Property owners lose bid to de-list kangaroo rat

Fifteen years after Riverside County property owners petitioned to remove the Stephens' kangaroo rat from the endangered species list, the federal government has issued its final answer: No. Despite efforts to protect them, populations of the big-eyed hopping rats are declining, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded. Recent surveys determined that invasive grasses from suburban landscapes are shrinking the rat populations, even in protected areas. The invading plants make it more difficult for the animals to forage for seeds and dig burrows for shelter, said Jane Hendron, a wildlife agency spokeswoman based in Carlsbad. The decision announced Wednesday was bad news to developers and property owners who have been coping with rat protections for more than two decades. The rat favors habitat that is prime for building -- flat, open areas. The listing, which jeopardized or delayed residential and commercial development on about 22,000 acres, triggered an outcry and became the bane of developers in western Riverside County...more