USFWS approves Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has officially approved a new National Wildlife Refuge in the northeastern United States. The Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge will span up to 15,000 acres in six states. The refuge aims to protect shrubland and young forest habitat for wildlife in the area, including the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), American woodcock (Scolopax minor), and monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). The new refuge will contribute to conservation efforts for declining migratory bird populations and threatened and endangered species. The agency can now begin the process of acquiring land from landowners interested in contributing to wildlife conservation by selling or donating land to the Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge.

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