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Section 7 Training, LLC

Your Path to Proficiency in All Aspects of the Section 7 Consultation Process

Section 7 Training, LLC

Your Path to Proficiency in All Aspects of the Section 7 Consultation Process

Section 7 Training, LLC

Your Path to Proficiency in All Aspects of the Section 7 Consultation Process

Get hard to find, essential training from a section 7 expert

with no travel required and no A.I.

The dropdown menus below outline our course offerings. Sections cover everything from Currently Scheduled Course Dates, to a handy chart of course recommendations (Which Course Is Right For Me?), to summaries and Course Page links for each of our Live Webinar Courses.

Currently Scheduled Course Dates

Biological Assessment Essentials

Next available Course Date:

December 8 & 9, 2026

DETAILS & PRICING

Essentials of Section 7 Consultation

September course completed

New dates to be announced soon

DETAILS & PRICING

Essentials of

Programmatic Consultations

September course completed

New dates to be announced soon

DETAILS & PRICING

Would you like to be notified whenever New Course Dates are added?

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The easiest way to stay up to date on courses and availability

New: Request a Custom Course Date

If the course dates above do not fit your schedule, or you would like to have a course presented exclusively to your own agency or group, we now offer the ability to request a custom course date.

Please click the "More Info" button to learn more about this option.

MORE INFO
Which Course is Right for Me?

*Note: Because understanding the basic foundation of Section 7 consultation is critical to both the Biological Assessment Essentials course (BAE) and the Essentials of Section 7 Consultation and Biological Opinions Course (ES7C), a certain amount of review/overlap in foundational materials is unavoidable between these two courses.

LIVE Webinar Course: Biological Assessment Essentials (BAE)

This course explains and demonstrates the essential principles behind building a Biological Assessment to support consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.

It is designed to meet the needs of practitioners at all levels, including:

  • Employees new to writing Biological Assessments
  • Supervisors who review Biological Assessments
  • Experienced practitioners who would like to learn additional tips and techniques for better written documents and more efficient consultation

The next presentation of this course is scheduled for December 8th & 9th, 2026.

Click to see full details and pricing info on our Courses page.

DETAILS & PRICING
LIVE Webinar Course: Essentials of Section 7 Consultation and Biological Opinions (ES7C)

This course describes the intent, requirements, process and products behind consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.

It is ideal for practitioners who:

  • Are new to the consultation process and need a foundation to build upon while writing Concurrence Letters or Biological Opinions
  • Have been writing consultation documents without any formal training
  • Are supervisors or managers tasked with reviewing final consultation documents or supervising other consultation practitioners

The September presentation of this course has been completed.

Upcoming dates are being scheduled now and will be announced soon.

Click to see full course description and pricing info on our Courses page.

DETAILS & PRICING
LIVE Webinar Course: Essentials of Programmatic Consultations (EPC)

This course explores and explains programmatic approaches to Section 7 consultation under the Endangered Species Act.

It is designed to meet the needs of practitioners already familiar with the essentials of Section 7 consultation, including:

  • Employees familiar with the principals of writing consultation documents
  • Supervisors who review consultation documents
  • Other experienced practitioners who would like to add an understanding of programmatic consultations to their skill set

The September presentation of this course has been completed.

Upcoming dates are being scheduled now and will be announced soon.

Click to see full course description and pricing info on our Courses page.

DETAILS & PRICING

Providing expertise beyond the classroom, Section 7 Training is a valuable source of

Information, Insight, and Advice to practitioners of all experience levels,

affiliations, and consultation objectives

Visit our Library Page for freely available Information in the form of reference materials and links, explore our Blog Page for Insight into important Section 7 news and history, seek answers to simple questions or One on One Advice for complex ones via our Contact Page and Advice Page, or check out our Merch Portal just for fun.

Essential documentation on Section 7 terminology, guidance, and court opinions is often difficult to find or inconvenient to access.

To remedy this, we have placed the key reference documents and links every Section 7 practitioner needs on our Library Page.

This includes our "Compilation of Terms," an invaluable glossary of Section 7 terminology compiled by Section 7 Training's Chief Instructor, Doug Laye

All materials on the Library Page are freely available to view or download.

Browse the whole collection, or follow a link below to jump to a particular section:

In addition to the crucial documents in our Library, we also provide ongoing discussion of all things Section 7 in our Blog. The latest post is excerpted below. Click the "Read More" button for the full text or head to the Blog Page to explore all of our posts.

The Service Issues Guidance(?) on the Use of “Harm”
So given Congress's interest in setting up procedures regarding incidental take of listed fish and wildlife with their 1982 amendments to the ESA and the 1986 regulations further codifying that concept, I'm having trouble aligning that background with this internal guidance...
READ MORE

Have a question about our Courses, scheduling, Library materials or other offerings?

Email us via our Contact Page for a quick reply.

