The Mountain-Prairie Region

NEWS RELEASE

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
134 Union Boulevard
Lakewood, Colorado 80228

March 24, 1998

Mary Jennings (WY) 307-772-2374 x 32
Sharon Rose (CO) 303-236-7905 x 415

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a decision on the listing of the Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse as an endangered or threatened species will not be announced on March 25 as expected and may not be determined until mid May 1998. Review of additional information received from public meetings, correspondence, scientists, and various other sources prevented Service biologists from having the final package ready for review and comment by the Service Director in time for the March date.

"We will forward our recommendation on the mouse to the Service’s Washington office, and as part of the process, they will evaluate our findings and provide this information to the Director," said Ralph Morgenweck, Regional Director for the Mountain-Prairie Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

On March 25, 1997, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed the Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse to be added to the Federal list of endangered and threatened species . During the remainder of 1997 and into 1998, the Service held several public meetings to provide information on the mouse and its habitat and to gather any additional information that may be known about the species.

In addition, as part of a memorandum of agreement that was signed in late 1995 by Colorado Governor Roy Romer and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt to lay the foundation for a cooperative approach to conserving and managing species at risk in Colorado, a group of public and private partners has been working together to develop voluntary conservation efforts to address identified threats to the mouse and begin recovery efforts.

Service biologists have been reviewing the status of the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse since 1991 when the Service funded a status survey that was completed in 1993. On February 9, 1996 the Biodiversity Legal Defense Foundation filed a lawsuit against the Service for failure to list the mouse.

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