If you cannot find the answer to your question in the instructions below, please contact us using :

 KDWPT.ess@ks.gov - For questions or troubleshooting regarding Kansas Ecological Review Tool.
 

Instructions by Topic
Jump to section:
 Home Page
 My Account
 Explore & Create a Project Page
 My Projects Page
 Specific Project Page
 Troubleshooting
 Data Layers List

Version Note: Version 1.1 and 1.2 of this guidance document were internal working draft versions. Once finalized, the Technical Guidance was designated as Version 1.3. Version 1.3 is the first public-facing version of the Kansas Ecological Review Tool Technical Guidance.

Home Page

Create Your Account & Sign In

1. In the User Login box, click ‘Create new account’
2. Enter your email address, first name, last name, and phone number
3. Read the Terms and Conditions of Use, and click ‘Accept’
4. Click on ‘Create new account’
5. A verification email will be sent to you from kansasert.no-reply@natureserve.org (Tip: Check your spam/junk folder). Click on the activation link in that email and then set your password within 24 hours. Enter a password and then click ‘Save New Password and Login’.
6. You have successfully registered your account!

How Do I Log In?

1. In the User login box, enter your email or username
2. Next, enter your password
   
   • If you have forgotten your password, click on ‘Request new password’ and follow the directions
3. Click on ‘Log in’

My Account

How to Change Your Password

1. Login to the Kansas Ecological Review Tool website
2. Click ‘My account’ in the upper right corner
3. Click the ‘Edit’ tab
4. Enter your current password in the ‘Current password’ box
5. Type your new password in the ‘Password’ box and ‘Confirm password’ box
6. Scroll to the bottom and check the box next to ‘Accept Terms and Conditions of Use’ (if not already checked)
7. Click ‘Save’

My Group:
Some users may wish to create and administrate a group on the Ecological Review Tool. Groups can be used to share projects with other collaborators on your projects.

1. Log in to Kansas Ecological Review Tool
2. Navigate to the My Group page by clicking on the ‘My Group’ tab
3. Read the disclaimers regarding Administrator capabilities and responsibilities
4. Follow the instructions for creating a group

Explore & Create a Project Page

Map Widgets – Navigation and Tools available on the Create a Project tab

Note: Hover your cursor over any widget or tool to see a text description of the tool

Upper Left Corner Widgets:

• Click on the Default Map View tool  to zoom to the state of Kansas
• Click on the Legend tool  to view a map legend
  
  • Only visible layers (open eye icon in Layers section) will be shown in the legend
• Click on the Select Basemap tool  to select a different basemap

Upper Right Corner Widgets:

• Click on the Search tool  to navigate to addresses or places (place names, street addresses, and geographic coordinates are all useable)
  • • Acceptable coordinate formats include Decimal Degrees, Degrees/Minutes/Seconds, and Degrees/Decimal Minutes
      
      • Using decimal degrees does not require use of the degrees symbol (°), but the other formats do require it 
      • Use Alt+167 to create a degree symbol (°) when typing coordinates into the search bar
    • Remember to include a negative sign (-) or N/W for coordinates (e.g., 38.12345, -98.56789 or 38.12345 N, 98.56789 W)
• Click on the Print/Export tool  to print a map
• Click on the Measure Distance tool  to calculate distances
  
  • Double-click to finish line
  • Bug: This tool interacts with Search for Features and will affect your selection. Fix coming soon.
• Click on the Measure Area tool  to calculate areas and perimeters
  
  • Double-click to finish polygon

Lower Right Corner Widgets:

• Click on the Zoom In tool  to zoom in and see more details on the map
• Click on the Zoom Out tool  to zoom out and see less details on the map
• Click on the Find my location tool  to automatically zoom to your current location
• Click on the Reset map orientation tool  to reorient the map with North facing up

Create a Project for Ecological Review

Important! You must be logged in to submit information for an Ecological Review (also known as a ‘Natural Heritage Review’ in the Kansas Ecological Review Tool Platform). If you do not see the ‘Create a Project’ tab, please ensure you are logged in.

Tip: Users must first define an area of interest in order to request an Ecological Review

Defining an Area of Interest
Click on 'Define Area of Interest' section to define an area of interest in one of three ways:
Important: For Ecological Review purposes, an area of interest should consist of the entire activity impact area and not just the project footprint. 

