FESTF Data
To make its determinations, EPA must examine, on a geographically refined basis, if and how an endangered species’ location may intersect with the use or proposed use of a particular pesticide product. This complex and detailed evaluation requires use of a robust system to organize, accumulate, and aggregate data on species locations, pesticide use sites, environmental conditions and other attributes that can inform the potential for an interaction.
Since its formation, FESTF has worked to improve the consistency, quality, availability, and use of the best available information addressing endangered species and pesticide use. The foundation of this effort is FESTF’s development of an information management system, known as Gopher, which provides members, EPA, and other federal agencies with access to up-to-date information and a unique mechanism to process and visualize this high-quality locality and biological data for use essential to the Agency’s pesticide registration process. FESTF also uses data for information sharing and education on pesticides and endangered species with the goal of assisting EPA with successful implementation of EPA’s endangered species pesticide program.
FESTF’s Information Management System – Gopher
Gopher is a web-based, password-protected custom software tool, https://gopher.festf.org, that allows users to generate comparisons of data FESTF has licensed and otherwise obtained and/or developed and submitted to EPA related to pesticide use and endangered species at various geographic scales. These data represent multi-state location and attribute data on species listed under the ESA along with land cover and land use related to pesticide use. Gopher also contains species information and habitat descriptions housed in Status of Species profiles developed for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as spatial data on species locations.
Gopher allows users to spatially interact with best-available datasets and facilitates preparation of endangered species assessments. Gopher-generated data are used by EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs in its development of species-specific refinements for endangered species and to develop recommendations to avoid and minimize adverse effects on endangered species. To enhance interagency consistency and optimize species protection under the ESA, FESTF also makes Gopher data available to officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Marine Fisheries Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
