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How To Guide
The following online tutorial is designed to answer your questions about using the ESA Webtool. It covers more of the practical "nuts and bolts" of working in and using the ESA Webtool and in particular the collaborative Online File Cabinets. In contrast, FAQs (located in the navigation links) are intended to cover process and policy-oriented questions you may have about ESA, FOIA, privacy, etc.
[Note: If questions you may have about working in and using the ESA Webtool are not answered here, please Contact Us so we can add to and update Online Tutorial content. By doing so we can increase the overall knowledge base of the Tutorial for the benefit of all users.]
Contents
1. Introduction:
2. Logging On:
3. File Cabinets:
4. Online Tutorial:
5. Calendar:
6. Team Members:
7. Files/Documents/Pictures/Links:

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Introduction
  • This tutorial serves as a user guide for the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) National Biological Assessment Online File Cabinets Webtool.
  • The Online File Cabinet is a webtool designed to help BA submitters collaborate with their colleagues during BA document preparation and with reviewers after the BA has been submitted. The Online File Cabinets also provide a means for BA submitters to indicate the status of the BA allowing FHWA to track the progress of submittals.
  • If this tutorial does not answer all of your questions you can Contact Us. Please use this form to send us your suggestions for improvement or to submit a State-specific template that you would like to share with other users for consideration.
Getting Started
  • This tutorial describes the web tools available to help users with special accessibility needs, how to get an account, how to sign-in, and how to create, manage, and access Online File Cabinets.
  • The Online File Cabinets can be accessed from the ESA Webtool home page .
  • Note: You will need to establish an account and sign-in to gain access to the Online File Cabinets.
Accessibility
  • The ESA Webtool and the Online File Cabinets comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act ( https://www.section508.gov ) by allowing you to disable the Webtool style sheet. Disabling the style sheet removes graphics and creates a "text-only" mode.
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Creating An Account
  • Accessing the Online File Cabinets requires you to create a personal account. There are two options: (1) register online for an account using an online form on the Online File Cabinets home page, or (2) accept an e-mail invitation to join an Online File Cabinet from a project team member.
Registering Online
  • Registering online is a simple process. From the ESA Webtool home page , click on Login/Register. Click the Register link and enter your e-mail address, select a password. When you are done click the Register and Sign in Now button to complete the process.
Accepting An Invitation
  • Anyone can be invited to join an Online File Cabinet. If you receive an invitation and you already have an account, you can use your existing account login information.
  • If you receive an invitation and do not already have an account, an account will be created automatically for you. You will receive an e-mail that includes your user name (e-mail address) and password.
  • Note: After you have received the invitation and signed in, you can change your password. See the "Edit Profile" section to change your password.
  • See the "Adding Team Members" section to learn how to invite unregistered members to join an Online File Cabinet.
Sign In
  • Click the Login/Register link in the left navigation bar to sign in to the ESA Webtool. If you are not signed in, you will be prompted to enter your e-mail address and password. Once you have entered this information, click the Login button.
  • After you have signed in, a screen will appear with a list of Online File Cabinets that you have created or have been invited to join.
  • See the Adding a new Online File Cabinet section of this tutorial to create an Online File Cabinet.
Forgotten Password
  • If you forget your password, go to the Online File Cabinets home page and enter your e-mail address. Click the Send Password button. A new password will be e-mailed to the address provided in your profile.
  • Note: Some e-mail spam filters may intercept this message. If you do not receive the e-mail within a few minutes, check your spam filter or contact your e-mail administrator for further assistance.
Remember Login
  • You can avoid signing in to the ESA Webtool on future visits by checking the Remember Login box on the Online File Cabinets home page.
  • Unless you click the Logoff link, you can navigate to another Webtool or close your browser. You will still be logged in upon returning to the ESA Webtool.
  • To disable this feature, click the Logoff link from any page on the ESA Webtool.
Edit Profile (Change Password)
  • Your user profile contains information such as name, company, address, phone number, e-mail address and change password link.
  • You must sign in to edit your profile or change your profile information. Once you have signed in, the Edit Profile and Logout links become visible near the upper right portion of the screen.
  • Click the Edit Profile link and make your desired changes and then click the Save button.
  • To change your password click, the Edit Profile link and click the Change Password link. Make your desired changes and then click the Change Password button.
