© Biodiversity Conservation Alliance

Laramie - A coalition of conservation groups and Laramie residents announced their intent to take legal action against the U.S. Forest Service to protect clean water and wildlife habitat from overgrazing in the Vedauwoo area of the Medicine Bow National Forest west of Cheyenne.

At issue is the Forest Service's failure to halt ongoing water pollution in the Crow Creek watershed and failure to protect the habitat of the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, a species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Overgrazing has been causing water pollution and threatens the Preble's. Although citizens have attempted to work with the Forest Service to address these issues, the agency has shown unwillingness to take action.

"This isn't about whether cows are good or bad," said Jeremy Nichols with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. "It's about whether the Forest Service is going to enforce safeguards meant to protect people and wildlife."

Testing of water quality in 2002 and 2003 by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) found that domestic livestock grazing authorized by the Forest Service in

© Biodiversity Conservation Alliance

the Vedauwoo area violated water quality standards. In particular, grazing was causing fecal coliform pollution in North Branch Crow Creek and Middle Crow Creek, both streams that contribute to Cheyennes drinking water supply. The presence of fecal coliform indicates that cow manure is polluting these streams and also indicates that a health risk exists for individuals exposed to the water.

Despite reports of water pollution and associated health risks, the Forest Service has indicated it intends to allow overgrazing to continue in the Vedauwoo area. Recent discussions with Forest Service officials have revealed the agency intends only to continue monitoring the situation. "Unfortunately, two years of monitoring has not solved any problem," said Nichols. "It's time for the Forest Service to stop watching the problem and start fixing it."

Also in 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated Critical Habitat for the Preble's meadow jumping mouse. This designation included fragile streamside habitats along Middle Lodgepole Creek in the Vedauwoo area. Critical Habitat delineates areas that species, like the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, depend upon for their survival and ultimately their recovery. Under the Endangered Species Act, federal agencies, like the Forest Service, must protect Critical Habitat in order to conserve and recover threatened or endangered species.

The Forest Service has yet to ensure domestic livestock grazing in the Vedauwoo area is in fact protecting the Prebles meadow jumping mouse and its Critical Habitat. This is of particular concern since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified overgrazing as a threat to the mouse and its habitat when it was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1998.

"This isn't rocket science," said Jacob Smith with Center for Native Ecosystems. "Overgrazing is clearly causing water pollution and threatens sensitive wildlife habitat. Either the Forest Service needs to take action or we will."

Although opponents of the Preble's meadow jumping mouse claim the species does not deserve to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, there is a wealth of evidence that suggests otherwise. In December of 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that the mouse remained threatened by habitat loss and degradation throughout its range and should remain listed under the Endangered Species Act. Continued monitoring of the mouse has confirmed that its fragile, streamside habitats along the Front Range of Colorado and into southeastern Wyoming remain threatened by urban sprawl, overgrazing, irrigation diversions, and unmanaged agricultural development. The Preble's needs high quality streamside habitats, including dense vegetation and a clean water source, and is extremely sensitive to environmental damage. For more information on the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, visit /http://www.voiceforthewild.org/wildspecies/news/n17dec03.html.

While opponents point to the results of an ongoing genetics study as reason to remove the Preble's from the list of threatened species, this study has yet to be finalized and its conclusions remain tentative. Preliminary results of this ongoing genetics study however, suggest that the Preble's might be more closely related to the Bear Lodge meadow jumping mouse. The Bear Lodge meadow jumping mouse is narrowly distributed in and around the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. Like the Preble's, the Bear Lodge meadow jumping mouse faces numerous threats and also may be in danger of going extinct.

The coalition, which includes Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Center for Native Ecosystems, and several Laramie residents, intends to file suit after 60-days if the Forest Service does not agree to protect water quality and habitat for the Preble's meadow jumping mouse.