs)

The Sikes Act requires most military installations within the United States to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for natural resource conservation and management (e.g., fish and wildlife, forestry, land management, outdoor recreation) on the installation. This conservation plan, known...

Service
Land Management and Conservation Assistance
Screen capture of IPaC homepage.
Information for Planning and Consultation

Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) is a digital project planning tool that provides information to project proponents to help determine whether a project will have effects on federally listed species or designated critical habitat, as well as other sensitive resources managed...

Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance

Our Organization

Ecological Services at the Illinois-Iowa Field Office includes the following programs: Endangered Species, Conservation Planning Assistance, Environmental Response and Restoration, Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Conservation Planning Assistance, and Species Recovery.

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
Close up of a California condor. Its pink featherless head contrasts with its black feathers.
We provide national leadership in the recovery and conservation of our nation's imperiled plant and animal species, working with experts in the scientific community to identify species on the verge of extinction and to build the road to recovery to bring them back. We work with a range of public...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Pronghorn running through sagebrush with natural gas field facility in background.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works collaboratively with other federal agencies, industries, and other stakeholders to achieve infrastructure development goals in ways that are sustainable and compatible with the conservation of fish, wildlife, and their habitats.
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Wading bird stands in oil damaged marsh.
We provide national leadership in the protection and restoration of fish, wildlife, and habitats that have been threatened or injured by oil discharges, releases of hazardous substances, or other emerging contaminants of concern.
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Condor soars over mountain ridge.
We work with partners to conserve the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend, developing and maintaining conservation programs for these species to improve their status to the point that Endangered Species Act protection is no longer necessary for survival. This...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
View of wetlands from the boardwalk at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland.
Managing water resources is key to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mission of conserving and protecting wildlife for the benefit of the American people.
Program

Our Species

We conserve and restore threatened and endangered species and their habitats with a focus on imperiled bat and freshwater mussel species. Our office has also been actively involved with the conservation and recovery efforts for species such as the Topeka shiner, Iowa Pleistocene snail, decurrent false aster, Hine's emerald dragonfly, and eastern prairie fringed orchid to mention a few. In addition, our office has taken an active role in the conservation of pollinator species including the monarch butterfly and their habitats in Illinois and Iowa.

For a list of threatened and endangered species, visit the link below.

https://ipac.ecosphere.fws.gov

Brown and black striated freshwater mussels sitting a steel truck bed

Shell surface: Many low, wide bumps run in a single file line down the outer shell surface, from the beak (the swelling above the point where the 2 shell halves join) to the opposite shell edge. The rest of the shell surface is smooth (without bumps), and looks slightly pressed-in from the beak...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Species
The decurrent false aster is threatened species. It is a perrenial plant found in moist, sandy floodplains and prairie wetlands along the Illinois River. Although not very tolerant to prolonged flooding, this plant relies on periodic flooding to scour away other plants that compete for the same...
FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Plantae
Taxonomic Rank
Species
Cluster of roosting bats.

The Indiana bat is a medium-sized Myotis, closely resembling the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) but differing in coloration. Its fur is a dull grayish chestnut rather than bronze, with the basal portion of the hairs on the back a dull-lead color. This bat's underparts are pinkish to...

FWS Focus
Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Species

Projects and Research

Get Involved

We frequently partner with schools, museums, industry, private individuals and conservation organizations to communicate our involvement with fish and wildlife resources and conservation opportunities within the states of Illinois and Iowa. We also work with these groups and individuals to develop or identify conservation projects that may benefit threatened and endangered and other important fish and wildlife species and their habitats.

Location and Contact Information