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My Online File Cabinets
  • After signing in, the sign-in form will be replaced with a list of the Online File Cabinets that you have created or have been invited to join. This listing includes tools for creating, editing, deleting, and opening the Online File Cabinets. The list of Online File Cabinets can be sorted by clicking on any of the column titles.
  • Note: Clicking on the title of a column that has already been selected will reverse the sorting order for that column.
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Adding a Training Project
  • You can add a Training Project by clicking on the Add New button located under the My Online File Cabinets heading. A Training Project offers access to the same functions as a BA project, allowing you to test the site's capabilities, but will not appear in search results or on the map. File upload buttons will be visible, but you will not be able to upload files.
  • You will be guided through a series of steps. Along with providing a title, selecting the consultation type and State, providing a brief project description, and drawing a polygon of the project area, you will check the “Training” box.
  • After completing the form, click the Save button to finish the process and return to the listing of Online File Cabinets. The new Training Project will appear in your list of Online File Cabinets.
Adding A New Online File Cabinet
  • You can add a new Online File Cabinet by clicking on the Add New button located under the My Online File Cabinets heading.
  • You will be guided through a series of steps. You will need to provide a title for the Online File Cabinet, select the consultation type and state the project is located in, and provide a brief project description.
  • After completing the form, click the Save button to finish the process and return to the listing of Online File Cabinets. The new File cabinet will appear in the list of Online File Cabinets.
Editing And Deleting Existing Online File Cabinets
  • To update the information in an Online File Cabinet, click the Edit button located to the left of a file cabinet.
  • After clicking the Edit button, click on the "status" menu to label the project as "active," "dormant," or "archived," or click the Delete this File Cabinet button. This action will delete the Online File Cabinet permanently.
Opening an Online File Cabinet
  • To open an Online File Cabinet, click the title of the Online File Cabinet.
Working In An Online File Cabinet
  • This section of the tutorial is dedicated to the use and features of the Online File Cabinets.
  • Once you have accessed an Online File Cabinet, you can view the steps and status of the BA process. You can also access this tutorial; develop and view a project calendar; view project team information; upload BA documents, pictures, and links related to your project; and messages e-mail related to the project.
Working In An Online File Cabinet
  • After you have signed in, click a file cabinet to enter the Online File Cabinets home page. On the Online File Cabinets home page you can view the BA status and access the calendar, the How-To Guide, team member information, files, discussions, and e-mails.
BA Status Steps
  • Once you have accessed an Online File Cabinet, you can view the following steps of the BA process and their respective status of completion.
  1. Draft BA
  2. Review by DOT/FHWA
  3. BA Ready for Consultation
  4. Submit to Services
  5. Letter of Concurrence or BO Issued
  6. Re-initiation
  7. Archive
Editing The Online File Cabinet Title And Description
  • To modify the Online File Cabinet title, consultation type, and description, click the Edit button on the left of the file cabinet name.
  • A file cabinet change/modification screen will appear. Insert your desired changes and click the Finish button.
  • Note: You must be a Project Manager to edit the Online File Cabinet title and description. When you create an Online File Cabinet, your account is automatically assigned the Project Manager role. You cannot edit the Online File Cabinet title and description if you were invited to join a file cabinet.
Deleting An Online File Cabinet
  • To delete an Online File Cabinet, click the Edit button on the left of the file cabinet name.
  • A file cabinet change/modification screen will appear. Click the Delete this File Cabinet button. As a safety feature, the system will ask you to confirm this action.
  • Note: You must be a Project Manager to delete an Online File Cabinet. When you create an Online File Cabinet, your account is automatically assigned the Project Manager role. You cannot delete an Online File Cabinet if you were invited to join a file cabinet.
Editing The BA Status
  • You must be in an Online File Cabinet to edit the BA status. (To access an Online File Cabinet from the ESA Webtool home page , click the Online File Cabinets tab and then click the name of the file cabinet you wish to open.)
  • To edit the status of a stage in the BA process, click the pencil icon to the left of the stage you wish to edit. Make your desired changes to the status. Click the Save button to save changes.
  • Note: It is important to enter accurate start and end date information for each step because this information is directly related to BA status reports.
  • Note: If you are changing the project status to "archive," it is important to remember to redact any site-specific or location specific information from the documents being archived so as to ensure the continued protection of any listed species in the site vicinity.
