Welcome to Pennsylvania Conservation Explorer—a one stop shop for conservation planning and PNDI environmental review. The Explorer provides conservation information on biological diversity, protected lands, streams and other natural resources for planning purposes and also allows users to screen a project area for potential impacts to threatened, endangered, and special concern species.

Notice for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Project Reviews - AS OF JUNE 16, 2025 - ALL SUBMITTALS TO USFWS MUST FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS BELOW: 

If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service response section of the PNDI receipt indicates further review is required or you require technical assistance from USFWS

Go to IPaC to obtain an official species list, which will also generate an IPaC project code. Submit the official species list along with project information to the Pennsylvania Field Office at IR1_ESPenn@fws.gov. Use the suggested Email Title Naming Convention: IPaC Project Code, IPaC Project Name, PNDI # (if available), Action Agency 

Example: 2025-0000992, Route 77 Road Widening Project, PNDI #729882, Federal Highway Administration

If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service response section of the PNDI receipt directs to screen your project through IPaC

Go to IPaC to obtain an official species list. Follow the steps listed on the PA Field Office Review Page

IPaC (Information for Planning and Consultation) Resources

•         Please see this webpage for a general outline of our project review and submittal process.
•         Please see the Pennsylvania Guidance for Completing Project Reviews (Guidance) for detailed consultation instructions - which includes project logging, obtaining an official species list, and use of determination keys.
•         Please ensure all materials, as outlined in Step 4 (i-vi) of the Guidance, are included in your submission. 

Should you have any questions on USFWS's updated submittal process, please reach out to one of the endangered species biologists listed at the staff directory.  

Important Notice for PNDI Users. If you already had an account on the PNDI Environmental Review Tool you will need to request a new password to activate your Conservation Explorer account. Your old username and password will no longer work. Follow this link for step by step instructions on requesting a new password. If you have any issues accessing your account contact us at RA-HERITAGEGIS@state.pa.us.

Conservation Planning: The Explorer allows users to access conservation planning information without having to log in. Here, users will see locations of natural heritage areas, protected lands and high quality streams. Users can prepare a conservation report for use in local planning or project specific assessment. Click here for Conservation Planning.

PNDI Environmental Review: To access Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) information for environmental review purposes, users will be required to register and login. To register, click on Create new account. After logging in, users will be able to view the same information as Conservation Planning, but they will also see PNDI species and habitat information. After viewing information in their project area, users can screen their project for potential impacts to PNDI species and obtain a PNDI Receipt with conservation measures, avoidance measures and next steps. If users obtain a PNDI receipt, a convenience charge of $40 per project, payable by credit card, will be applied. Click here for PNDI Environmental Review.