Project To Study Management of Urban Mice

When it comes to mice, many of us prefer Mickey to furry reality.

So if you notice orange and black “Urban Mouse Project” boxes popping up around Santa Fe’s parks, don’t touch. They house the variety of mouse that drives the rodent-phobic to seek higher ground.

The City of Santa Fe Parks Division is partnering with New Mexico State University to study how the country mouse copes in the city. Led by NMSU graduate student Gizelle Hurtado, the study will help park managers and urban planners make management decisions in urban parks while keeping in mind the needs of wildlife.

The boxes will begin appearing in late May, although it hasn’t been decided yet which of the 15 city parks will host them. “Mouse project” staff members will release the animals unharmed where they were caught by the end of the summer.

It all started two years ago, when rock squirrels carrying fleas infected with bubonic plague transferred the disease to Santa Fe’s prairie dogs, said Robert Wood, program manager and city forester.

“That started a conversation about wildlife in the park,” he said.

The study is designed to discover how the species peromyscus moves from the mountains into the city and identify what specific of fleas and diseases it carries, he said. Accomplished jumpers and runners, the species’ common name is deer mouse. It has become notorious in the western U.S. as a carrier of Hantavirus and lyme disease.

“One of the best ways to eliminate pests is to use their habits,” Wood explained.

For instance, a four-foot-tall fence dug four feet deep will keep out prairie dogs without resorting to extermination, he said.

“People don’t like mice,” Wood continued. “Mice carry the same fleas that carry plague. If you went into any state park bathroom, it would scare you if you found five or six mice in there.”

Scientists hope to discover ways to control the population without using chemicals, he said.

Deer mice often sport two-toned coloring, with darker colors over the back contrasting with a white abdomen and legs. The word “peromyscus” comes from the Greek meaning “booted mouse.”

The species’ natural predators include dogs, cats, hawks and people.

“We’re not trying to disrupt the population,” Wood said. “The mice will be released in the exact same area they were captured in.”

Mice come in a “couple of thousand” varieties, he added. “We’ll probably be catching a lot of house mice and possibly some rats.”

Both the boxes and the bait used to lure the animals will vary, he added.

“The boxes will be either orange or black in color with orange or black warnings signs,” he said. “We even warned Homeland Security. They are just part of a project; they are not bombs.”