Habitat destruction and competition from other species have significantly reduced the population of the native New England Cottontail rabbit with small populations now found only in selected areas of New England. “Rabbitats” are brush piles made of found materials that can be built to support the New England Cottontail’s need for a habitat corridor of dense thickets and brush.These provide shelter and safety and are ideally located near natural food and water sources. Rabbitats are designed to be inconspicuous, escape-proof, predator-proof, sustainable, and low-maintenance. More information about supporting NEC habitat is provided by the Friends of MNWR and can be found at Build a Rabbitat!
The Boy Scouts of Troop 42,
Falmouth, under the leadership of scout Griffin Jones, worked with the Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, the Sporting, Safety, Conservation & Education Fund, the Falmouth Rod & Gun Club, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service to construct four “rabbitats.” The scouts, volunteers, and members of USFWS, Friends of MNWR, and SSCEF identified and gathered logs, branches, and other natural materials to construct two rabbitats at the MNWR near the Red Brook trailhead and two more at the Upper Childs River Restoration site of the Falmouth Rod & Gun Club.
Griffin is organizing this volunteer effort as an Eagle Scout service project which seeks to raise community awareness about the vulnerability of the New England Cottontail population and to highlight efforts these agencies have made to restore its numbers. The next phase of his Eagle project is the design of interpretive panel signage that will provide the public with further information about the NEC. These will be installed near rabbitat models with holders for Friends of MNWR brochures.
More information about US Fish & Wildlife Service efforts to protect the New England Cottontail can be found at New England Cottontail.
(Article written by Griffin Jones, Troop 42 Eagle Scout candidate; photos courtesy of Scoutmaster Stacy Jones.)