LUBBOCK — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff is hosting two public meetings to inform landowners of assistance programs available to aid in the preservation of the Texas kangaroo rat.

The meetings will discuss voluntary Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAA) with local landowners who are interested in incorporating certain conservation measures on their properties to protect the Texas kangaroo rat.

The Texas kangaroo rat is a small nocturnal rodent similar to a gopher and can be found in areas with clay or clay-loam soils, sparse short grasses and sometimes small, scattered mesquite bushes. It is known to have populations in Childress, Cottle, Hardeman, Wilbarger, and Wichita counties and its historic range includes Montague, Clay, Wichita, Archer, Wilbarger, Baylor, Hardeman, Foard, Childress, Cottle and Motley counties.

TPWD lists the kangaroo rat as a threated species in Texas, and it is currently under consideration to be listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a threated or endangered species.

In person meetings will be held:

• Dec. 5, 6 p.m., 4-H Exhibit Building, 2215 Harold Street, Vernon
• Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m., Southern Plains Electric Coop, 1900 Avenue C, Childress

Virtual meetings on Microsoft Teams will also be available for those unable to attend in person:

• Meeting ID: 253 631 876 078
• Passcode: FCsVqq

For more information, landowners can check out the Texas kangaroo rat CCAA webpage, reach out to their local biologist or email Darren Proppe, Conservation Initiatives Specialist, at Darren.Proppe@tpwd.texas.gov.