Environmental Review
Go to the Rare Species Data Viewer (provides free lists of rare species by county, watershed, and USGS quad)
Go to the Environmental Review Tool (ERT) (Consult with TDEC DNA via an Environmental Review Report, which includes lists of rare species documented from within 1- and 4- miles of the project area, recommendations for how to determine if those species are present at a site, and other resources. Data Services fee of $275 applies per project)
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation - Division of Natural Areas (TDEC-DNA) currently tracks over 1,100 rare and endangered plant and animal species as well as hundreds of conservation sites across the state. The Division and other scientists collect this information through ongoing research and field investigations and from scientific literature, museum collections, and other sources. We continually analyze and update the database. The data are not only important in identifying areas of ecological significance for conservation and restoration activities, but are also useful in the environmental review process.
If you would like a formal, site-specific review of known rare, threatened, and endangered plant and animal species, ecologically significant sites, and certain conservation managed lands, you can obtain them for $275 per project via DNA's Environmental Review Tool (ERT). Based on the location information you provide, the ERT will prepare and send a report containing:
- Lists of rare, threatened, and endangered plant and animal species documented within 1- and 4-miles of the project area
- A list of conservation managed lands known from within 1- mile of the project area
- Two vicinity maps of the project area (4-mile and 100-meter buffer) over aerial imagery
- A .shp and .kmz of the project area boundaries
- Division of Natural Areas Consultation Documentation
- Additional resources regarding RTE species, methods for consulting other agencies, etc.
Environmental Review Reports for projects submitted through the ERT are generated for the requestor within 5-10 minutes. An invoice is included on the cover page of the report along with instructions for payment though MyTDEC Forms.
Our office does not coordinate environmental reviews via email, except where further consultation is suggested by an ERT report or rare species have been identified in a project area.
Anyone can visit the ERT, but attendance at a training event hosted by TDEC-DNA is required to receive the account permissions required to generate ERT Reports. You can register for ERT Training Events (free, virtual, one hour) on the Natural Areas Events Page. Events are currently offered weekly and require registration no later than the day before. New events are added at the beginning of each month.
CLICK HERE TO SEE AVAILABLE TRAINING DATES
If your project does not require formal consultation with TDEC-DNA, you are able to recognize state-listed species and suitable habitat for those species and are planning a survey, or you are a conservation entity or a private individual interested in knowing which rare species are known from a general geographic area, we encourage you to use the Rare Species Data Viewer to generate lists of rare species by county, USGS 1:24k quadrangle, and watershed at no cost. The Tennessee Rare Plant List provides general timeframes for flowering and fruiting of each listed plant species and is helpful for determining when these species are most recognizable.