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Week of June 27, 2004

Uses of the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse

In several states in the western US, an endangered species called the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse has influenced land development in many sweeping ways. Attempts to maintain habitat for Preble's has in some cases precluded development entirely, and in others has forced changes in planning everything from water projects to public parks.

Now, it seems, scientists have found that the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse is not endangered at all, in fact it is biologically identical to a strain of mouse which is quite common in parts of the West. This has sparked a debate about what to do next, since dropping the mouse from protection would allow development to proceed in many places which are currently protected. Activists believe that open spaces and protected land are important in their own right, but many people also feel that the Endangered Species Act should not be used to enforce those things, in the absence of an actual endangered species. This article in the New York Times provides a lot of insight into both the clear uses and potential abuses of the Endangered Species Act, and gives us all food for thought.

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Posted by Jennifer on Monday, June 28 2004, 9:28 AM

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