Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Rocky Neck State Park is also closed until further notice due to a brush fire. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at a 'very high' or 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Wildlife Habitat Management on Private LandAmerican Woodcock

The DEEP Wildlife Division is a partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Wildlife Management Institute in the Young Forest Initiative for At-Risk Species. This regional conservation partnership includes Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. A key goal of the partnership is to increase the quantity and quality of young forest and shrubland habitat essential to New England cottontail rabbits, American woodcock, and more than 50 species of greatest conservation need in Connecticut that rely on this habitat. Private landowners are critical to the success of this goal, as over 90 percent of Connecticut's land mass and 70 percent of its forest land are held in private ownership.

For private landowners interested in implementing habitat management projects to create or sustain young forest or shrubland habitat for wildlife, NRCS can provide technical and financial assistance to those wishing to conduct practices outlined in the USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

Participating landowners may receive financial support to implement management practices, including forest and wildlife habitat planning, brush mowing, non-native invasive plant control, prescribed burning, tree/shrub plantings, early successional forest habitat management, and creation of brush piles.

Applications for cost-sharing of management practices are received by the NRCS year-round. Interested landowners are encouraged to contact an NRCS conservation planner through their local field office. DEEP Wildlife Division staff members are also available to assess potential projects, provide technical advice, and identify additional funding opportunities for suitable projects. Those interested should contact Wildlife Division Biologist Tanner Steeves at 860-295-9523 or tanner.steeves@ct.gov. 

Focus area map of Connecticut for New England cottontail and American woodcock. 

Focus areas have been established based on species occurrence and landscape factors that deem certain specific geographic areas are most likely to result in positive responses to management treatments for these target wildlife species.

Additional Resources for Private Landowners

Content last updated in February 2024.