Courtesy US Fish and Wildlife Service

Queens Zoo Plays Key Role in Rabbit Conservation Effort

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

Fifteen young New England cottontail rabbits bred at the Queens Zoo have been released into forests in Maine as part of a growing effort to restore the population of the region’s only native cottontail species, which faces extinction due to habitat loss and competition from non-native rabbits.

The rabbits, known as kits, were released in late August into sites across southern Maine, including Fort Foster Park in Kittery, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and Thacher Island off the coast of Rockport. The effort involved the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine Conservation Corps, and local park staff. Each rabbit was microchipped and treated for fleas and ticks before release to help improve survival rates.

“This release marks another important step in the ongoing recovery of the New England cottontail,” said Donna-Mae Butcher, assistant curator of animals at the Queens Zoo. “By working together with our partners, we are helping to ensure that this native rabbit has a future.”

The Queens Zoo, operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society, has been part of the New England Cottontail Breeding Program since 2016. The zoo’s breeding area is off-exhibit, designed to minimize human contact and allow natural mating and nesting behavior.

Adult males and females are paired in specially designed enclosures that allow females to select their mates, a process the zoo’s staff closely observes but does not interfere with. Once mating occurs, females are moved to secluded birthing areas that simulate natural conditions with hay, soil, and hideouts.

“We have partnered with Roger Williams Park Zoo, and what makes this successful is that we’re sharing experiences between both institutions,” Butcher said. “They’re not disturbed — we try and have minimal contact with them as possible so that their exposure to meeting each other is completely up to the female as to which male she’d like to choose.”

Nicole Schepis, a wild animal keeper at the zoo, helps oversee the day-to-day care of the breeding rabbits. “Our effort to breed these rabbits to help ensure they don’t go extinct show the great value of zoos to the conservation of wildlife, especially for species facing extinction,” she said.

The breeding program typically runs from March through July. The kits are born in the summer and weaned after about a month before being tagged for release. “We put ear tags and microchips in them so that when they’re released, we get to track them and keep tabs on their population,” Schepis said.

The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) has lost more than 80% of its range since the 1960s. It depends on dense shrubland and young forests, habitats that have declined due to development and forest maturation. The species also faces competition from the non-native eastern cottontail, which is better adapted to open spaces.

“They are native to New England and fill an important ecological niche in the places that they live, both for seed dispersal as well as a food source for predators,” Butcher said.

The Queens Zoo team said that breeding New England cottontail rabbits in captivity comes with its share of challenges, particularly in recreating the delicate conditions of their natural habitat. Some years yield better breeding results than others, and the staff is constantly adjusting and troubleshooting to improve outcomes. “You’ll have good years and you’ll have not so good years,” said Butcher. “It’s always trying to troubleshoot to see what can we do differently — maybe let them breed longer, maybe add more stuff or less stuff. It’s never always the same.” She added that noise and other human disturbances can also affect the rabbits’ behavior, requiring the staff to continually adapt and “think on the fly” to find what works best for the animals.

Zoo director Mike Allen said the program has shown measurable success. “Since we started this program nine years ago, we’ve released 145 rabbits,” he said. “Last year was our best year ever — we had 24 releases. This year we had 15. And overall, it’s doing really, really well.”

Researchers monitor the released populations through DNA-matched fecal samples collected in the wild. “Because we have their DNA, we can always match it up and see, okay, that’s one of ours, or that’s a wild one,” Butcher explained.

Conserving the New England cottontail is vital for maintaining the balance and health of the region’s ecosystems, the Queens Zoo team said. As a native species, the rabbits play an important ecological role in their habitats, contributing to seed dispersal and serving as a key food source for native predators

The Queens Zoo’s work is part of a regional partnership that includes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state agencies from New York and New England, conservation groups, universities, and private landowners. The program’s success has helped keep the species from being listed as federally endangered; the International Union for Conservation of Nature currently classifies it as Vulnerable.

“There’s no point where you go, ‘Okay, we’re done,’” Butcher said. “It’s something we can continue to contribute towards.”

The Queens Zoo, located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, is open daily. For more information, visit queenszoo.com.

Hundreds Attend Immigrant Resource Fair

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

Families and community members filled Paseo Park on 34th Avenue this past Saturday as the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) hosted its Key to the City resource fair — a kickoff event aimed at connecting immigrant New Yorkers with essential items and critical community services.

The fair, organized in partnership with Council Member Shekar Krishnan’s office, brought together more than two dozen organizations offering free resources, from school supplies and sanitary items to legal consultations and healthcare information. According to organizers, about 600 people attended the Jackson Heights event, reflecting the deep demand for support among immigrant families across the city.

“I’ve been with the organization for a little bit over a year,” said Jesus Casado, Director of Community Programming at NYIC. “In my role, I oversee this initiative, which is the key to the city program, which we’ve been running for about 15 years now, with the support of city council at large NYIC is a membership organization, a sort of a coalition that does policy and advocacy work to push for supports for the immigrant community in terms of legislation, campaigns and also direct services, which is one of the areas that I oversee.”

Casado explained that the event’s mission goes beyond distribution — it’s about building awareness and access. “We invite local organizations in the neighborhoods that we visit to table and provide information on the free services and resources that they can do for immigrant communities in the neighborhood,” he said. “In this past event that we had on Saturday, we had a little over 25–30 organizations providing information, swag, resources to our attendees.”

In addition to the fair, NYIC hosted a legal clinic at a nearby school in partnership with the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), providing free consultations to attendees seeking help navigating complex immigration cases.

Jackson Heights was chosen for the kickoff due to its cultural and linguistic diversity. “We’ve had a long-standing partnership with Council Member Shekar Krishnan,” Casado said. “And also, it’s a neighborhood that has a rich, diverse community of people who speak Spanish, Bangladeshi communities. So, it’s a perfect spot.”

