An official website of

North Fork Poudre Site Conservation Team

The North Fork Poudre Site Conservation Team (SCT) aims to work with the local community to achieve the best solutions for people and the Preble’s mouse within the North Fork of the Cache la Poudre Watershed.

The first SCT to target the Preble’s Mouse was established in the North Fork of the Cache la Poudre River Basin in 2019. The SCT includes representation from local landowners, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.  

To learn about the Preble’s mouse within the NF Poudre SCT, how local landowners and community members can participate in Preble’s mouse conservation, see this information sheet, this FAQ, final nomination map, and Conservation Plan. To see who serves on the NF Poudre SCT, see this roster For inquiries, please contact SCT members highlighted in the roster.

Financial opportunities are being developed to support potential future habitat projects with private landowners and public land managers.

Stay informed about the Preble’s mouse project in the North Fork of the Poudre River Watershed!

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E-newsletter

A quarterly electronic newsletter was launched Spring 2023. Newsletters will include:  project spotlights, land and water management practices and projects, partners and funding for landowners, updates on the SCT process and events. View past newsletters:
Q1 2023
Q2 2023
Q1 2024

Land and Water Management Practices and Resources for Landowners

The North Fork Poudre SCT is available to assist land managers and land owners who wish to enhance or improve riparian and adjacent upland habitat for Preble’s mouse and other wildlife.

The SCT is composed of partner organizations who can provide technical knowledge and funding for projects. The SCT is willing to form teams to do site visits to help develop projects in partnership with landowners and land managers.

In addition, the SCT is developing resources that describe land and water management practices. Table 1 from the Conservation Plan describes a list of factors that can be used to assess a stream reach to determine the Preble’s mouse habitat quality rating. Table 2, also from the Conservation Plan, details a list of Land and Water Management Activities and Practices for Habitat Maintenance or Enhancement.

See a Habitat Suitability for Stream Types photo series here.

Stay tuned for a series of Fact Sheets on the following topics:

  1. Managing for a Healthy Watershed 
  2. Agricultural Practices for Watershed Health 
  3. Good fences Make Good Neighbors and Healthy 
  4. Stewarding Our Natural Water 
  5. Keeping Stream Channels Healthy and Uplands Connected
  6. Building for Enjoyment and Living with Sensitivity to Wildlife 
  7. Stewarding with Nature’s Disturbances in Mind

Projects

Upcoming Events

Check back soon for upcoming events!

Latest News

Thank you to the Larimer County Commissioners and the Larimer County Environmental and Science Advisory Board for recognizing the North Fork Poudre Site Conservation Team (SCT) with the Environmental Stewardship Award! CPRW staff have been honored to work with this first-of-its-kind group made up of 5 private landowners, 3 non-profit conservation organizations, 4 local governmental natural resource departments, 4 state natural resource agencies, and 3 federal land management agencies. 

Read more about the award here.

The goal of each Site Conservation Team (SCT) is to work toward meeting recovery goals, striving to recommend simple, straightforward conservation tools for restoration on public and private lands for habitat improvement.

The first step in the SCT process is to use the best local knowledge and available technical information to identify where within each watershed Preble’s habitat exists and to describe how suitable it is currently for the Preble’s mouse. This document is called a Recovery Population Nomination.

The North Fork Poudre River Site Conservation Team (North Fork SCT) has spent the last two years publicly gathering information and then visited properties to develop the Recovery Population Nomination for the North Fork of the Poudre watershed. Our conclusion is that the North Fork of the Poudre watershed is in a good position to help meet recovery goals for the Preble’s mouse. This is because of two important factors. First, a significant amount of the watershed is comprised of public lands whose mission is focused on wildlife conservation and healthy watersheds and therefore is managed to support healthy habitat. Second, a love of this watershed by community members and organizations and the recognition that healthy streams benefit not just nature, but also people and their lives, has led to a culture of conservation. Private landowners have either formally conserved private lands or continued management practices that result in healthy habitat for wildlife and agricultural land uses. The Recovery Population Nomination is based on the information that is currently available. As the North Fork SCT moves into the next phase of developing a Conservation Plan, we hope to learn more about the watershed and improve our assessment of Preble’s mouse habitat.

Check back on this page, or sign up for updates, to make sure you don’t miss upcoming events!

Previous posts and events

North Fork of the Poudre Healthy Watershed Tour and Open House (November 8th, 2022). This blog post reports on the third annual community event hosted on September 16th, 2022. The event started and ended at the Livermore Community Hall. Eight different land management organizations and agencies hosted information booths to share funding and partner opportunities for landowners. A 3-stop watershed tour for local community members to learn about Preble’s mouse by looking at a variety of habitat conditions and management practices in the watershed. Stops included Halligan Reservoir, Rabbit Creek on the Lower Cherokee State Wildlife Area, and Rabbit Creek on State Land Board land. Lunch was sponsored by the State Land Board. You can find the original invitation to this event here: Healthy Watershed Tour Invitation (September 16, 2022).

News from Halligan Reservoir & North Fork of the Poudre River was the topic of the first Pub Talk hosted at The Forks Mercantile and Saloon on August 9th, 2023. Darren Parkin, Halligan Water Supply Project Manager for the City of Fort Collins Utility, spoke on the Proposed Halligan Reservoir Expansion and plans to mitigate impacts to the river and wildlife, including Preble’s meadow jumping mouse.

Pub Talks are designed by the North Fork Poudre SCT to address broad topics of community interest related to the North Fork of the Poudre Watershed. Stay tuned for the next Pub Talk by signing up for our newsletter.

North Fork of the Poudre Healthy Watershed Tour and Open House (November 8th, 2022): This blog post reports on the second community event hosted in September 2022. The event included two activities. The event started with a watershed tour for local community members to learn about Preble’s mouse by looking at a variety of habitat conditions and management practices in the watershed. Following the tour, an open house was hosted during lunch at the Livermore Community Hall, where 12 different land management organizations and agencies hosted information booths to share funding and partner opportunities for landowners. You can find the original invitation to this event here: Healthy Watershed Tour Invitation (September 10, 2022).

Webinar: “A Community Approach to Conserving Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse” (February 23, 2022): Members of the Poudre Site Conservation Team hosted a webinar to introduce a new, first-of-its-kind approach to species conservation and share how you can get involved. The webinar features a Q&A with team members. View the original invitation to this event here.

Summer Community Event for the Preble’s Mouse(September 21, 2021)This blog post gives a glimpse into an event hosted in September to inform local communities on the work to recover the PMJM. The Poudre River SCT joined community members on a historic ranch along the river to share stories about their love for the river and local food production, as well as best management practices to support the river for the benefit of all. You can find the original invitation to this event here: Poudre River Community Event Invitation (September 19, 2021).

New Approach to Working with Communities to Conserve a Threatened Species (June 3, 2021): This blog describes the beginnings of the SCT approach for conservation and the effort to target the PMJM.

To learn more about regional SCTs:

 

Preble’s Mouse SCT Home Page

North Fork Poudre 

St Vrain

Monument Creek 

Plum Creek (coming soon) 

Buckhorn (coming soon) 

Cherry Creek (coming soon)

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