New England Cottontail Project

The New England Cottontail Project is a restoration effort with the objective to restore the New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) to their native habitats through the creation of young forest and captive breeding programs. Led by USFWS, young forests were created through tree/ shrub cutting, heavy-duty mowing/mulching, field mowing, forest harvesting, controlling invasive plants, and prescribed burning. By 2016, over 40% of the acres reported have been fully implemented and over 10,000 acres of naturally self-sustaining habitat have been recognized. New England Cottontail Conservation Progress report has identified that 15 focus areas meet the population size criteria, and their goals total 10,500 rabbits.