New Mexico Jumping Mouse Critical Habitat


On April 7th in the Federal Register, the USFWS filed a reopening of the comment period on the designation of critical habitat for the New Mexico Jumping Mouse. The proposed area would cover 14,560 acres in 29 different areas including Bernalillo, Colfax, Mora, Otero, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Socorro Counties and La Plata and Animas Counties of Colorado. I expect the area to increase significantly in size as the USFWS continues to be concerned about the species. The designation of critical habitat will require additional study and requirements by the Federal Government for any project on federal lands. As with both the Lesser Prairie Chicken and the Sand Dune Lizard, the first step towards either a threatened or endangered finding is designation of critical habitat.

Comments are due May 8th. The Federal Register notice.