The subject environmental impact statement (EIS) and associated analysis under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are in their final stages. The ESA analysis has been submitted to the Fish and Wildlife Service to initiate formal consultation under the ESA. Supplemental materials prepared for the EIS will be published and distributed soon for public review and comment. The ESA analysis proposes buffer zones around some listed species to protect them from potential exposure to program pesticides. The magnitude of the buffer zones is premised upon ecological effects of risk models and prior year program monitoring. In some areas, particularly around some plant species and some of the especially sensitive aquatic species, buffer zones of 300 feet may be established. These buffer zones consist of areas where no chemical treatments may be applied under the auspices of this program. In the absence of chemical treatments, other control technologies may need to be applied in order to meet the program goal of eradication. These might include: mass trapping, sterile weevils, and attracticide device; or state regulations regarding no-cotton zones, mandatory plow downs, alternative crops, and the like. Modifications of these buffers in ensuing years will require substantial information on pesticide placement, off-site drift, and non-target impacts. An enhanced monitoring program is being designed to obtain this information, but considerable assistance and other research is still needed.