NYDEC Brings in 'Brontosaurus' to Help Conserve Cottontails

PATTERSON, NY — New York State environmental officials used a massive machine known as a 'brontosaurus' to clear trees in the Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area, all to protect a little bunny.

Now the DEC will host a public information session Wednesday to provide information and answer questions about a recently completed habitat management plan for the wildlife habitat in Patterson.

Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area includes 469 mainly forested acres, along with some grassy and weedy fields, on a mountain on the eastern edge of the Hudson River Valley where New York’s Putnam and Dutchess counties come together. The state Department of Environmental Conservation owns and manages the property.

Open to the public, the WMA is also in a Focus Area for conserving the New England cottontail, the rabbit species native to New England and New York east of the Hudson.

The New England cottontail population has been falling throughout the region for more than 50 years as the animal’s preferred young forest habitat has dwindled as a result of development and forest maturation. Cranberry Mountain WMA has a small population of New England cottontails.

(Eastern cottontails are not native to the area but were brought in during the twentieth century. In much of the region, eastern cottontails outnumber the native New England cottontails.)

To make more of the habitat that the native rabbits need, conservationists brought in a large machine to chew down trees that were shading out and preventing the growth of the low, thick, shrubby vegetation that cottontails need for finding food, raising young, and surviving winter. The machine – known as a “brontosaurus” for its vegetation-munching capabilities – went to work in the winter of 2014.

New England cottontails, woodcock, wild turkeys, and songbirds will thrive in new young forest growing there, DEC officials said.

Active habitat management to benefit wildlife populations has been an important component of New York’s efforts for decades.

"Habitat management plans on our Wildlife Management Areas guide our science-based conservation and protection efforts to benefit wildlife and facilitate wildlife-dependent recreation," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.

After starting the program at Cranberry Mountain, the DEC launched the Young Forest Initiative in 2015 and now habitat management plans are being developed for all WMAs and other DEC properties, including select Multiple Use and Unique Areas.

DEC's Young Forest Initiative aims to establish a minimum of 10 percent of the forested acreage on WMAs as young forest over the next 10 years, and to manage for young forests in perpetuity. Young forests are an important part of the forest landscape, but they have declined over the past 50 years along with the wildlife that depend on this habitat type. While DEC has been managing forests on WMAs to improve wildlife habitat for many years, with this initiative DEC is increasing its efforts and raising awareness about this type of habitat management.

In addition to incorporating aspects of the Young Forest Initiative, the habitat management plan incorporates recommendations from various sources, including unit management plans, existing WMA habitat management guidelines, best management practices, the New York Natural Heritage Program's WMA biodiversity inventory reports, and bird conservation area guidelines. These plans guide land use management for a 10-year time period, after which time DEC will assess implementation progress and modify the plans as needed.

DEC will continue active management on Cranberry Mountain WMA to benefit wildlife abundance and diversity, promote best management practices for targeted wildlife and habitats, and provide opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation, such as bird watching.

The habitat management plan for Cranberry Mountain WMA can be found on DEC's website here.

The Dec. 7 meeting will include a presentation, with specific activities and locations for the management actions planned for Cranberry Mountain, a brief overview of the Young Forest Initiative, and a question and answer period.

The meeting will take place from 7 - 8:30 p.m.Wednesday at the Patterson Town Hall located at 1142 Route 311 in Patterson.