Weeks of trapping and surveying in the mountains of southern New Mexico have provided federal biologists with enough evidence to say the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse still exists in the Sacramento Mountains.
Sacramento District Ranger Beth Humphrey says confirming the rodent's existence provides hope that the species can recover over time.
The mouse was listed as an endangered species in 2014, prompting the U.S. Forest Service to fence off watering holes on the Lincoln and Santa Fe forests for the mouse. That spurred criticism that the federal government was trampling on property and water rights in New Mexico as it had in other Western states.
Humphrey says her district will be collecting public comments this fall on proposals for long-term strategies for recovering the mouse.
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