Study boosts mouse's chances for protection
John Heilprin, Associated Press
Published July 24, 2006 at midnight
WASHINGTON - A tiny mouse vying for survival in the Rocky Mountains may have gained an upper hand over Western developers.
Scientists hired to review contradictory evidence for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded the Preble's meadow jumping mouse is a unique subspecies, limited to parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
The study by the Portland, Ore.- based Sustainable Ecosystems Institute, obtained Sunday, would help justify keeping the 3-inch mouse protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The mouse, which uses its 6-inch tail and strong hind legs to jump a foot and a half in the air, inhabits grasslands that include prime real estate along Colorado's Front Range, and protection of the rodent has stirred spirited debate.
Fish and Wildlife is expected to decide by early August whether the mouse should stay on the endangered species list. The decision affects nearly 31,000 acres designated as critical habitat to help the mouse recover. Its population has dwindled to an average of 44 mice per mile of stream because of urban sprawl.
"It's really too early to say what actions we will be taking as a result of this. Obviously, we will be according this study great weight," Fish and Wildlife spokesman Chris Tollefson said Sunday.
A fierce dispute arose earlier this year about whether the mouse is a distinct creature with a dwindling population, or is the same as a more common species - and undeserving of protection.
It quickly became emblematic of a broader ideological clash over the Endangered Species Act itself, between property-rights advocates who want to scale back the law and wildlife advocates who want to ensure the law is science-driven.
Biologist Rob Roy Ramey, a contractor to the Interior Department, had found that the mouse was genetically identical to the more common Bear Lodge meadow jumping mouse, which isn't in danger of extinction.
His research was among the reasons cited by then-Interior Secretary Gale Norton in February 2005 when she proposed removing the mouse from the government's endangered species list. It has been considered a species "threatened" for survival since 1998.
Featured
-
2008 Voter’s Guide
Use our Ballot Builder tool to compare your viewpoints to the candidates.
-
A Dozen on Denver
Sandra Dallas wrote 'Lennie's tavern' for our ongoing fiction series. Check it out!
-
Rocky Multimedia
The news comes alive in our videos and slide shows. Catch up on today's events.
-
Bronco Dean's rant
Listen to Bronco Dean's totally biased pregame rant about the Broncos-Jaguars game.
-
Presidential Elections
See how Colorado counties have voted through the years.
-
County election profiles
A look at how residents in each Colorado county may vote.
-
A dream fulfilled
A Rocky Mountain News and MediaStorm production
-
Latest from Dove Valley
Click for more broncos videos.
-
Sam Adams' Open Mic
No. 44 means a lot to Floyd Little
Post your comment
Registration is required. Click here to create your free user account, or login below.
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.