Cottontail rabbit gets a hand

KITTERY, Maine — Wildlife biologists at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Kittery are making what they hope will be a new home for a Maine endangered species — and on Tuesday they received some critical help from volunteer employees at Tom's of Maine.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the refuge, is working to restore 15 acres of scrub brush, small trees and high grass, hoping to entice the New England cottontail rabbit.

The land, while not particularly attractive to the human eye, is just right to provide cottontails with shelter from predators and makings for a home.

It has been created deep within the refuge holdings on Seapoint Road in Kittery Point over the past two years, taking what had been forested land and clearing it to allow shrubs and new tree growth to develop.

According to wildlife biologist Kate O'Brien, most of Maine is either fields or forested, including former farmland that over time gave way to forests. "People don't manage for shrubland," she said.

Because that's where these cottontails thrive, their numbers have significantly declined over time. The New England cottontail is endangered in Maine and New Hampshire, and is on the list of species being watched by the federal government, as well.

Kelly Boland of the Environmental Defense Fund is working to restore the New England cottontail population throughout Maine — which means mostly in York and Cumberland counties, which have fewer forests than the state as a whole.

She said there is evidence of one cottontail "patch" near the refuge in Kittery, which has been proven using DNA testing by University of New Hampshire researchers. But it will take five to seven years before biologists will know whether they've been successful in luring the cottontail onto the land.

In order to keep the shrubland in pristine condition for the rabbits, biologists are monitoring the kinds of plants growing there. One such plant, the glossy buckthorn, is a foreign invasive species that can quickly take over and smother beneficial growth.

Because the refuge follows the dictum of its namesake, pioneer marine biologist Rachel Carson, no pesticides or herbicides are used on refuge land.

That's where the backs and brawn of more than 100 Tom's of Maine workers came in handy. They spent the whole morning identifying and pulling up glossy buckthorn.

Tuesday was the Kennebunk-based company's "Goodness Day" — a day when operations come to a halt so everyone can volunteer on one project together.

The company, which makes personal care products with natural ingredients, already allows its employees paid time off to volunteer throughout the year. But the Goodness Day is a separate, one-day event.

"It's an opportunity to bring the whole community together," said Rob Robinson, who works in consumer affairs and social media. "The whole place just shuts down and we work on one project."

A Kittery resident, he said he's happy the refuge in his home town was the beneficiary.

Susan Dewhirst, the company's public relations manager, said sales executives from around the country flew in to participate Tuesday, joining the workers in Kennebunk.

The in-kind match helped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with a grant it received from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

from here.