For complex consultation questions that go beyond the scope of readily available resources, personal discussion of the situation with an expert can be extremely helpful.

If you have such questions and would like to explore whether setting up a personal advisory session with Section 7 expert Doug Laye can help you resolve them, please email us with your inquiry via our One-on-One Advice Session information page.

Merch

Since Consultation and Coffee go so well together, we've put together a mini shop with a few fun Section 7 mugs in it. Hit the button if you'd like to check it out!

SECTION 7 SHOP

Check out what our students have been saying

" My colleague and I took this course and were blown away by how much learned. We were expecting another boring virtual training course and instead received a thought provoking, well explained course taught from a storyteller perspective. I highly recommend this course and it is worth every penny. "

M.M., Biological Assessment Essentials Student, September 2026

" I found the BA training extremely informative and genuinely impactful. The combination of open discussion, candid perspectives, expertise, and engaging storytelling made the session refreshing and memorable. Doug fostered an environment where everyone felt encouraged to participate and the conversation flowed naturally. I highly recommend this training for federal employees. "

M.R., Biological Assessment Essentials Student, September 2026

" I attended both the Essentials of Biological Assessments and the Essentials of Programmatic Consultations courses, and greatly appreciated the information provided. Like learning any new skill, becoming familiar with Section 7 processes and writing techniques involves a steep learning curve. The material, as Doug presented it, was broken down into clear, understandable building blocks. As a result, I feel not only more confident in my understanding of the terminology and processes , but also excited to apply some of the analysis tools introduced in the courses. Thank you, Doug! "

G.G., Biological Assessment Essentials and Essentials of Programmatic Consultations Student, January 2026

" The Essentials of Biological Assessments training hosted by Doug Laye was beyond the best training I have ever had regarding Biological Assessments (I have attended 4+ trainings). The way Doug was able to explain such a difficult subject with such simplicity was outstanding to say the least. Even though people had different levels of experience with BA’s during the training, I feel that we all had something to learn from Doug. I, myself, who is at “beginner level” feel that I now have a better understanding of the BA process and am a lot more confident in writing a BA. The real-life stories and examples that Doug provided also provided great context and kept things interesting! If you ever get an opportunity to attend a training hosted by Doug Laye, I highly recommend taking advantage of it. You will not be disappointed! "

J.M., Biological Assessment Essentials Student, September 2025

" As a frequent applicant responsible for reviewing and implementing recommendations from consultation, I found these courses incredibly helpful for understanding the structure and requirements of the law and process. Doug is an excellent teacher and communicator while also highly experienced, which made the classes both useful and enjoyable. If you are new to the consultation process or just need a refresher, I can’t recommend these courses enough. "

J.M., Essentials of Section 7 Consultation Student, June 2025

" Being new to Section 7 consultation, I found this course extremely helpful. It presented a great overview of the Section 7 process and also focused on details like how to write an effective BA and how to communicate with The Services tactfully and efficiently. Doug's teaching style was casual and friendly which made me feel comfortable to ask questions. He answered questions thoughtfully and often used stories from his real-life experiences to elaborate on his explanations. This course made me feel well prepared to handle projects that require Section 7 consultation and I highly recommend it others that need to understand this process. "

C.P., Essentials of Section 7 Consultation and Essentials of Programmatic Consultations Student, May 2024

" I have many years of experience working with Section 7 consultation at BLM and USFS, and I still manage to learn more every time I take a course. This is especially true with Doug’s BA Essentials and Essentials of Programmatic Consultation courses. He has such a breadth of experience to draw from with his many years of experience working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and together with federal partners. He has great examples and is capable of answering tough questions with nuanced explanations about ESA consultation. He understands much of this history of the ESA and also stays current on changes to relevant federal regulations, which is especially important to federal agencies. I highly recommend these courses for new and experienced biologists!"

A.C., Biological Assessment Essentials and Essentials of Programmatic Consultations Student, April 2024

" I thought the course was fantastic and your teaching style very effective. I think anyone who analyzes project-level effects would benefit from the class – I realize it’s intended to speak to the BA process but the way you break down effects analysis is really good and could benefit effects analysis under NEPA as well. I wish I’d had the class 20 years ago! "

M.A., Biological Assessment Essentials Student, May 2023

" Doug is an excellent instructor and great at taking confusing (and often complicated) topics and breaking them down to a level that anyone can understand. I can’t stress enough how helpful his courses have been for me as a biologist. If ESA consultation is a regular part of your work, I highly recommend taking his classes to improve your understanding of section 7. "

S.H., Essentials of Programmatic Consultations Student, March 2024

Invoice Request for Enrollment in Course:

Biological Assessment Essentials

Invoice Request for Enrollment in Course:

Essentials of Programmatic Consultations

Invoice Request for Enrollment in Course:

Essentials of Section 7 Consultation

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