Managing Young Forests to Benefit the New England Cottontail

Goal

Provide training, outreach, and technical assistance to restore habitat for New England cottontail on public and private lands.

Approach

The Maine New England Cottontail Conservation Coordinator will coordinate across multiple agencies to increase the capacity for on-the-ground implementation of young forest habitat management in southern Maine. Targets are to create 400 acres of new early successional habitat to benefit New England cottontail, American woodcock, and other species while providing technical assistance to 50 landowners.

Funding

New England Forests and Rivers Fund, a public-private partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the American Forest Foundation, Avangrid Foundation, Eversource, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

• Grant Award: $74,233 (announced August 2019)
• Matching Funds: $172,288
• Total for Project: $246,521