Wild Rhode Island
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Volume 6, 6, Issue Issue 3 3 Summer/Summer/ Fall Fall 2013 WildWild Rhode Rhode Island Island 2013 A Quarterly Publication from the Division of Fish and Wildlife, RI Department of Environmental Management Inland Fishes of RI available for purchase at DEM ! The Inland Fishes of Rhode Island, by Alan Libby and Illustrations by Robert Jon Golder, are now available at the DEM Office of Boating and Licensing. This 278 page publication published by the Division of Fish and Wildlife describes more than 70 fishes found in fresh and brackish waters in Rhode Island. Filled with beautiful color and black and white scientific illustrations, each fish is addressed with a detailed description and color location map. Included are the variety of freshwater habitats found in Rhode Island along with the methodology used to carry out the field work that has led to this publication. Alan D. Libby is a principal freshwater biologist and has worked for the DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife for over 26 years. This definitive work is the culmination of 15 years of surveying the inland fishes of the state. Alan surveyed over 377 pond and stream locations throughout Rhode Island, many of which were sampled multiple times over the years. The Inland Fishes of Rhode Island is available in an 8” x 10” paper- back. The cost is $26.75 including tax, and may be purchased using a credit card, cash, check or money order from the Providence Licensing Office at 235 Promenade Street. Additionally the book may be mail- ordered. Please see the DEM website for more information at: www.dem.ri.gov New England Cottontail Rabbits – a Rare Species Returns Inside this issue: to Narragansett Bay Islands by Brian C. Tefft Pickerels in RI 4 The New England Cottontail (NEC) is a eLogbooks 6 small rabbit native to southern New England. It Jr. Pheasant 7 has been the focus of conservation efforts by Hunt Info the Division of Fish and Wildlife and other agencies in New England to save the species Pointing Dog 7 from possible extinction and restore popula- Training tions and habitats. Since March of 2009, when I wrote an article for this newsletter entitled Orange 8 Requirements “New England Cottontail – Rhode Island’s Na- tive Rabbit” the Division has been actively en- gaged in several projects to inventory and lo- Wild Calendar 9 cate populations and restore the rabbit and its NEC rabbit ready Horseshoe Crabs 10 habitat to Rhode Island. Continued on page 2 for release. Kids Corner 11 The Division of Fish and Wildlife Mission Statement Our mission is to ensure that the Freshwater, Marine and Wildlife resources of the State of Recreational 12 Rhode Island will be conserved and managed for equitable and sustainable use. Fishing Guide Page 2 Wild Rhode Island New England Cottontail by Brian C. Tefft Continued from page 1 DEM has been working with several Figure 2. Historical range of NEC in RI partners in these efforts, including Roger Williams Park Zoo (RWPZ), University of Rhode Island (URI), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). There is urgency in a common goal for the partners to enhance habitat and Janet Coit, Director restore the species to its range to Rhode Island Department of prevent its Federal listing as an Environmental Management “Endangered Species.” Larry Mouradjian, The centerpiece of the rabbit Associate Director, conservation work in Rhode Island Bureau of Natural Resources features breeding wild rabbits at RWPZ. Obtaining rabbits to use in Wild Rhode Island is a quarterly the captive breeding project proved publication of the Rhode Island difficult at first. Unfortunately, we Legend of Survey Dates Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish were not successful in obtaining • 1974-75, • 1993-97, • 2003-04 and Wildlife. Printing is sup- any founders or breeders from ported by the Aquatic Resource Rhode Island; however, the NEC rabbit Neck, was selected as the primary is- Education program (Federal Aid is present in enough numbers in land release site because it had all of Grant F-42-E). southeastern Connecticut to justify the features necessary for success. removing a few rabbits from the wild to On March 28, 2012, six NEC rabbits Publisher: Kimberly Sullivan, breed in captivity. The captive breed- (4M and 2F) were released to the is- Principal Fisheries Biologist, land. Additional releases of rabbits ARE Coordinator ing project at the zoo began in summer of 2011 and by spring of 2012, an occurred during July and September 2012, bringing the total island popula- Editor: Veronica Masson, adequate number of rabbits had been Federal Aid Coordinator born to attempt a pilot release into the tion to 15 rabbits on January 1, 2013. Each rabbit was fitted with a small ra- wild to see if they could survive and For a free subscription to Wild