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The US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) is taking a new approach to species conservation through locally formed Site Conservation Teams (SCT). The first team—targeting Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (PMJM)—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. The Poudre SCT aims to work with the local community to achieve the best solutions for people and PMJM.
PMJM is listed by the USFWS as a threatened species. It is only found along the Front Range of Colorado and Southern Wyoming in riparian areas below 7600 feet. Fortunately, suitable habitat for PMJM can be maintained or improved in the Poudre Basin with compatible land management.
To learn about the PMJM & SCT, how local landowners and community members can participate in PMJM conservation, see this information sheet, this FAQ, and this final nomination map. To see who serves on 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.
Learn more about Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse, see the USFWS web site. To see PMJM in action, check out this video.
Stay informed about the Preble’s mouse project in the North Fork of the Poudre River Watershed!
The goal of each Species 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 Species 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 habitat.
Check back on this page, or sign up for updates, to make sure you don’t miss upcoming events!
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.
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