WELLS — The stumps that dot the landscape of the Perkins Town Commons with piles of sticks and other forest debris may not look like much to passersby, but those in the know are hoping this area will be a haven for the New England cottontail rabbit within a few years’ time.
This small edge of the commons ”“ a 288-acre parcel of conservation land in Wells ”“ is being transformed into what biologists expect will be an ideal home for the small rabbits.
On Tuesday, Wells Conservation Commission member Markus Diebolt and U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Kelly Boland took some time to show off the site and the work being done there.
Over the winter months, trees were removed from the site by Sappi Fine Paper and M.H. Humphrey & Sons Inc. Removing the trees was necessary, said Diebolt, partly because the area was overgrown and trees were rotting, and partly because the cottontail needs “early successional forest” ”“ or young forest ”“ to survive.
To help out, conservation commission members also created some “bunny bunkers” ”“ with more in the works ”“ composed of tree branches and other forest debris centered around a stump. The bunkers will provide shelters for the cottontail, which it uses to stay safe from predators in the winter.
The New England cottontail does not turn white in the winter like the snowshoe hare, which can make it harder for them to survive since they stand out against the white snow.
“They’re easy pickings for a hawk,” Diebolt said.
In addition, the cottontail does not have good vision or hearing, and is small in size, he said.
The need for the Perkins Town Commons work and other habitat projects is due to the declining cottontail population in Maine and around the region; New England is the only place where this type of cottontail is found.
Boland, who is also the New England cottontail restoration coordinator, said there are only about 300 of these rabbits in Maine, which landed the species on the endangered list here. And while cottontails are a candidate for the federal endangered species list, Boland said groups like the conservation commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife are taking a proactive approach to increase the population and keep the cottontail off the list.
“Their habitat has been whittled down to an amount that they cannot survive in winter,” Boland said.
But help is on the way.
In addition to the conservation commission’s project, another is going on right in town, at Wells Reserve, and beyond that, there are about 700 acres in southern Maine also being cultivated as cottontail habitat.
“The more of these areas we have, the more critters that need it can survive,” Boland said. “The progress we’ve made has been pretty great.”
In addition to supporting the New England cottontail, successional forest helps other wildlife, as well, Boland said, including the Blanding’s and spotted turtles, and many types of birds. More than 60 species in all need this type of habitat, she said.
Diebolt said the conservation commission members who were on site with foresters this winter could see an immediate impact, as a line of deer would be waiting for the equipment to clear out at the end of the day, as berry bushes that were previously inaccessible became food for the hungry animals.
“We have a tremendous diversity,” he said. “It goes way beyond the rabbit.”
But the rabbit is a key part, and there’s more work to be done before cottontails arrive. The commission plans to build more bunny bunkers all around the perimeter of the site. They will also plant greens like clover and other varieties that the rabbit eats.
Looking out over the landscape Tuesday, Diebolt said, “This is exactly what they’re looking for. Food, shelter and water ”“ that’s all they need.
“We think it’s going to be a good jump-start for them.”
The group hopes to see cottontails populate the area in the next three to five years, which will be monitored by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Biologists like Boland can take scat samples, from which DNA is extracted to tell how many animals are using the space.
After that, the habitat will be ideal for another 15-20 years. The process will eventually have to happen again, but at that point, Boland hopes to have habitats to rotate, to allow space for the cottontail at other sites while work is being done at another. Boland hopes by 2030, there will be about 5,000 acres of land for the cottontail and other species to inhabit.
Boland said private landowners can get involved, too, and some funds may even be available for those who want to create cottontail habitat on their property. The conservation commission in Wells has been great, she said, and the town has preserved a lot of pristine parcels for conservation.
Of its many projects, Diebolt said the reasoning behind the commission’s support of the cottontail effort is simple: “It’s an endangered species, and it’s in trouble.”
— City Editor Robyn Burnham can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 329 or rburnham@journaltribune.com.
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