Natural Heritage Inventory (NHI) Portal for External Users

The mission of the Department of Natural Resources includes protecting Wisconsin's ecosystems that sustain all life. It is from the perspective of protecting biodiversity that users should approach accessing the NHI Portal.

NHI data is site-specific information on rare species and natural communities that occur in Wisconsin. To use the data appropriately, the user must interpret the data within the context of the Place-based report delivered by the NHI Portal System. All users should familiarize themselves with the Portal Tutorials as well as the Biodiversity Resources and NHI Data Information topics in the sidebar before entering the NHI Data Search Engine.

NHI Portal access is available to AUTHORIZED USERS ONLY who are part of the Pilot Project to test the feasibility of Internet access. For generalized NHI data available to the public, there are two resources: The NHI County Data and the NHI County Maps – both are intended for general information and planning purposes and are available on our website.

If you are an Authorized User, or need to register for a WAMS ID, please be sure to read the Terms and Conditions of Use for the NHI Data Portal before logging into the application.

If you are interested in obtaining more specific NHI Data, there are a number of steps you must follow:

1. You must request the data in writing and demonstrate that your request for the data has a conservation purpose
2. You must sign a Data License Agreement and in some cases develop and sign a Security Protocol
3. You must pay a fee for the data as outlined in NR 29.04
4. Training may also be required

To initiate a request for NHI Data, please send a letter to the Endangered Resources Planning and Protection Specialist explaining the purpose of your request and the data you are interested in receiving. Send the letter to WDNR – Endangered Resources Program, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921

This portal was made possible through the funding by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant #NA03NOS4190106, a grant from the Natural Resources Foundation, and the Endangered Resources Fund. (Funding & Support Page)