Endangered Species Protection - Nebraska Department of Agriculture

Animal & Plant Health Protection
Plant Health

Endangered Species Protection

One component of NDA’s responsibilities under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Nebraska Pesticide Act includes administering a program to protect endangered and threatened species from pesticide exposure.

The labels of many pesticides have requirements for the protection of endangered species; others have general precautions. Pesticide labels should always be read carefully to assure compliance with federal regulations, and reduce the risk of further restrictions on pesticide use.

There are many state and federally listed threatened and endangered species in Nebraska. The information below highlights a few of the species that may be the most at risk from pesticide impacts. However, pesticide applicators should familiarize themselves with all sensitive species and habitats in their area. This can be found at the following links to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service field office technical guide.

Species range maps, species and habitat descriptions, and county-species lists for Nebraska

To determine if any species may potentially be found in your area, consult the county-species list for your county. For a given county-species combination, the range of the given species covers some portion of the county (from all to very little). A quick check back to the individual species map will let you know if it may be found near your application site.

Nebraska Threatened and Endangered Species by County

Courtesy Department of Agronomy and Horticulture,
University of Nebraska

Courtesy U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service

The NDA Pesticide Program has focused its efforts on the protection of five endangered or threatened species in Nebraska by making contacts with landowners and raising the awareness of pesticide applicators. These include three plants: the Blowout Penstemon, the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, and the Colorado Butterfly Plant; and two birds: the Piping Plover and the Interior Least Tern. In addition, local partnerships are involved in protecting the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle from potential threats, including pesticide use.

Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

In the future, pesticide labels will direct users to an EPA web page, called Bulletins Live!, if there are potential restrictions on that product’s use. Pesticide users will be required to access this web page, provide information on the location and active ingredient to be used, and comply with the restrictions, if any. The EPA Bulletins Live! The web site can be accessed at:

EPA Endangered Species Protection Program

Much of the published information pertaining to pesticides and endangered species in Nebraska are available from NDA. Examples, pictured below, detailed species information developed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (large pamphlets) and NDA (smaller pamphlets).

Contact NDA to learn more about how you can use pesticides wisely and conserve Nebraska's ecological diversity. To request more information on endangered species protection in Nebraska, phone 402-471-2351, or e-mail.

Other sites with additional information about endangered species:
Endangered Species Act
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Pesticide Education Resources
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Region 6, 'Feature Series'
USFWS Threatened and Endangered Species System - A searchable database system for threatened and endangered species.

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