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Accessing The How-To Guide
  • From the Online File Cabinets home page, click the "How To Guide" clipboard icon or click on the "How to Guide" under Help Resources in the left navigation bar.
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Calendar
  • The calendar is an optional feature where you can enter events relevant to your BA projects and Online File Cabinets. All team members can view the calendar.
Viewing The Calendar
  • From the Online File Cabinets home page, click the calendar icon. The calendar for the current month will appear along with any events you have added.
  • Note: The list includes all events added for your project, not just the current calendar month.
Adding Calendar Events
  • You must be a Project Manager to add a calendar event. To add an event, click the Add New button at the top of the calendar. An event details form will appear. Enter your desired changes and click the Save button.
Editing Events
  • You must be a Project Manager to edit an event. Click the Edit button at the bottom of the calendar next to the listed events. An Event Details form will appear. Enter your desired changes and click the Save button.
Deleting Events
  • You must be a Project Manager to delete an event. Click the Edit button at the bottom of the calendar next to the listed events. An Event Details form will appear. Click the Delete button to remove the event from the calendar.
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Team
  • The Team drawer provides contact information for project team members. All team members can view team member information. Project Managers are able to add, edit, or delete team member information.
Viewing The Team Member List
  • From the Online File Cabinets home page, click the Team drawer on the file cabinet. Team member contact information is accessible to all team members.
Adding Team Members
  • You must be a Project Manager to add team members. From the Online File Cabinets home page, click the Team drawer on the file cabinet. Click the Add New Member icon at the top left of the screen.
  • If you wish to add a team member who has not already registered with the system, you will need to enter new member's e-mail address and role in the form provided. Or you can select from a list of all members who have previously registered with the Webtool by clicking on the dropdown menu.
Editing A Team Member's Role
  • You must be a Project Manager to edit team member information. From the Online File Cabinets home page, click the Team drawer on the file cabinet. Click the Edit button to the left of the team member. Input your desired changes and click the Update button.
Deleting Team Members
  • You must be a Project Manager to delete team member information. From the Online File Cabinets home page, click the Team drawer on the file cabinet. Click the Edit button at the top left. Click the Delete button at the bottom left of the page.
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Files
  • The "Working," "Completed," and "Consultation" drawers of the file cabinet are where all BA project documents, pictures, and links are stored. You can upload BA documents, supporting documents, and any pictures related to the project that you want project team members to be able to access/view. A listing of links to web sites relevant to your BA project can also be created and stored here for reference.
  • The "Working" drawer is for draft materials and working files and can only be viewed by the Project Manager and Team Members.
  • The "Consultation" drawer is for sharing materials with the Reviewers. This is the only drawer in which Reviewers have the ability to upload documents.
  • The "Completed" drawer is for the completed BA and supporting materials. All team members can view files in the "Completed" drawer, but only Project Managers are able to upload, edit, or delete files.
  • The Biological Opinion (BO) or Letter of Concurrence (LC) should be uploaded into the Completed drawer when consultation is complete.
Viewing files
  • From the Online File Cabinets home page, click the "Working," "Completed," or "Consultation" file drawer on the file cabinet.
Uploading Documents
  • To upload a document to the Online File Cabinet, click the files drawer on the file cabinet. Click the Add New button under the correct heading (Draft BA, Supporting Documents, Pictures, or Completed BA documents). A screen will appear where you can insert a document description and upload the document or file.
  • Note: Although documents will open in their proper format (e.g., Microsoft Word or PDF files), any changes made to a document cannot be saved to the Online File Cabinet directly.
Saving Documents
  • To save a document to the Online File Cabinet, you must upload the document. See "Uploading Documents" section.
Deleting Documents
  • To delete a document, click the desired file drawer on the file cabinet. Click the Edit button to the left of the document title you wish to delete. Click the Delete button.
Uploading Pictures
  • To upload a picture to your Online File Cabinet, click the Working or Consultation file drawer on the file cabinet. Under the Pictures heading, click the Add New button. Insert the picture directly by clicking on the Browse button and selecting the picture from your computer's hard drive. Once selected, click the Save button.
  • You can also add a picture caption and short description and indicate the order in which you want the picture(s) displayed if there are multiple images.
Deleting Pictures
  • To delete a picture from your Online File Cabinet, click the file drawer from the Online File Cabinets home page. Click the Edit button next to the picture you wish to delete. Click the Delete button.

 


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