The New England Cottontail Rabbit is Coming Off The Endangered List

Well this is good news. Who wants Peter Cottontail on the endangered list?

As soon as I list some of the animals/insects I could do without (tarantulas, rattlesnakes, black flies), someone will let me know how beneficial they to the eco-system. Fine. I believe you.

But how is it that our cottontailed rabbit is on this list in the first place? And we should all take note because this little critter calls our area home.

According to a story in the AP:

" The small brown rabbit has been threatened by a loss of
habitat throughout its range in Maine, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York.
It's endangered in Maine and New Hampshire and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been studying whether to list it under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The cottontail does best in tangled, low-growing shrubs in younger forests. When forests mature and large trees take their place, the rabbit's habitat is destroyed. Habitats also have been lost to land development. "

There has been is a coordinated effort by federal, state, non-profit and private entities to protect the cottontail. It seems to be working.

In fact, on the property known as the Bob Fuller Media Center, home of the 'Sharktank', we have a habitat if you will, of these little critters, and are doing our best to preserve them.