Endangered Species Act (ESA) Primer

September 21-24, 2026
Fort Collins, CO

Audience

Personnel who work under a FIFRA cooperative agreement with involvement in ESA policy, program oversight, or implementation within their agency. If your nominee is an inspector, they need to have some ESA program implementation or oversight responsibilities in addition to their field activities. 

Course Goal

To increase participant understanding of the intersection of the ESA and FIFRA, and how it relates to pesticide program management.

Information to be covered in this course includes:

• An overview of EPA’s endangered species protection program (ESPP), including a historical perspective, and how the program gets us to the end goal of protecting species while maintaining pest management tools.
• What states can expect to see on pesticide labels as a result of formal consultation, the pesticide strategies, and other aspects of the ESPP.
• An overview of resources, partners, and tools that exist to help agencies educate, regulate, and enforce the requirements of ESA.
• A discussion of what additional information and resources are needed, and what groups we need to work with in the future.  

Nominations and Participants

Nominations

Nominations must be submitted electronically. It is best to prepare your justification for selection before starting your nomination application.

Before starting the nomination form, please have the following ready:

• The nominee’s name, job title, agency or tribe, email, number of years working in pesticide regulatory programs, and number of years in nominee’s current position.
• Responses to the following questions:
  • What are the nominee’s job responsibilities and how are they relevant to the course? (750 characters maximum, including spaces)
  • Why is this training essential to the nominee’s job responsibilities? (750 characters maximum)
  • What are 2 topics you wish to see offered during the course? (750 characters maximum)

Nominations for this course open Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Mountain Time and close Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time.

The PREP Team will make selections and notify nominees no later than Tuesday, July 7, 2026 based on how closely the nominees fit the target audience and why the training is essential to their job responsibilities. Accepted nominees must confirm their participation no later than Tuesday, July 14, 2026. If accepted nominees do not reply by this date, the PREP team cannot guarantee them a spot in the course.

Participants

Planning Group

• Kevin Kern, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
• Kelly Navinsky-Wenzl, Kansas Department of Agriculture
• Alexander Peacock, Maine Board of Pesticides Control
• Daniel Duer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
• Kathryn Rifenburg, Oregon Department of Agriculture
• Harris Walters, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Travel and Lodging Information

State, Territory, Tribal Participants

Participants’ lodging, travel, and per diem will be paid for by the PREP Team.

More course information will be shared via email after accepted participants complete the course registration form. Please pay close attention to your email, including your junk/spam folders for this information. Your quick response to these emails is vital to ensuring you receive your preferred travel arrangements.

EPA Participants

EPA Participants are responsible for reserving their own flights, ground transportation, and hotel. Please plan to arrive on Sunday, September 20 and depart on Friday, September 25. EPA participants must also pay a registration fee.
More course information, including how to reserve your hotel room, will be shared via email after accepted participants complete the course registration form. Please pay close attention to your email, including your junk/spam folders for this information. Your quick response to these emails is vital to ensuring you receive your preferred travel arrangements.