“The 15th annual Key to the City Event was an important reminder of the power of our community. We are proud to host this event in partnership with NYIC, which provides our immigrant communities with essential services, including legal assistance, school supplies, clothing, and more. As Donald Trump and ICE stoke fear, we are proud to stand united and fight to ensure that everyone has the resources they need to thrive in Jackson Heights,” said Krishnan of District 25.

For many immigrant families, the challenges of navigating city systems, language barriers, and economic insecurity can be overwhelming. Casado said the fair’s goal is “mostly connecting community members to life-saving resources and services. So it’s for them to learn about what organizations in their local neighborhoods are doing and how they can receive those services from them.”

He noted that some of the most pressing needs include access to legal counsel, food, and education. “The main need that American communities are faced with is legal counsel and legal support,” Casado said. “Another one that we see continuously is access to food. So there’s a lot of food insecurity. Education is another big one. Parents wanting to understand how they can enroll their children to school. What are their rights as immigrants in this country to access education?”

Beyond direct aid, the NYIC also focuses on education and empowerment through “know your rights” presentations and family preparedness resources — helping immigrant families plan for emergencies, including possible detentions.

“Well, I think now more than ever, our programming is instrumental, because there’s a lot of fear and concerns from our community,” Casado said. “So these events are a bridge for people to know that they have allies and they have the communities behind them, supporting them.”

The Key to the City initiative will continue throughout the fall, with the next community resource fair and legal clinic scheduled for October 28 in Manhattan’s Upper West Side in partnership with Council Member Gale Brewer.

Casado said residents can find updates about upcoming fairs through NYIC’s social media platforms and local partner organizations.

“These events show that people are not alone,” he said. “We want to make sure that people have the comfort and the agency to come to our events, take advantage of our services, our resources, and make sure that they’re not alone.”

Gig Workers and Minimum Wage Loom Large in NYC Election

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

As New York City’s mayoral race intensifies, one of the central questions is how the next mayor will address the needs of the city’s working population, including the hundreds of thousands of gig workers who keep the city running. With affordability challenges mounting, voters are scrutinizing candidates’ plans on wages, worker protections, and benefits.

Paul Sonn, director of NELP Action, a nonprofit research and policy organization focused on labor and employment issues, said the stakes are high for working families in the city. “I’m trained as a lawyer, but I for a long time, have worked on Labor and Employment Policy for with the National Employment Law Project Action Fund, we’re a nonprofit research and policy organization, and so we work with state and local government and worker advocates on policies like the minimum wage and protections for gig workers and health and safety protection and unemployment insurance, and kind of immigration related policy and policy as it applies to the workplace.”

Sonn emphasized that key worker policy issues, including proposals to raise the minimum wage, stronger protections for gig workers, and paid leave, have become central in the race. “New York has already been a leader in many ways, in protecting workers in recent years, but there’s a lot more that it can do, and especially as part of an agenda to make the city more affordable for working families. The next mayor can do a lot to ensure that jobs provide decent pay and protections for New Yorkers at every income level.”

Raising the minimum wage is a top priority for the next mayor, as New York’s current rate of $16.50 lags far behind other major cities. Sonn noted that in Seattle, the minimum wage is nearly $21 an hour, while in Denver it is around $19. Advocates argue that a higher wage is critical to helping working families keep up with the city’s high cost of living.

Paid leave protections are another area where New York falls short. While the city has a limited law guaranteeing paid sick days, other cities provide broader access for family emergencies, doctor visits, and parent-teacher conferences. Sonn emphasized that expanding paid leave would make life more affordable and manageable for families struggling to balance work and personal responsibilities.

Gig workers, including food delivery and ride-share drivers, face ongoing challenges despite some of the nation’s strongest protections in the city. Sonn said a persistent problem is unfair firings, where workers are often removed from apps without warning or due process, leaving many unable to earn income or pay for essential expenses. Strengthening protections against these practices is emerging as a key campaign issue.

Other labor proposals under consideration include requiring companies like Amazon to directly employ delivery workers rather than subcontracting them. This change would aim to guarantee better wages and benefits while providing oversight to ensure safer working conditions. According to Sonn, such measures would be among the first of their kind in the country.

The debate over wages is tightly linked to broader affordability challenges, including housing, food, and childcare. Sonn said a higher minimum wage is “the foundation for being able to afford life in this super expensive city,” and that New York’s current rate exacerbates the cost pressures faced by working families.

Some critics warn that raising wages could push businesses out of the city. Sonn pointed to research from other U.S. cities, noting that predicted job losses largely have not materialized. “Most of the jobs that are most significantly affected are service jobs that really are linked to their locations… Those jobs aren’t going anywhere,” he said, stressing that fair pay can be implemented without harming local employment.

Sonn also highlighted that strong worker protections can coexist with economic growth. Cities like Seattle and Denver have higher minimum wages and comprehensive labor safeguards while maintaining thriving local economies. He said New York has made progress protecting gig and fast-food workers, but a citywide minimum wage that aligns with the cost of living remains a conspicuous gap.

On what question he would pose to candidates, Sonn said, “I guess, what are you going to do to ensure that every job pays a living wage and provides the protections that working New Yorkers need to thrive and afford life in our expensive city.”

NELP Action does not endorse candidates, instead focusing on policy analysis. Sonn said, “We just comment on policy. And so we were kind of all commenting on the platforms that are policy and positions that different candidates have articulated. We’re a nonpartisan organization.”

As the campaign moves forward, worker protections, wages, and affordability are expected to remain central topics in debates and policy proposals, shaping the future of the city for millions of New Yorkers.