Environmental Review
The Alabama Natural Heritage Program provides environmental review support for projects that need information about rare species, selected natural communities and conservation concerns in Alabama.
Environmental review requests may support planning, permitting, environmental assessment, land management, conservation projects or other activities where information about Alabama’s biodiversity is needed. ALNHP uses available data from its biodiversity database to help project sponsors understand known records, potential concerns and recommended next steps for a project area.
Environmental Review Services
ALNHP can provide written review letters summarizing available biodiversity data for a project area. These letters may include information about rare plant and animal species, selected natural communities, species of concern, survey recommendations or management considerations.
When applicable, ALNHP can also provide a letter stating that there are no known records in the area of interest or that ALNHP has no concerns based on currently available data.
Environmental review letters are tailored to the project and available data. A review may include:
- A written summary of rare species or natural community records in or near the project area
- Information about species of concern
- Heritage rank, federal status or state status, when applicable
- Notes about habitat, occurrence history or last observed date
- Survey recommendations
- Management recommendations
- A statement of no known records or no concerns, when applicable
ALNHP review letters are based on available information at the time of the request. A lack of known records does not necessarily mean that rare species or sensitive natural communities are absent from a project area.
ALNHP environmental review services may be useful for:
- Environmental consultants
- State and federal agencies
- Local governments and planning groups
- Conservation organizations
- Land managers and landowners
- Transportation, utility and infrastructure partners
- Researchers and academic partners
To help ALNHP complete an environmental review, please provide as much project information as possible.
Helpful materials include:
- Name, organization and contact information
- Project name or brief project description
- Purpose of the review
- Geographic area of interest
- Map, shapefile, coordinates or parcel information
- Project timeline or deadline
- Any specific species, habitats or concerns to be reviewed
For project-based reviews, maps or GIS files are especially helpful.
Environmental review requests are processed in the order they are received. Response time depends on the backlog and workload at the time the request is submitted.
Requests are generally processed within five working days but may take longer depending on project complexity, staff availability and current request volume.
Environmental review requests are subject to ALNHP data and information request fees. If requested, a cost estimate can be provided before the review is completed.
If no data are available for a request, no fee will be assessed. ALNHP reserves the right to waive fees for academic researchers or agencies partnering with ALNHP.
To request environmental review, complete the data request survey and include details about the project area, purpose of the review and any deadlines associated with the request.
For questions about whether environmental review is the right service for your project, contact ALNHP before submitting a request.
