Federal officials are looking for public input on a proposed national wildlife refuge that could include two thousand acres of land in southeastern Massachusetts. The goal is to preserve areas of shrubs and young trees, and promote the thick undergrowth that's home to New England cottontail rabbits, monarch butterflies, and endangered Plymouth red-bellied turtles.

The proposed reserve is called Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge. It would target areas known as shrublands, where young trees, shrubs, and brambles support dozens of species. Shrublands naturally occur where forests have been damaged or disturbed, and older trees taken down, by storms, flooding, pests, or wildfires. These habitats have declined dramatically in recent decades, hit hard by both human development, reduced numbers of wildfires, and, somewhat ironically, the return of forests to previously open spaces.

“A lot of our lands in the Northeast have simply grown into mature forests, and we’re trying to put a variety of habitats back on the landscape,” says Beth Goldstein, a natural resources planner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “When you have a variety of different habitats, that translates to a variety of species and that’s what makes for a healthy ecosystem.”

The proposed refuge would consist of ten separate areas spread over Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York. In all, the areas of interest add up to almost 300,000 acres, of which as much as 15,000 acres could be acquired and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Two refuge areas in southeastern Massachusetts would encompass up to two thousand acres - as much as 500 acres in Mashpee, and up to 1,500 acres in Plymouth, Carver, and Wareham.

Conservation planners say this approach offers multiple benefits. Many of the proposed areas overlap with existing refuges, which means there are already personnel from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the ground, ready to help manage the new refuge lands. In addition, having multiple separate areas expands the geographic reach of conservation efforts and lowers the stakes for efforts in any one area.

“Instead of just focusing on one small area on the ground, it really looks at a broad landscape,” explains Goldstein. “Instead of putting all our eggs in one basket, it really looks at how can we spread ourselves across the landscape to ensure resiliency for habitats and species.”

The Great Thicket National Wildlife refuge is still in the proposal stage, and officials have extended the public comment period through April 3rd, 2016. Goldstein says they’ve received a lot of supportive comments, but a recent meeting on Cape Cod turned up concerns about public access to refuge lands. Federally-owned portions of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge have been closed to the public for almost twenty years, pending the completion of a comprehensive conservation plan.

Federal officials are only looking to acquire about five percent of the lands within the proposed Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge focus areas. The remaining ninety five percent will remain privately owned; owners could opt to manage their land in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For the areas that may be acquired by the federal government, the rules regarding public use have changed since the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1995. Now, federally-controlled lands can remain open while conservation plans are being developed, and final plans can prioritize pre-existing recreational activities, as long they don’t explicitly conflict with conservation goals. In the current case, that probably rule out rabbit hunting, but the refuge could be left open to other hunting, fishing, walking, birding, and photography.

“I’m convinced the regulatory environment is there, and the statutory environment, to allow that to happen,” says state Representative David Vieira, a former president of the citizen group Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge . “Right now, we just need to make sure the lands that would be up for potential purchase within refuge boundaries meet the thresholds of pre-existing uses. Part of that is know what the pre-existing uses are.”

Some hunting and fishing groups requested the extended comment period in order to document current activities within the proposed refuge area, and federal officials have agreed to conduct additional public meetings on the subject. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects to finalize plans for the Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge by the end of the year.

To submit a comment:

● Email northeastplanning@fws.gov with “Great Thicket LPP” in the subject line
● Mail to Beth Goldstein, Natural Resources Planner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035-9589
● Fax to 413-253-8480