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99 <br /> umleu 0La«s Department of the Interior <br /> FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE <br /> RECEIVED <br /> ecolo�icsl savicu <br /> CoP.O Box w JUN 131997 <br /> De a Fedad C ur <br /> PS/CWMJM:Guidelines Dc Y ,Colondo 80275-0207 <br /> Mail Stop 65412 Wl nloW,1nerals&Geology <br /> To whom it may concern: <br /> The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has established interim recommendations and <br /> guidelines for surveys to determine the presence or absence of the Preble's meadow jumping <br /> mouse (Zapus hudsonius prebiet) (Preble's) and serve as the basis for more comprehensive <br /> research. This mammalian subspecies is currently proposed for listing as a Federal endangered <br /> species under the Endangered Species Act (BSA) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et. <br /> seq.). These guidelines were developed by the Service and the Colorado Division of Wildlife <br /> (CROW), in consultation with other biologists, ecologists, and researchers knowledgeable <br /> about this subspecies to gain more information about the subspecies, identify potential habitats, <br /> ensure protection of individuals of this subspecies during surveying efforts, educate potential <br /> surveyors and other interested parties on the ecology of Preble's, and streamline and <br /> standardize survey procedures. Furthermore, these guidelines were developed as the standard <br /> that the Service and the CDOW will require in order to accept the validity of surveys and <br /> survey reports prepared for Preble's. <br /> The ecology of the meadow jumping mouse has not been studied in detail on the western <br /> margins of its range. However, based on studies of Preble's and of Z. hudronius elsewhere, <br /> Preble's apparently occurs mostly in low undergrowth consisting of grasses, forbs, or both in <br /> open wet meadows and riparian corridors or where tall shrubs and low trees provide adequate <br /> cover. Z. hudsoniur prefers lowlands with medium to high moisture over dry uplands and <br /> avoids the sparse vegetation that is generally associated with low moisture habitats. <br /> The surveys are recommended for appropriate sites below 7,400 feet elevation in the following <br /> area in Colorado and Wyoming: <br /> a. Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, and Jefferson Counties in Colorado; <br /> b. The South Platte River 100-year floodplain and tributaries (and their associated wet <br /> meadow complexes) in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Elbert, Larimer, Morgan, and <br /> Weld Counties from the Front Range as far east as Fort Morgan in Colorado; <br /> c. The North Platte River, South Platte River, and Lodgepole Creek 100-year floodplains <br /> and tributaries (and their associated wet meadow complexes) east of the Laramie <br /> Mountains and south of the North Platte River (northwest to Douglas) in Albany, <br /> Converse, Goshen, Laramie, and Platte Counties in Wyoming. <br />