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Wednesday 3 March 2010
Nature lovers celebrate local wildlife
More than 100 naturalists gathered in Cambourne, Cambridgeshire to celebrate the rich and varied wildlife of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
The local Wildlife Trust held their annual Ecology Groups conference on Saturday 27 February, with talks from staff and volunteers on a range of topics including techniques for monitoring butterflies; conservation grazing on our reserves by sheep and cattle and monitoring bats at wetland nature reserves.
Brian Eversham, Chief Executive of the Trust, said, “As an organisation we strongly believe that good conservation depends on good science and those who attended this event put in hundreds of man hours to ensure that we live up to this promise. Whether it is totting up water beetles or scouring the area for signs of polecats the work that our Ecology Group volunteers carry out has a direct bearing on the decisions we make about managing our nature reserves to ensure that they provide high-quality habitats for all wildlife to thrive.”
One very special volunteer was presented with an award for her commitment to local wildlife conservation.
Anne Costello has volunteered for the Wildlife Trust in almost every conceivable capacity: she is the voluntary warden of our nature reserve at Stibbington near Peterborough, a Watch leader, an education volunteer in Peterborough, a key Ecology Group volunteer, and a committee member of the newly formed Peterborough Local Group of the Trust.
She received the Richenda Huxley award for services to the Wildlife Trust from the charity’s president Baroness Barbara Young.
If you would like to find out more about the Wildlife Trust’s Ecology Groups or join one of the surveying and monitoring projects please visit http://www.wildlifebcnp.org/ecologygroups.htm
The Wildlife Trust would like to thank the Cambridge Belfry Hotel for providing the venue and conference rooms free of charge and sponsoring the refreshment breaks.
ENDS
For more information please contact Henry Stanier, Ecology Groups Officer, on 01954 713519, henry.stanier@wildlifebcnp.org or Bernadette Mooney, Communications Officer, on 01954 713552 bernadette.mooney@wildlifebcnp.org.
About the Trust:
Bringing people together to take action for wildlife is the Trust’s mission. We manage 129 nature reserves - all of them free to visit – and 95% of the population live within five miles of one of our reserves. We are working to make these wildlife havens bigger, better and more joined-up – vital to help wildlife to adapt to a changing climate. By gathering valuable information about wildlife and working with other landowners the Trust also monitors and safeguards wildlife beyond the boundary of its reserves.
About the Ecology Groups
There are four Wildlife Trust Ecology Groups across our area.
•The Limestone Ecology Group covering limestone grassland reserves in north Northamptonshire and west Peterborough.
•The Bedfordshire Ecology Groups covering a range of reserves, from chalk grassland reserves in Luton, to heathland, mire and woodland reserves along the Greensand Ridge.
•The Nene Valley Ecology Group covering wetland reserves along the River Nene, in Northamptonshire.
•The Cambridgeshire Boulder Clay Woodlands Ecology Group covering a range of reserves including ancient woodland reserves in south Cambridgeshire.