• 1st Option: Draw your area of interest: Click on ‘Draw on Map’ and draw a polygon, line, or point on the map using the drawing controls
  
  • Please note: You must zoom in closer than 1:72,224 to draw a shape
  • Please note: Lines and points will automatically be buffered by 300 feet. You have the option of changing the buffer distance
  • Click on Settings icon to toggle on/off ‘Snapping’, which displays right angles and parallel lines while you draw
  • Click on Draw Polygon icon , Draw Line icon , or Draw Point icon , then click on map to begin drawing; double click to complete polygons and lines
  • Click the Undo  or Redo  icons to remove or redraw points/vertices that may be placed in the wrong locations
  • To edit your completed shape, click on Select Feature icon ; then click on your shape to begin editing (shape will be highlighted); click outside your shape to stop editing and complete the shape (shape will no longer be highlighted)
• 2nd Option: Select area of interest from a layer: Select a layer to search and then select a record as your area of interest
  
  • Use the dropdown menu to select a layer
  • Toggle on Show table
  • Select a record
• 3rd Option: Upload a zipped shapefile that contains your area of interest: Click on ‘Upload File'
  
  • Browse to the zipped shapefile, click on file, and click on 'Open'
  • Please note: The zipped shapefile must contain all the components of a ESRI shapefile, including the .prj file in a standard ESRI projection
  • Please note: The zipped shapefile must be < 10 MB in size
  • Please note: The uploaded shapefile can consist of polygons, lines, or points and can contain multiple records

After defining an area of interest, click NATURAL HERITAGE REVIEW to begin the project submission process to obtain a KDWP Ecological Review.

Submitting Pertinent Project Details

1. After defining an area of interest, click on 'Natural Heritage Review' button
   
   • Please note: The Natural Heritage Review option is only available to registered users; users must be logged in to see the button
2. Complete all required portions of the Natural Heritage Review window
   
   • Important: Give each project a unique name!
   • Please note: After selecting a broad Project Type, users must select planned Project Type Activities. Select all pertinent activities that will occur as part of the project
   • Please note: Selecting ‘Miscellaneous’ as the Project Type, will require the user to follow up with KDWP Ecological Services staff to complete the review process
   • The project description should include a short descriptive narrative of the proposed project and planned activities
3. Upload supporting documents, such as engineering plans, narrative project descriptions, .kmz/.kml files, field habitat evaluation reports, etc.
   
   • Please note: all uploaded files must be <10 MB. If necessary supporting documents cannot be split or condensed to less than 10 MB, please email these to KDWPT.ess@ks.gov (noting the applicable ERT Tracking Number).
4. Check the ‘I certify…’ box and click ‘Submit’ (a pop-up window will appear confirming your submission)
5. The system will send you an email. It may take up to ten minutes to receive the email
6. Follow the instructions in the email

Search for Features

• Click on 'Search for Features' to spatially search for records and/or to filter the records of a layer based on attributes
• Tip: Spatial Search and Attribute Filter work in concert
• Use the dropdown menu to select a layer to search or filter
• Spatial Search: Click on one of the four options to search (see instructions under Defining an Area of Interest for more detail)
  
  • Draw on Map - Click on the polygon, line, point, or rectangle icon to draw a shape. If desired, click on Use Buffer to define a buffer
  • Select from Layers - Select layer from dropdown menu. Select record by clicking on map or use Show table to select records from table 
  • Upload File - Browse to the zipped shapefile, click on file, and click on 'Open'
  • Use Defined Area of Interest - Uses previously defined area of interest with option to add a buffer
  • The search results will appear in the table
• Attribute Filter:
  
  • Click on 'Add Expression' to define a filter
  • Select Field Name, Operator, and Value
  • Click on 'Add Expression' if you would like to add another expression to your filter
  • For multiple expressions, the default matching rule is ‘Matching all expressions’
  • Click on Matching Rule section to change matching rule
  • The filter results will appear in the table
• Table Functionality:
  
  • Click on 3 dots (Options icon ) in upper right corner of table to customize columns or to select all features/records listed in table
  • Once you have selected some features, you will have additional options when clicking on the three dots, including the option to a .csv or .pdf

Layers

• Click on 'Layers' to view available layers
• Turn layers on and off by clicking on the eye icon
• Tip: If Layers Section says “There are currently no items to display”, zoom in further on the map  
• Layers can be rearranged by dragging and dropping the layers
• Click on spatial data in the map area to identify attributes
• Click on the Options icon  (3 dots) to:
  
  • Zoom to layer
  • Review layer descriptions
  • Change opacity/transparency of layers

How Do I Add a Layer?

• To add your own layer, click on 'Add Layer' button
• Please note: Added layers are not saved and will be lost if you close the Explore or Create a Project pages
• There are two ways to add a layer
  
  • To upload a zipped shapefile, select ‘Upload Layer’
    
    • Click on 'Upload Shapefile' and select your zipped shapefile
    • Enter a unique name for your file
    • Click on 'Add Layer'
    • Please note: The zipped shapefile must contain all components of a ESRI shapefile, including the .prj file in a standard ESRI projection
    • Please note: The zipped shapefile must be < 10 MB in size
  • To Link to a URL, click on the 'Link to URL' tab
    
    • Enter the URL of the layer you would like to add
    • Click on Verify URL
    • Click on 'Add Layer' button

Basemap
Tip: Some basemaps consist of a reference (label) layer and a base layer that can be individually toggled on and off

My Projects Page

All of a user’s submitted projects can be viewed by clicking the ‘My Projects’ tab.

• Filter your list of projects by using the filters on the top half of the page
• Click on a project name to go to specific project page

Specific Project Pages

Automated Determination

• Project Review Reports include a Project Information table. The top line of this table provides the results of the Automated Determination made by the Kansas Ecological Review Tool. This determination can be ‘Project Clearance Granted’ or ‘Further Review by KDWP Required’.
  
