Mouse habitat in Lincoln national forest closed May through October

Areas within critical habitat occupied by the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse in the Sacramento District of the Lincoln National Forest will be closed for six months in 2016 and 2017. Staff of the Lincoln National forest issued a closure order to protect those areas where the mouse, which is listed as an endangered species, is known to occupy and that are considered necessary for the recovery of the species. The Forest Service has a legal obligation to protect the jumping mouse and the critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act, a news release on the closure stated. The purpose of the closure order is to protect the habitat during the season the species is active and most vulnerable. The Sacramento District falls within Otero County, a neighbor of Lincoln County. The Sacramento Ranger District office is located in Cloudcroft and the forest supervisor's base is in Alamogordo. Lincoln County encompasses the Smokey Bear Ranger District of the national forest and is based in Ruidoso. The closure order will include all occupied critical habitat on the Lincoln National Forest, including small portions of Agua Chiquita, Silver Springs, Rio Peñasco and Wills Canyon within the Sacramento Ranger District. The closure will remain in effect for two years from May 1, 2016 to Oct. 31, 2016, and from May 1, 2017 to Oct. 31, 2017. Further analysis will be completed to determine future actions beyond October 2017. The closure restricts all entry to the restricted area. Authorized roads and trails within the restricted area will remain open...more

Below is the Forest Service notice and map.