Defense's TES document repository.

Imagine a single source for scientifically relevant, but otherwise unavailable, information on threatened and endangered species (TES). Now, imagine having that source right at your fingertips. Finally, imagine this source is free and open to the scientific community at large. Welcome to the Department of Defense's TES Document Repository.

First envisioned in 2003 by DoD's Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center, the Repository represents a compilation of unpublished but scientifically credible documents on TES of high priority to the DoD.

A wealth of such data exists under DoD ownership and control, often exclusively at the installation level. This project seeks to create and maintain a highly functional, easily accessible repository of "gray" literature (literature that has not been subjected to peer review or is not generally available) on DoD's high priority species. Making this information available throughout DoD should improve the management of listed species, assist DoD in forming partnerships with other land managers, and facilitate the ESA section 7 consultation process with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Repository is still in its infancy; it was officially unveiled at the March 2006 National Military Fish and Wildlife Association meeting. Nevertheless, plans are in motion to expand the effort to include appropriate documents relevant to all of DoD's more than 300 TES. The effort to acquire and incorporate technical reports, management plans, and biological opinions, and links to related information continues. Once documents have cleared military service or installation security review, key data are extracted and files are uploaded to the Repository website.

Currently, the Repository houses documents related to 18 of DoD's top 21 listed species: the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla). California least tern (Sterna antillarum brownmi), coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica), golden-checked warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia), Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni), least Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus), Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida), red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), southwest willow flycatcher (Empidonax traitlii extiraus), western snowy plover alexandrinus nivosus), desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), gray bat (Myotis grisecens), Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), and Sonoran pronghorn (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis).

Through this platform, researchers can expand on previous studies rather than duplicate efforts, and the conservation community in general can benefit from a greater breadth of information, For more information on the Repository, contact [e-mail] or visit the website at http://dodtes.nbii.gov.

Primary accomplishments to date include:

* Collecting documents on DoD's top 21 threatened and endangered species

* Creating guidelines for document inclusion and standards

* Creating metadata for each document uploaded into the database

* Creating and posting a PowerPoint-based User's Guide

* Partnering with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) to build and web-enable the Repository

Planned actions for the near future include:

* Standardizing search functionality and appearance of results pages

* Integrating the Repository with other NBII TES portals

* Developing a protocol for reviewing included documents for potential replacement or archival

* Developing an online document submission function for publications cleared by the DoD/Pentagon or military service

* Incorporating tools for users to quickly identify new additions to the Repository

Alan Dalsimer is a senior Conservation and Resource Specialist with HydroGeoLogic, Inc, (703-736-4570; [e-mail]); Laurie Wehrmeyer is an Assistant at HydroGeoLogic, Inc; (lwehrmeyer@ hgl.com; 703-478-5186); Alicia Shepard is an Environmental Scientist with HydroGeoLogic, Inc. (703-736-4529; [e-mail]).