The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reviewed a petition to list the pocket gopher in Douglas County, Colorado, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and has concluded the petition did not provide substantial information suggesting that a more detailed study of the species is necessary. The negative finding was published today in the Federal Register.
The Service has information that the pocket gopher is more widespread than indicated in the petition, substantially more of the sites are currently occupied, and many of these occupied sites are protected from development as part of county?administered open space, Lowry Military Reservation lands, or various State?owned lands in Douglas, Arapahoe, and Elbert Counties, Colorado.
5.1pt; -35.1pt list 35.1pt
The ESA provides for citizens to petition the Service to take listing actions, including adding species to the lists of threatened and endangered wildlife and plants as well as removing species from the lists. The Service is required to make a finding within 90 days on whether the petition presents substantial information that the petitioned action may be warranted.
For more information about this finding, please contact Bob Dach with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 134 Union Blvd., Lakewood, Colorado, 303-236-4264. The Service asks that the public submit any new information that becomes available concerning the status of the species or threats to it.
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For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
Visit the Mountain Prairie website at: 3http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov
