in regrowth. We compared snowshoe hare habitat use and survival between the two studies. Hares started selecting burned areas over other available habitat seven years after the burns occurred. Similar to the previous study, hares avoided more recently burned areas. Additionally, hare survival increased as the amount of time spent in older burned areas (at least seven years post-burn) increased. These results indicate prescribed burning in scrub oak barrens can be beneficial for hares, but there is a delay before this benefit is realized. This type of information is critical for habitat managers to effectively manage habitats across the landscape for species that benefit from early successional habitats, such as the snowshoe hare. Hares use different forest types; they exhibit different population dynamics based on geographic location. But generally speaking, they prefer hare hunter? There's room for more people to get involved with the Game Commission's Snowshoe Hare Hunter Cooperator Group. Anyone interested in becoming a snowshoe hare hunter cooperator and taking an active role in snowshoe hare conservation can email hares@pa.gov for more information. areas of dense, woody-stemmed vegetation at least 9 feet high. That's an important habitat characteristic anywhere hares are found. We can develop management strategies across the entire hare range to create and maintain that habitat for this species in the future. It's that complex, but also that simple: habitat is our best bet for protecting and promoting our snowshoe hare population in Pennsylvania. APRIL 2024 43