Wildlife Service Renews Voluntary Paperwork for Pre-Listing Conservation
Published Date: 6/12/2026
Notice
Summary
The Fish and Wildlife Service is renewing a paperwork process that helps people voluntarily protect wildlife before species get officially listed as endangered. This affects landowners and conservation groups who want to help wildlife early without extra costs or new rules. You can share your thoughts on this by August 11, 2026, so don’t miss the deadline!
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Get credit for early conservation
You (landowners, businesses, Tribes, and local, State, or Federal governments) can get formal credit for voluntary conservation actions taken before a species is listed. States will track actions and report them annually to the Fish and Wildlife Service; credits documented (based on a description, non‑specific location, email contact, frequency, whether the action is in a State Wildlife Action Plan, and any transfer of mitigation rights) can later be used to mitigate or offset detrimental effects of actions taken after the species is listed.
State reporting and paperwork burden
State governments that choose to participate must collect submissions from entities and submit information to the Fish and Wildlife Service annually. The Service estimates a total of 1,925 annual burden hours across listed activities (for example, 720 hours for state recordkeeping and other line-item estimates in the notice), with reporting frequencies described as on occasion, ongoing for recordkeeping, and annually.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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