[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 41 (Thursday, April 2, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      THE PREBLE's MEADOW JUMPING MOUSE ON COLORADO's FRONT RANGE

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                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 1998

  Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, the Secretary of Interior, 
through the Fish and Wildlife Service, will soon make an important 
decision concerning whether to list the Preble's meadow jumping mouse 
as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This 
decision comes at a troubling time for the people of the State of 
Colorado. A decision to list this species would have profound impacts 
on Colorado's thriving front range.
  Colorado has taken steps to preserve our Western heritage and quality 
of life. Coloradans care about their environment. Those that depend 
upon the land and its resources have a vital link to their environment. 
If they do not manage their resources responsibly, they do not survive. 
Today, family-owned farms and ranches are at risk. According to some 
sporadic studies by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the habitat for 
the Preble's meadow jumping mouse is also at risk.
  Colorado has aggressively dealt with the issues of growth and 
suburban sprawl along the front range. Land use planning, and growth 
issues are effectively being dealt with at the local and state levels. 
So too, is Colorado dealing with the issue of the Preble's meadow 
jumping mouse.
  Colorado's General Assembly is considering a state law that would 
establish a trust fund to conserve species before their status becomes 
critical enough to justify listing under the Endangered Species Act. 
That bill has already passed the Agriculture Committee and is currently 
being considered for appropriations. In addition, Colorado has 
established a broad-based coalition of land owners, state and local 
government officials and conservationists to protect the mouse and its 
habitat. Colorado's approach to species preservation provides as much, 
if not more protection, than other successful programs applied across 
the country.
  In light of existing and developing efforts to protect the species, 
the need to solicit additional data, and the profound impacts that 
listing would have on Colorado's front range, the Secretary of the 
Interior of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should allow the State 
to fully develop their state and local plans to preserve Colorado's 
quality of life, and the Preble's meadow jumping mouse.

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