Annual Rabbit Hunting Drive

In the early 1900s, farmers around Lodi Lake organized "rabbit drives" as a way to reduce the rabbit population. They invited hunters to help clear out the rabbits, which had become a serious problem for local crops. The drives became annual social events with lunch and prizes.

While these hunts seemed like a practical solution at the time, the farmers and hunters didn't fully consider their environmental impact. Rabbits serve as prey for native predators like hawks, foxes and coyotes, and rabbit holes serve as homes for other ground-dwelling species, such as burrowing owls. It has often been the case that humans misunderstand integrated systems, making our environmental management flawed. Continuing to learn and improve ecosystem knowledge leads to improved management.