reproduce on their own. Although rab- dio transmitter that allows biologists to Rhode Island please call (401) bits are known to be prolific, competi- remotely track and monitor the rabbits 789-0281 or send an email to tion with Eastern cottontails, predation and to recover any remains in the [email protected]. and habitat loss are all believed to be event of mortality. Please indicate whether you the major factors causing the decline. The rabbits have been monitored would like to have the newslet- weekly since their release on the is- ter sent to you via email or US In selecting a release site, we land to determine their movements mail. looked for a Narragansett Bay island that met rabbit’s habitat requirements: and survival. During the first year of Wild Rhode Island is also thick, thorny impenetrable cover, and the project, we lost five of the initial 15 available on the web at: fewer predators than mainland habi- rabbits released to predation, two to www.dem.ri.gov tats. We also sought an area without mammalian predators and three to populations of the non-native Eastern avian predators. One more rabbit died To report an environmental Cottontail, a competitor and suspected of unknown causes after becoming emergency or violation please call contributor to the demise of the New wedged in a stone wall, probably as a the RIDEM England rabbits. After a thorough re- result of being chased by a predator. Division of Law Enforcement The resulting annual survival rate of (401) 222-3070 view, Patience Island, off of Warwick Volume 6, Issue 3 Page 3 New England Cottontail by Brian C. Tefft Continued from previous page 60% for this small population of founder rab- bits exceeds our expectations for the project and it is very encouraging to observe the early success of the project. The ultimate goal is to develop Patience Island into a self-sustaining nursery colony for NEC rabbits providing a reli- able source of rabbits, to reintroduce into new habitats that are being created on the mainland throughout the former historical range (Figure 2). The state and its partners have also been actively working on habitat projects situated on state, federal and private lands on the mainland that meet the requirements for the NEC rabbit. This habitat consists of dense thickets maintained in old field shrubby areas and young cutover forests with thick growth resulting from the regeneration following clear Figure 3. - RI NEC Focus Areas (black shading) cutting. These habitats are in short supply but are essential if we are to have ultimate success in sav- continued monitoring of the natural distribution of the ing the rabbit. Aside from rabbits, these thicket habi- rabbit. DEM has monitored distribution of the species tats are also critical conservation areas for the suc- since the 1950s. Populations have declined to the cess and survival of many other species of wildlife, point where none were identified for a brief three-year including songbirds that nest and raise young in thick- period between 2006 and 2009. Using modern ge- ets, insect pollinators that use flowering shrubs and netic monitoring methods, the Conservation Genetics herbaceous plants, and turtles that avoid predation in Lab at the University of Rhode Island is assisting DEM shrub thickets along with the rabbits. in evaluating rabbit DNA (diagnostic of the species) To guide the restoration and enhancement of habi- that we collect in fresh fecal pellets. Surveys are con- tats for the rabbit, the RI Management Team, com- ducted during the winter months when fresh droppings posed of the project partners, established NEC Focus are left on the snow and these samples, once evalu- Areas. The Focus Areas Maps (Figure 3) were defined ated in the lab, indicate whether the NEC rabbit is pre- by a combination of important factors related to the sent in a particular area. This technique has proven ecology and distribution of the rabbit, but also primar- invaluable and the good news is we have identified ily on its historical range and distribution and areas three new sites in RI with NEC, two of which were where sufficient acreages of suitable or “potentially” found during the winter of 2012-13. This is encourag- suitable habitats exists. These “potentially” suitable ing news since it means that the rabbit is not extir- habitats are located on state and federal lands. How- pated from the state. ever, more acreage owned by private landowners is Through careful planning and good science, DEM the targets of Federal programs, administered by and its partners are working hard to save the native NRCS, to actually pay private landowners to manage NEC rabbit from extirpation. With a little bit of luck, we some of their property for the rabbit. Several new hope that the New England Cottontail will once again habitat projects have been implemented and, al- roam free and thrive in the Rhode Island woodlands.