$28,000 HOME PLANNED FOR RARE RODENT.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer PALMDALE - To reduce the impact of two new campuses on the protected Mohave ground squirrel The Mohave Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus mohavensis, is a species of ground squirrel found only in the western Mojave Desert, California. It is listed as an endangered species in California, but not in the United States. The IUCN lists this species as vulnerable. , the Palmdale School District The Palmdale School District is a school district that serves a major part of the city of Palmdale, California (USA). The Palmdale School District was first formed in 1888. Approximately 28,000 students are enrolled in the Palmdale School District. will pay more than $28,000 to buy and preserve other land for the seldom-seen, cinnamon-color rodent. Ana Verde and Ponderosa schools are planned on land that could be habitat for the ground squirrel ground squirrel, name applied to certain terrestrial rodents of the squirrel family. In North America the name refers to members of the genus Citellus and sometimes to the closely related genera Tamias (chipmunk), Cynomys (prairie dog), and , listed by state government as a threatened species. ``There is no evidence of any Mohave ground squirrel or any other endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. on these properties, but according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the California (Department of) Fish and Game, this is what we're obliged to do,'' said Jim Vose, a facilities consultant for the school district. At Tuesday's meeting, the Palmdale board will consider paying $28,434 for purchase and management of more than 13 acres of desert near California City in the 39-square-mile Desert Tortoise Natural Area The Desert Tortoise Natural Area (DTNA) is a 39.5 square mile area northeast of California City, California set aside for the California State Reptile, the Desert Tortoise. . The school district must provide 6.04 acres of replacement wildlife habitat for Ponderosa School and 7.5 acres for Ana Verde School. Ana Verde School is proposed for 15 acres at the northwest corner of Division Street and Rayburn Road. Ponderosa School is planned for 12 acres north of Pearblossom Highway, west of 37th Street East. The Antelope Valley's most-litigated rodent, the shy Mohave ground squirrel is only active above ground from about mid-March to June, ranging eastward from Palmdale and Lancaster through the desert areas of Kern, Inyo and San Bernardino counties. Originally listed as a rare species in 1971, the squirrel was placed by the state Fish and Game Commission on the threatened-species list in 1985. Threatened species are those that could become extinct without government protection. Acting on a petition from Kern County officials, the Fish and Game Commission voted in 1993 to remove the squirrel from the threatened-species list - the first such action in the history of the state's Endangered Species Act The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1531 et seq.) was enacted to protect animal and plant species from extinction by preserving the ecosystems in which they survive and by providing programs for their conservation. . Then came four years of court battles, concluding in 1997 when the state Supreme Court ruled that the creature should not have been taken off the list without an environmental review. One way to determine where Mohave ground squirrels live is to set out noninjuring traps to capture one, but the trapping process is costlier than buying land in the desert tortoise desert tortoise see gopherus agassizii. preserve, officials said. The ground squirrels can be trapped only in the spring, when they are active above ground. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) The Palmdale school board must buy land for the Mohave ground squirrel. |
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