Biologists are surveying the foothills along the front range for a threatened species of mouse that’s emerged as a source of frustration for ranchers and the real estate industry.
A recent search turned up no Preble’s meadow jumping mice at the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge outside of Denver, but additional searches will continue through the summer.
Even though they are shielded by law, Preble’s mice have declined across a range that extends from Wyoming to Colorado springs.
The Colorado Association of Home Builders, Colorado Cattlemen’sAssociation, and Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs recently asked the federal government to lift protections for the species.
The groups say that saving streamside habitat for mice is hurting their business.
