New research reveals that traditional management efforts for New England cottontail, which relied on the best available science, may actually be thwarting their recovery Wildlife conservation is frequently limited by an incomplete understanding of how animals interact and respond to native ecosystems--a limitation that is only further challenged by the many novel factors, like invasive species or habitat fragmentation, that alter the way in which species interact with their environment. Although it is in the best interests of threatened species for us to thoroughly investigate these relationships, obtaining specific information is often difficult due to cost, low population size, lack of technology, or the evasiveness of the species in question. In these circumstances, we rely heavily on what information we do have; though it may be incomplete, applicable across only a narrow environmental niche, or unable to account for critical changes to the environment from, for example, the introduction of new competitor or spread of invasive plants. When information is lacking, scientists are forced to rely on the “best available science.” For many species, the best available science may be studies conducted across only a narrow portion of a species’ niche, research from closely related species, or based on ecological theory. Because there isn’t more relevant research, this best available science is then used to inform policy decisions, like whether to list a species as Threatened or Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This information is also used to decide how to conserve species and spend conservation dollars. But nature is messy. Species often react to their environment in unexpected and complicated ways –a situation that is particularly common when there have been changes to their environment. Unfortunately, when this happens, applying the best available science can result in policies that are ineffective, or worse have unintended negative consequences.
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I want to also give a shout out to my two awesome field crews that have helped me these past 2 years. Projects like ours wouldn't run without the help our dedicated technicians who devote their time and energy (and probably sanity) to helping me collect this important data! Thanks Brit, Kat, Ana, Heather, and Courtney!
Summer time is always bustling and exciting for wildlife. Squirrels, birds, deer, bear and even insects are all out and about, gathering food, feeding young, building homes and more. The commotion of the woods is especially apparent to those who are out walking and hiking in it! You get to see squirrels running and chasing each other up and down trees, birds enjoying a snack in your backyard, and if you are particularly lucky, a mother bear leading her cubs along! By the time winter arrives, many of us take note from the wildlife and cozy up in our homes with warmth and food. The winter is often calm and quiet, with fewer wildlife sightings. However, it is also one of the best times to truly see into some creatures lives. If it is so quiet, how do you know what is around in the winter? Snowfall. It is one of the best tools to learn about wildlife in winter! Snow gives us tracks, and wildlife tracks are truly exciting to spot while outside. Not to mention, decoding who they belong to, where are they going, and reading their snow story is fun and informative. The Cottontail Crew is out almost every day in the winter, so we get to see some pretty fantastic stories: Rabbits! Of course the first snow story is that of our cottontails. Rabbit tracks are unique because of their feet and the way they run. They are characterized by two oblong feet- almost like little snowshoes- with similar but much shorter prints right behind the larger. The smaller prints are their forefeet with the larger being the hindfeet. Rabbit tracks are often seen running into and out of bushes, sometimes with a few pellets (rabbit scat) along the way! The paths help us choose where we should set our traps even! Similar tracks: Rabbit tracks can often be confused with squirrel tracks, however. Squirrels, like rabbits, have larger back feet and a similar mode of walking, however, squirrels are smaller and you can often see their claws a little more clearly. In addition, if the tracks lead up to a tree, it is probably a squirrel!
Many of us see rabbits on an almost daily basis hanging out in our backyards. Do you know what species of rabbit you have, however? Rabbits can all look very similar, with their small mottled brown bodies. Did you know that there are currently 20 species of rabbits in the genus Sylvilagus in the Americas that our New England and eastern cottontails belong to? For example, there are brush, swamp, marsh, Appalachian and many more rabbits/cottontails. These rabbits can be difficult to tell apart if there are overlapping ranges or introduced species, however, you can often tell what rabbit you are seeing based on where you see it! (Click or hover over image to see what rabbit is pictured!) The rabbit you see in your backyard- most likely is an eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), pictured above on the far right. These rabbits are what we call a generalist, meaning they are able to use a variety of habitats, such as agricultural fields, shrublands, and even your backyard! What makes the New England and eastern cottontail different? Thanks to many rabbit captures and much research, we have been able to find ways to discern New England and eastern cottontails. There are several characteristics and methods we use to determine what species of rabbit we see:
It is important to note that though there are morphological characteristics that we can use to help us get an initial identification of a rabbit, you can rarely identify a rabbit from a distance and they are very variable. For example, eastern cottontails sometimes have a white blaze on their forehead but not always, and though New England cottontails are smaller typically, some can be quite large.
The only way to truly confirm what species you see is by genetics. However, habitat and range are the best way to start thinking about what rabbit you are seeing! Decades ago, in an area called New England, our story starts with a species of cottontail rabbit called the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis, or the wood rabbit). This rabbit lived all over- stretching from southern Maine to the Hudson River in New York , thriving in the dense shrublands throughout the area. Then soon... things changed.
It is not the end for our rabbit. With such significant declines, we are working harder than ever to help encourage New England cottontail populations in the face of habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as competition with a non-native competitor. We are creating habitat for the few populations remaining, and we are even creating habitat that we hope will encourage our native wood rabbit while discouraging the non-native eastern cottontail. It will not be the end of the story!
Check out our Habitat Management Page to learn more about some of the new techniques being used to help our wood rabbits! Happy Halloween Everyone! -The Cottontail Crew We’re back! After a summer of office, lab, and field work, the Cottontail Crew is back in the Hudson Valley for the winter. We hit the ground running this past week to start off our 2019-2020 field season right by catching two eastern cottontails and putting radio collars on both! If this is your first visit to our blog - welcome! Bun on the Run is a blog written by the Cottontail Crew, a team of researchers and technicians from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The purpose of our research is to better understand the factors that limit New England cottontail populations, evaluate habitat management strategies to promote this imperiled species, and improve woodlands for the wildlife that rely on them. Our goals this field season include:
The immediate goal of this project is to determine resource selection for our rabbits in order to evaluate habitat management practices. However, our research has a much broader conservation impact. With the New England cottontail as our umbrella species, we will be able to not only improve woodlands for this imperiled species, but for over 60 other species of wildlife that also rely on this habitat! Stay tuned for updates, more photos of rabbits and the habitat they use, as well as photos of the Cottontail Crew themselves! Hello Everyone!
My name is Drew, and I am the graduate student working on the Wood Rabbit Project. I currently conduct research for half the year in the Hudson Valley of New York. There I capture, collar, and track New England cottontails (NEC), or wood rabbits, as well as their non-native competitors- the eastern cottontail (EC), in order to get a better understanding of whether the habitat management we are implementing is truly encouraging NEC and discouraging EC. You may have seen me or my crew on your own outdoor adventures! While we aren't in the field this summer, we will be back at it this fall, so keep an eye out for us and feel free to ask us any questions you may have about our research. In the meantime, check out our field photos from this past season! We had a great time with our rabbits, trekking through the snow, and encountering interesting wildlife (keep an eye out for our friend George, a pheasant who claimed the parking lot at one of our sites as his breeding territory and enjoyed following us around to keep an eye on what we were up to). And stayed tuned this fall for updates on the blog of how our field season is going- expect lots of pictures of our bunnies! Have a great summer! -The Cottontail Crew |
Cottontail Captures 2019-2020!
AuthorDrew Eline is the graduate student on the New England cottontail project. She currently runs the winter/spring field season. Archives
December 2020
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