Recovery of New England Rabbit Demonstrates Importance of Private Lands in Conservation

(DOVER, N.H. – September 11, 2015) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today hosted a New England cottontail celebration marking the recovery of New England’s only native rabbit and its young forest habitat.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) staff joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Jason Weller, private landowners, and conservation leaders for the event.

“EDF is pleased to have played a small role in the recovery of the New England cottontail, which was truly a team effort,” said Eric Holst, Associate Vice President of Working Lands at EDF. “This is a story of the importance of farmers and forestland owners in actively managing their property to provide a home for a cherished species that otherwise could have disappeared.”

More than a decade ago, EDF helped pioneer an approach that provides regulatory assurances to private landowners who restore and maintain habitat. This approach – which has taken the form of Safe Harbor Agreements and Candidate Conservation Agreements – gives landowners the certainty they need to provide valuable conservation benefits without the risk of facing additional regulatory burdens in the future.

“The commitment by local landowners to the conservation of the New England cottontail set a strong precedent for habitat management of other species across the country,” Holst added. “We are now building upon this legacy by pioneering new tools such as habitat exchanges to protect other iconic wildlife, like the greater sage-grouse, while boosting local economies.”