RESEARCH SHOWS PREBLE'S IS COMMON SPECIES OF MOUSE

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Supporting long-standing assertions by the state of Wyoming, researchers at the Denver museum of Nature & Science have found that what is commonly known as the Preble's meadow jumping mouse is not genetically distinct from a common type of mouse. Given this finding, Gov. Dave Freudenthal this week filed a 110-page petition with the U.S. Department of Interior to have the Preble's meadow jumping mouse removed from the list of threatened and endangered animals.

Removing the mouse from the list would mean that it would not receive any special protection. If the delisting is successful, critical habitat designations made earlier this year for large areas of southeast Wyoming and eastern Colorado would no longer apply, and recovery planning efforts requiring land use changes throughout the range of the mouse would not be required.

Agriculture producers would not be subject to restrictions on irrigation ditch maintenance, weed control, haying or any usual ranching and farming activity. Municipalities would not have to set aside habitat for a rare mouse or spend additional funds to mitigate any project which could impact mouse habitat.

Federal agencies would not have to conduct Section 7 consultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about the mouse when doing projects or alterations in mouse habitat. Also, all Section 9 penalties would be removed, which means no one could be fined or jailed for "taking" a mouse.

"The good news is that this means one less species in danger," Gov. Dave Freudenthal said. "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can now direct its scarce resources to an animal that actually needs protection and recovery."

In the spring of 2003, the state of Wyoming contracted with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to conduct mitochondrial DNA research to determine if the Preble's meadow jumping mouse was a truly unique species.

To fund the study, the state of Wyoming paid $61,430, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service paid $20,000. State officials have suspected the listing of the mouse was improper since it occurred in 1998, saying questions remained unanswered about the actual rarity of the species.

Genetic zoologists at the museum have concluded that the state was right to question the Fish and Wildlife Service's actions. According to the scientists, the Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei)
is genetically indistinguishable from another mouse (Zapus hudsonius campestris). The campestris variety is widely abundant and is found in Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas and Canada.

"The DNA work shows that the mouse they called Preble's is actually part of a healthy population of mice throughout the northern plains," said state Department of Agriculture Director John Etchepare. "Even better is that
the habitat is in great shape from Montana to Colorado."

In addition to the genetics work, the delisting petition provides a thorough summary of trapping results done during the last five years, which show conclusively that the mouse is still found in all habitat units in its historic range and some areas where it was not known to exist historically.

Populations of mice in these habitat units appear to be thriving. This information is in direct contrast to claims made at the time the mouse was originally listed, when little information was available for the mouse.

"It is unfortunate that the mouse could be originally listed using such poor and unsubstantiated information," said Vern Stelter, a habitat protection biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. "The fact that this mouse was listed at all is a clear call for revised federal policy to ensure that endangered species actions are more supportable and science-based in the future."

Wheatland-based environmental consultant Aaron Clark wrote the petition on behalf of the state, and his company, PIC Technologies Inc., provided computer mapping abilities that illustrated the science behind the petition. Mouse-trapping on private land by Renee Taylor of True Companies helped determine the mouse's true status and provided scientific information for inclusion in the delisting petition. State agencies involved included the governor's office, the state Game and Fish Department and the state Department of Agriculture.

"Wyoming ag producers have done a wonderful job in providing habitat for all wildlife, including mice," said Matt Hoobler, agriculture programs coordinator for the state Department of Agriculture. "The irony is that they wouldn't have had to deal with the heavy restrictions associated with a threatened or endangered species if they hadn't been providing habitat in the first place."

Helpful information can be found online at http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/preble/.