  • ‘Project Clearance Granted’ reports indicate the proposed projects are not expected to adversely impact Kansas-listed Threatened/Endangered wildlife species, their critical habitats, or KDWP-managed lands.
    
    • These projects have met the consultation requirements of KDWP and may move forward, using the report as proof of consultation with KDWP
  • ‘Further Review by KDWP Required’ reports have been flagged by the Kansas Ecological Review Tool for potential impacts to Designated Critical Habitat, KDWP-managed lands, or because the selected Project Type Activities are deemed by KDWP to warrant more careful review for potential wildlife impacts. These reports indicate the Ecological Review process has not been completed, and reports should not be used to confirm consultation with KDWP.
    
    • If feasible, these projects should revise the project plans to avoid impacts to critical habitat, KDWP-managed lands, or seek alternative project activity plans to minimize their potential to conflict with wildlife.
    • When changes to project plans are not feasible, the project sponsor must contact KDWP Ecological Services (KDWPT.ess@ks.gov or 620-672-5911) to request further review of the project. This information is included in the report.   

What Project Type Activities Require Additional Review?

• Other projects (miscellaneous)
• Road construction on new alignment-highway, multilane collector/arterial through roads
• Drain wetlands, marshes, ponds, lakes
• Channelization/piping of stream or river
• Dredge/remove gravel or sand from streams and rivers
• Realignment of stream channel
• Dam, watershed impoundment, pond, or dry dam construction
• Dam removal/breaching/notching
• Oil/gas well drilling
• Surface/strip mining (rock, coal, volcanic ash)
• Underground mining (salt, coal, etc)
• Quarry/stockpile rock and stone
• Quarry/stockpile gravel, sand, soil (off-channel)
• Wildlife habitat management/creation/restoration/protection
• Stream and floodplain habitat restoration/management
• Aquatic wildlife habitat management and fisheries improvements
• Fishways or aquatic organism passage development/maintenance
• Fish stocking
• Coal/gas electric generation facility
• Wind energy electric generation facility
• Energy storage facility
• Biogas/biodiesel/ethanol generation or methane recovery facilities
• Solar energy electric generation facility
• Hazardous waste storage and disposal (landfill, incinerator, injection well)
• Petroleum contaminated soils landfarming/bioremediation

View Tab

• Click on 'Ecological Review Report' (PDF) link in Project Review Results table to view and download the results of the Ecological Review
• Project Review Status table provides detail regarding the status of your project
  
  • Overall Status indicates if project does or does not conflict with Designated Critical Habitat, KDWP-managed lands, or Project Type Activities deemed by KDWP to warrant more careful review for potential wildlife impacts.  The Overall Status determination will not change.  Two designations are available
    
    • No Conflict – Your project does not intersect areas of Designated Critical Habitat or KDWP-managed land and does not include project activities deemed to necessitate additional review. These projects have been granted clearance to proceed
    • Needs Review – Your project will need further review by KDWP Ecological Services staff
  • Permit Status indicates if an Action Permit will be required.  Three Permit Status designations are available
    
    • Pending Review – KDWP Ecological Services staff are reviewing project details to determine if an Action Permit is required. 
    • Permit Not Needed – The project will not require an Action Permit
    • Permit Needed – An Action Permit will be required before project activities take place
  • Project Status indicates what stage of the review process your project is currently at.  Four Project Status designations are available. 
    
    • Unreviewed 
    • Review in Process
    • Action Needed  
    • Completed
• Click on Boundary Shapefile (ZIP) or KMZ File to verify geographic area submitted for Ecological Review

Edit Details Tab

• Use this tab to edit the details of your project
• You can also upload a document in the ‘Attach Related Project Documentation’ section
• Click ‘Save’
• Wait until a new Ecological Review Report (PDF) link is generated in the Project Review Results table, then click on link to view the results of the Ecological Review

Map Tab (Edit project location or boundary)

• Single click within your geometry to start editing
• Reshape project boundary
• Single click outside your geometry to finish editing
• Click ‘Update Project Geometry'
• Click ‘Submit’ on the Confirmation popup
• Click ‘yes’ to return to your project
• Wait until a new Ecological Review Report (PDF) link is generated in the Automated Review Results table, then click on link to view the results of the Ecological Review

Update Report Tab
Important! If the map in your reports shows a world map instead of your area of interest, the review is invalid; please contact us immediately!

• Click ‘Update Report’ tab to begin process of generating a new report, then click ‘Submit’
• Wait until a new Ecological Review Report (PDF) link is generated in the Project Review Results table, then click on link to view the results of the Ecological Review
  
   

Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing map issues (e.g., layers not drawing), please update your browser and/or clear your browser cache:

1. Type 'Ctrl' + 'Shift' + 'J'
2. Left click and hold the refresh icon ⟳ in the upper left corner of the screen
3. Choose 'Empty Cache and Hard Reload'