Web-Based Storytelling Outlines NEC Conservation

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), a key partner in the initiative to restore the New England cottontail, recently produced an attractive ArcGIS storymap journal outlining conservationists’ efforts to help New England’s only native rabbit.

To view this lively and up-to-date outreach and communications product, click HERE.

“Hop Along with the New England Cottontail: A Conservation Story” explains how New England cottontails differ from – and must compete with – closely related and more abundant eastern cottontails, which are not native to New England and eastern New York state. Text and photos reveal how both species use habitat at different times of the year.

The storymap also highlights efforts to reintroduce New England cottontails in strategic parts of their historic range, including relocating the rabbits from breeding populations on a pair of islands off the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The web-based ArcGIS StoryMaps application has been called a “next-generation storytelling tool.” Its design is optimized for presenting and viewing stories on both desktop computers and mobile devices. “Hop Along with the New England Cottontail” should have broad appeal to many audiences, including students accustomed to web-based learning.

The New England cottontail storymap was produced by Sydney Giuliano (USFWS External Affairs contractor), Meagan Racey (USFWS Public Affairs Specialist in the North Atlantic-Appalachian Region), and their conservation colleagues.