New England cottontail

New England's only native rabbit, the New England cottontail, faced significant habitat loss over half a century. Its range reduced by about 86 percent to five smaller populations across New England and eastern New York. A strong partnership of state and federal biologists, private landowners, tribes, foresters, hunters, conservation organizations and others began implementing science-based conservation actions that have halted the decline and allowed the rabbit to rebound. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the species from the list of candidates for Endangered Species Act protection in 2015.