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• ~ • <br />United States Department of the Interior <br />FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE <br />Ecoloacal Services <br />Colorado Field Office <br />755 Parfet Street, Suite 361 <br />Lakewood, Colorado 80215 <br />IN REPLY REFER TO: <br />ES/CO: T&E/PMJM <br />Mail Stop 65412 <br />Steve Dougherty <br />ERO Resources <br />1842 Clarkson Street <br />Denver, CO 80218 <br />Dear Mr. Dougherty: <br />Based on the authority conferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) <br />by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et <br />seq.), the Servrce has reviewed your recent submrttal on behalf of the Urban <br />Dramage and Flood Control Drstrict regarding aproposed "block clearance" for <br />the federally-listed threatened Preble's meadow Jumgmg mouse, Zapus hudsonius <br />preblei, (Pre le's) within a designated portion of the DDenver metro azea. The <br />Service concurs with your conclusron that designation of a "block clearance" <br />zoneT as you have proposed and depicted on the map of May 16, 2000, which <br />was rncluded with your submittal, rs appropriate. A "block-clearance" zone is <br />one in which the Service has detetmrned that the species in question is no longer <br />likely to exist. <br />The Service's Interim Survey Guidelines for the Preble's Meadow Jumping <br />Mouse (May 21, 1999), recommend that habitat assessments or trapping surveys <br />be conducted in potenrially suitable habitats in the affected counties to assure <br />compliance with the ESA. In designating a block clearance zone the Service <br />elim,nates the need for individuals or agencres to coordinate with the Service <br />prior to conducting activities in habitats that otherwise would be deemed to have <br />potential to support Preble's. The establishment of this block clearance zone is <br />based on the likelyy absence of Preble's within the area and in no way precludes <br />the Service from designating critical habitat within this zone. However, there <br />currently appears little likelr"hood that the area would include rivers, streams, or <br />riparian areas that aze critical habitat, or that would be of importance in any <br />future plan to recover of the species. <br />The Service bases this clearance on a series of factors that were evaluated in <br />your proposal. "They include numerous negative trappin surveys and habitat <br />assessments wrthin this azea in recent yeazs. Since 1997, well over 300 <br />trappin s surveys within the area failed to locate Preble's. In addition to review <br />b the Service, the proposed clearance was reviewed b~ biologrsts from the <br />CYolorado Division of Wildlife, members of the Preble s Meadow Jumping <br />Mouse Technical Working Group, the Colorado Preble's Meadow Jumping <br />Mouse Science Advisory Team, and the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse <br />Recovery Team. <br />Effective the date of this letter, the block clearance zone will be in effect for a <br />period of 3 years. After three years the Service will review the clearance any <br />addrtronal information, and renew the clearance as deemed appropriate. used <br />