NEWS RELEASE

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November 1, 2007

FWS Proposes Split Decision on
Preble’s Mouse Conservation

LARAMIE – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today a proposal to strip Endangered Species Act protections from Wyoming populations of the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, while continuing to protect the mouse as a Threatened Species in Colorado. On the basis of an independent scientific review panel, the Service also concluded that there is no genetic basis to challenge the status of the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse as its own separate subspecies.

“The decision to exempt Wyoming populations of the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse from the safety net of the Endangered Species Act shows that a process that is supposedly driven by science has been hijacked by politics,” said Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. “There is a complete lack of data for population sizes and trends in Wyoming, so there is no way to know whether Wyoming populations are thriving, or declining toward extinction. How can the Fish and Wildlife Service remove Endangered Species protections when the agency has no idea how the mouse is doing in Wyoming?”

The Preble’s meadow jumping mouse lives only in riparian, or streamside, habitats. The vast majority of wildlife species on the High Plains depend on these habitats, with their lush growth of vegetation and abundant water, for their survival.

“The presence of the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse along High Plains waterways has afforded a measure of protection for these key habitats through the Habitat Conservation Plans and Critical Habitat designations, with benefits for many types of wildlife and without causing disruptions for homeowners and ag producers,” added Molvar. “These habitats will continue to enjoy protection in Colorado, but it will be a sad day for Wyoming’s wildlife, and not just the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, if the federal government strips away the protections for this rare and unique mouse.”

The Endangered Species Act does not provide for different levels of protections between states once an animal has been determined to be a Threatened Species. “Having determined that the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse is indeed threatened with extinction over much of Colorado, it would make sense for the Fish and Wildlife Service to continue to protect the Wyoming populations as well, so that survival of this unique mouse will be assured somewhere within its range,” Molvar concluded.