The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is fighting on behalf of one of the state's most endangered species — the New England cottontail rabbit.

After receiving $1.7 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, the agency is getting to work on two conservation initiatives. One aims to protect forests in the northern part of the state. The other will work to protect the shrinking cottontail population.

John McDonald, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, said New Hampshire took the lead in administering the grant and coordinating the work in other states. New Hampshire will work in collaboration with Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York to preserve and recreate habitats for the rabbits. Some $732,000 will go toward that initiative.

The New England cottontail, a separate species from the Eastern cottontail, has hopped through New England thickets since Colonial times. But Steve Fuller, wildlife biologist and terrestrial biologist with the N.H. Fish and Game Department, said there is a good chance the native population will disappear from New Hampshire in the next couple of years.

He said the species, which is on the endangered species list in New Hampshire and is creeping its way toward the federal threatened list, has only about 50 animals left in the state.

But Fuller isn't raising his white flag yet. He said the organization will be working to expand existing habitats, create new ones in the right locations, and consider translocating rabbits into one area to help the dwindling population reproduce.

Fred Borman, Rockingham County forester for the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension program, said the animals are accustomed to dense shrubs and thickets. But many of those areas have been developed or have grown into large forests, eliminating protection from predators and access to food.

McDonald said the organization will be locating areas with trees that regenerate quickly, like aspens and maples. They will clear those areas, allowing brush and small trees to grow.

But they need to find the land first.

To help with the effort, Stonyfield Farm in Londonderry became the first private landowner in the state to build a New England cottontail habitat on its property. Carmelle Druchniak, senior communications manager at Stonyfield, said the farm cleared 8.5 acres of land in the hopes of helping the cottontails repopulate.

"I don't think we've seen any rabbits since we built it," she said. "The population is so small now. But we're hoping that since we built it, they'll find it."

Fuller said the rabbits may not find some of these new properties alone. But after more research, they hope to find a way to introduce the rabbits to safe habitats themselves.

"I think, on the one hand, we're fortunate that we were able to find conservation partners willing to help us financially," he said. "On the other hand, it's very difficult when we initiate the efforts this far down the road. The species population and habitats are in such poor conditions that it's really difficult to reverse that trend."

But McDonald said he is optimistic about the outcome now that states are working together.

"This is a good example of New England states collaborating on important issues," he said. "Any one state can't be responsible for securing a species. So they're all working together."

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