When you think of a rare species, a rabbit might not be the first animal that comes to mind. However, you may be surprised to learn that New York is home to two types of rabbits—one thriving, the other struggling for survival!

Thankfully, the Trail Conference’s Conservation Dogs Program and Stewardship team, along with our partners at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York State Parks, are here to help protect this threatened native species and ensure its habitat prospers.

The New England Cottontail: From Flourishing Species to a Threatened Population

The New England cottontail (NEC), a Species of Special Concern, was once abundant throughout New England and eastern New York. Beginning in the 1960s, however, the NEC experienced a dramatic decline in population. This native rabbit species now occupies just 15% of its historic range due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and competition from the prospering Eastern cottontail, which was introduced to New England in the early 1900s as a game species.  

The NEC seems to do best in areas of dense shrubs or tree seedlings surrounded by full forest. Natural disturbances such as floods, fires, and strong storms help produce this ideal habitat for the NEC. However, humans have worked hard to suppress or eliminate many of these disturbances to forests, so this type of habitat has become rare.

Where disturbances do occur, invasive non-native shrubs often creep in and take over. Exceptions include native mountain laurel and blueberry, which form dense thickets within oak forests. These native shrubs provide a refuge for the NEC. They also create a pleasing trail experience for hikers—and, if you’re hiking during blueberry season, a tasty trail snack!

How Our Conservation Dogs Help Protect the New England Cottontail

With their dwindling numbers and preference for dense, shrubby habitats, tracking the New England cottontail is crucial for regional conservation efforts—but spotting these elusive rabbits in the wild is no easy task! The Trail Conference’s Conservation Dogs Program (CDP) is tackling this challenge with an innovative approach to monitoring the elusive NEC. Through partnerships with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and NYS Parks, the CDP deploys three specially trained detection dogs to locate NEC pellets during winter surveys. 

The detection teams include Peat, a veteran 4-year-old black Lab, alongside new recruits Lettie, a 1.5-year-old black Lab, and Lady, a 5-year-old border collie mix. Our highly trained dogs present an array of advantages over traditional survey methods, including:

• Superior scent detection: Their exceptional sense of smell allows them to detect pellets in dense understory where visual surveys often fail.
• Swift and effective surveying: Our detection dogs move over the landscape quickly and efficiently, with minimal disturbance to wildlife or habitat.
• Impartial trackers: Our dogs are unbiased surveyors, following a scent regardless of habitat quality assumptions or difficult terrain.
• Expert handlers: Our handlers are specialists in their field and their expertise is crucial to the team’s success. As the detection dogs do their work, the handlers interpret their dogs’ subtle behavioral changes while considering how environmental factors like temperature, humidity, wind, and topography affect scent dispersal.  

Proven Success in the Field

The 2022-2023 pilot season clearly demonstrated the NEC program’s effectiveness, as Peat surveyed an impressive 768 acres over 16 days. Covering 159 miles while his handler logged only 41, Peat helped identify several previously unknown patches of New England cottontail occupancy. The current survey season strategically focuses on these newly discovered areas and has already yielded 28 samples. The data collected will provide valuable insights about NEC distribution and habitat usage, enabling biologists and land managers to implement more effective conservation strategies, improve habitat through restoration, encourage species dispersal, and potentially enhance genetic diversity within NEC populations. 

This collaborative project demonstrates how detection dogs can complement traditional survey methods, enhancing our understanding of endangered species while maintaining high standards for efficiency, data quality, and animal welfare. 

Special thanks to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York State Parks for working together with us on this invaluable conservation project!  

How Can I Learn More About the Trail Conference’s Stewardship Efforts?

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