A September 5 article in The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) “is reviewing the decision of former deputy assistant [Interior] secretary Julie MacDonald in 2005” to take the Preble's meadow jumping mouse “off the threatened species list.” The article, however, failed to report that MacDonald resigned her position after an Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation determined that she violated federal ethics rules. In fact, according to the OIG's report, MacDonald was “heavily involved with editing, commenting on, and reshaping the Endangered Species Program's scientific reports from the field,” including specifically the USFWS study of the Preble's meadow jumping mouse.

As The Gazette reported, “Northern El Paso County, home to the threatened Preble's meadow jumping mouse, was improperly left off a list of the mouse's critical habitat, a conservation group says. The Center for Biological Diversity has announced plans to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over decisions affecting 55 threatened and endangered species, including the tiny mouse that lives only along streams on the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming.” The article, by R. Scott Rappold, further reported:

The shy, nocturnal rodent, which has a long tail and a dark stripe down the middle of its back, can leap 18 inches into the air. Its habitat has been decimated by development on the Front Range, and it was declared threatened in 1998.

At issue is the agency's 2003 decision to cut the proposed critical habitat area from 57,446 acres to 31,222. In El Paso County, 3,110 acres to the north, east and south of the Air Force Academy were removed from the final listing. Another 12,545 acres in Douglas County were also removed.

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The Center for Biological Diversity last week notified the Fish and Wildlife Service of its intent to sue, saying political influence by Department of Interior officials was present in decisions on species protection.

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The Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the decision of former deputy assistant secretary Julie MacDonald in 2005 to take the mouse off the threatened species list.

Agency spokeswoman Diane Katzenberger said a decision will be made by the end of October. Restrictions to protect the mouse remain in place until a final decision is made.

The Gazette, however, failed to mention that the OIG report concluded that MacDonald -- in addition to “editing, commenting on, and reshaping the Endangered Species Program's scientific reports from the field” -- violated specific Code of Federal Regulations provisions regarding the “Use of Nonpublic Information,” the “Basic Obligation of Public Service,” and the “Appearance of Preferential Treatment.” The OIG also determined that MacDonald -- who has a “degree ... in civil engineering and ... no formal educational background in natural sciences” -- had “misused her position and disclosed nonpublic information to private sector sources.” According to the OIG report:

We interviewed the Chief, Classification and Conservation, FWS, who stated that MacDonald often interjected herself into the scientific process. She cited MacDonald's involvement in an FWS study of Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse as an example. The mouse was listed in 1998 as a threatened species under the ESA.

On February 2, 2005, FWS issued a finding on a petition to delist the Preble's mouse and proposed to remove the mouse from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. The delisting proposal was primarily based on the genetic research conducted by a zoologist formerly of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The zoologist's study claimed that the Preble's mouse was not a species unto itself and was part of a more common species of mouse. The Classification and Conservation Chief said that based on this information, MacDonald wanted to delist the species from the endangered list.

According to the Classification and Conservation Chief, in seeking to use the best science possible in making a final decision, FWS later commissioned a USGS biologist to do an independent genetic analysis of several meadow jumping mouse subspecies. The USGS study results, provided to FWS on January 25, 2006, raised significant questions about the conclusions drawn by zoologist in his study.

Given the apparent inconsistencies between these reports, said the Classification and Conservation Chief, the FWS contracted with Sustainable Ecosystems Institute (SEI) to organize an independent scientific review panel to analyze, assess, and weigh the reasons why the data, findings, and conclusions of the USGS biologist differ from those of the zoologist. The Chief said MacDonald wanted to hire an outside consultant other than SEI. On July 21, 2006, SEI delivered to FWS their report, which stated that based on the “best available science” it appears the Preble's mouse is a distinct species on at least some basis. A final determination by FWS on the status of the Preble's mouse is pending.

As Colorado Media Matters has noted, The Gazette previously has omitted critical facts in reporting on the Preble's meadow jumping mouse issue. For instance:

• On July 29, a Gazette editorial argued against Endangered Species Act protections for the Preble's mouse and stated that the scientific basis for the mouse's listing was “flimsy.” The editorial failed to point out that an independent scientific panel concluded that “the weight of evidence” supported the “threatened” subspecies designation for the mouse. The editorial also omitted key details about MacDonald's record as deputy assistant Interior secretary.
• On September 19, 2006, The Gazette published a shortened version of a September 18 Associated Press article about the Preble's mouse. The version in The Gazette described a “fierce dispute ... about whether the Preble's mouse is a distinct creature,” but omitted the SEI's conclusion that the mouse should continue to be classified as distinct.
• On October 7, 2006, Gazette reporter Ed Sealover repeated 5th Congressional District candidate Doug Lamborn's (R) statement that he was “not convinced” that the Preble's mouse is “a species that is separate from other species,” while omitting the fact that the SEI panel of scientific experts unanimously concluded that the Preble's mouse should retain its classification as a distinct subspecies.