The wildlife service also has been calling for that consultation since last year, when it sent a sent a draft letter to the Corps requesting it.

It appears some degree of consultation is on the horizon.

Jeff Humphrey, spokesman for the wildlife service, said Monday that the agency’s field staff and the Corps are planning a visit to the project site. The agencies will then determine the extent of consultation required, including whether to consider direct and indirect effects of the entire project on the surrounding environment and species dependent upon it, Humphrey said.

The Corps has already agreed to “informal consultation” on a 144-acre parcel on the San Pedro that will be devoted to mitigating effects of Vigneto’s intrusion on desert washes, Humphrey said. The Corps agreed only to “informal” consultation because the agency does not believe there will be impacts, and the wildlife service has 30 days to respond to that assessment, he said.