Safe dam operation includes comprehensive, state-of-practice guidance on timely inspection and observation of wildlife damages, accurate wildlife identifcation and mitigation, and appropriate dam design, repair, and preventive measures. This technical manual provides guidance to dam specialists, including dam owners, operators, inspectors, state dam offcials, and consulting engineers, in the following areas: (1) the impacts wildlife can have on earthen dams; (2) habitat, range, description, and behavior of common nuisance wildlife to aid in the proper identifcation at the dam; (3) state-of-practice methods to prevent and mitigate adverse wildlife impacts on earthen dams; and (4) state-of-practice design guidance for repair and preventive design associated with nuisance wildlife intrusion.