The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the final listing of the New Mexico meadow
jumping mouse – a small furry mammal found on riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian areas and wetlands in New Mexico,
southern Colorado and eastern Arizona – as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The final rule will publish in the Federal Register on June 10, 2014, and will be effective 30 days
after publication.
The Service’s determination that the jumping mouse warrants listing as an endangered species is
based on the significant decline of its populations in occupied localities due to cumulative habitat
loss and fragmentation across its range, of which 95 percent is on federal and state lands. Ongoing
habitat loss is expected to result in additional extirpations of populations. The primary sources of
habitat loss include impacts from grazing, water management and use, drought (exacerbated by
climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change ) and wildfires (also exacerbated by climate change).
Since 2005, there have been 29 documented remaining populations (2 in Colorado, 15 in New
Mexico and 12 in Arizona) spread across eight geographic management areas. Nearly all of these
populations are isolated and widely separated, and all have patches of suitable habitat that are too
small to support resilient populations of the mammal. Because of the current conditions of the
isolated populations, when localities are extirpated there is little or no opportunity for natural
recolonization of the area due to the species’ limited dispersal capacity.
Four of the eight geographic management areas since 2005 have two or more locations known to be
occupied by the jumping mouse, but all are too small to support resilient populations. The
remaining four areas have only one location known to be occupied since 2005, and each population
is too small to be resilient. Therefore, the jumping mouse does not have the number and distribution
of resilient populations needed to provide the genetic and ecological diversity required for viability
of the species.
The New Mexico meadow jumping mouse hibernates about eight or nine months out of the year –
longer than most mammals – and is only active three or four months during the summer. Within this
short time frame, it must breed, birth, raise young and store up sufficient fat reserves to survive the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
News
Release
Public Affairs Office
PO Box 1306
Albuquerque, NM 87103
505/248-6911
505/248-6915 (Fax)next year’s hibernation period. In addition, the species only lives up to three years and has one litter
annually with seven or less young. As a result, if resources are not available in a single season,
populations are greatly stressed.
This final rule considered all comments received from peer reviewers, tribes, state agencies, federal
agencies and the public regarding the proposed rule to list the jumping mouse. Copies of the final
rule may be found at the Service’s website at http://www.fws.gov/southwest. The Service plans to
publish the final designation of critical habitat later this year.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish,
wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more
information, visit www.fws.gov, or connect with us through any of these social media channels:
