What’s new?
17 December 2007
Challenge taken up at Blow's Downs
South Bedfordshire reserve sees improvements
Blow's Downs Nature Reserve in Dunstable was visited on 12 December by Emma Brooks, a project manager at WREN, which helped to fund The Wildlife Trust's work on an exciting new project called Blow’s Downs Community Challenge.
Just under £23,500 was received from the Landfill Communities Fund of Waste Recycling Group (WRG), administered and distributed by Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN), and £5,000 from The Chilterns Conservation Board. The funding will enable The Trust to make significant improvements to the reserve and to work more closely with the local community.
Emma Brooks met staff from the Wildlife Trust and representatives of volunteer groups working with the Trust on the reserve to see the conservation and repair work being done, and to hear about the involvement of local schools and community groups.
Blow's Downs Nature Reserve is especially important for its flower-rich grassland, which attracts rare butterflies like the chalkhill blue and brown argus. It is also an important stopover point for migrating birds like the ring ouzel and wheatear. Concern has been growing, however, about incidences of misuse of the reserve and a disturbing rise in vandalism. By involving the community in the site, it is hoped that local residents will help care for it and the misuse will decline.
The Blow’s Downs Community Challenge has already provided some new facilities for grazing cattle on the reserve, and plans for the extensive repair and replacement of fencing and gates to allow the safe return of these cattle to a much wider area - Grazing is very important to the reserve as it helps to protect the wide range of plants and flowers that grow there.
Local people are also being invited to take part in conservation activities throughout the year, including managing and monitoring the various habitats and wildlife of the Downs. Several local volunteer groups already work with the Wildlife Trust on the management of the reserve, but the Wildlife Trust’s new community involvement officer is encouraging many more people to get involved. It is hoped that this will foster a greater sense of local pride in the Downs and the wealth of wildlife that they have to offer.
Kerrie Cottrell, community involvement officer at the Wildlife Trust said: “The WREN funding has enabled me to begin working with local school and community groups that live around Blow’s Downs. Activities so far have included minibeast hunting, wildflower and tree identification and practical conservation work. Working together has really helped to develop a sense of ownership amongst the local community and I hope this will help with the care and conservation of the site for future generations”.
Anyone wanting to get involved with conservation work at Blow’s Downs can contact Kathryn Ingall on 01234 362778.