Fiscal Year 2015 Endangered Species Act Annual Expenditure Report Data Call

IM 2016-049

Instruction Memorandum

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240-0036
http://www.blm.gov
February 25, 2016

In Reply Refer To:
6600 (230) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 03/08/2016

Instruction Memorandum No. 2016-049
Expires: 09/30/2019

To: All Field Office Officials

From: Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject: Fiscal Year 2015 Endangered Species Act Annual Expenditure Report Data Call
DD: 04/01/2016

Program Area: Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) transmits the annual request for threatened and endangered (T&E) species expenditure data.

Policy/Action: This data call requires submission of expenditure and accomplishment data pertaining to species listed pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. All Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State Offices (SO) must submit this information for 2015.

This data call utilizes the data management tool, The Special Status Species Tracking & Reporting (SSSTR) developed by the National Operations Center (NOC); we expect all states will review the user guide for data entry. Tutorials will be offered by the NOC on an as needed basis. The user guide can be found on the BLM network.

The SSSTR will be pre-loaded with the most current information regarding listed species presence in each state. If a new species has been listed and is not reflected in the database, please contact Frank Quamen by email, fquamen@blm.gov, or by telephone, 303-236-6310.

The SSSTR is enabled for entering T&E expenditure data at the field office (FO), district office (DO), and SO level. It is the prerogative of each SO to decide how data will be entered and by whom in their jurisdiction. If data is entered by FOs and DOs, the data is then submitted to the SO for approval. Once the SO reviews and approves the data, it is automatically submitted to the Washington Office (WO) and NOC) within the application. After a quality control check by the NOC, the WO will then transmit the expenditure data to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Timeframe: Databases are to be completed and submitted to the NOC and WO no later than April 1, 2016. Please adhere to the following schedule and ensure your submissions are provided by the due dates:

February 18, 2016: The SSSTR is open, user guide to SOs, DOs & FOs found on the BLM network.
February 18, 2016: The NOC will offer training as needed. A list of all participants from each state must be provided to the NOC before training is offered.
March 18, 2016: Local offices have entered their data and submitted them to state coordinators.
April 1, 2016: State coordinators have reviewed all statewide datasets and have submitted them to the WO. The NOC will run a quality control check on the data.
April 15, 2016: The WO transmits data to USFWS.

Budget Impact: None.

Background: Pursuant to the ESA, each Federal agency is required to annually report its endangered species expenditures to the USFWS. The BLM is required to annually report its accomplishments against the Department of the Interior’s performance measure PIM.2.2.1.0712. The information needed to respond to these inquiries is not available through the BLM budget systems. The NOC has developed a system to compile data necessary to meet these requirements.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: None.

Coordination: Directions for completing the expenditure data call are contained in the database User Guide found on the BLM network. Each SO is responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of their report.

Contact: If there are any questions regarding this IM, please contact Kim Tripp, National Threatened and Endangered Species Program lead, by email ktripp@blm.gov or by telephone, 202-912-7237.

Signed by: Authenticated by:

Michael H. Tupper Robert M. Williams
Acting, Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-860
Resources and Planning