USFWSWind energy projects that pose a low risk to eagles are activities sited in areas where eagle abundance is known to be low. We defined low-exposure zones as areas where abundance is below a defined threshold such that: (1) we can confidently predict that eagles will be infrequently exposed to wind turbines in the area; and (2) Stage 2 (site-specific in-field) eagle use surveys are unlikely to yield information useful in generating a fatality prediction for the wind energy project. Although our focus is on low-exposure for wind energy projects, the general concept applies to other activities that may incidentally take eagles as well. Proposed wind energy projects that meet the low risk criteria have the option of skipping the required 2 years of site-specific surveys, and will be able to implement a simplified post-construction fatality monitoring protocol focused on confirming the low-risk characterization of the site. Operating wind energy projects that meet low-risk criteria that wish to obtain an eagle incidental take permit may also take advantage of aspects of the low-risk permit approach to expedite permitting. The low-exposure zone is indicated in green, non low-exposure in purple. Abundance thresholds were determined separately for bald and golden eagles, and maps are provided for each threshold combination we considered. Combinations include: bald eagle / golden eagle products at 20/30, 50/30, and 80/30 quantiles; and individual BAEA maps for the 20, 50, and 80th quantiles.ArcGIS FeatureLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/91119325f79647348d8b12f81d274035_1engU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open DataPubliceBE80 eGE30 WMdl WNests Binary WKID102008 20181003 [United States]Web servicesUnited StatesLast Modified: 2020-08-20