What’s new?
Volunteers Photograph the future Monday 7th March
Record numbers of volunteers attended the local Wildlife Trust’s annual conference on conservation monitoring on 26 February. One hundred and twenty-five volunteers and staff gathered at the Cambridge Belfry hotel to celebrate their work across the rich and varied wildlife of the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
The conference featured presentations on dormouse reintroduction, using birds to monitor the condition of woodlands and the Trust’s work to protect bats in our three counties.
.The conference also saw the launch of a new photography project, Wildlife Forecast Photographers, designed to capture the changing seasons and wildlife of nature reserves across the three counties.
A competition - - sponsored by binocular manufacturer Opticron - will be held to find the three best photographs taken during the year-long project
“Opticron is pleased to be able to support the work of the Trust by sponsoring its exciting new reserve and wildlife photography project”, commented Pete Gamby, the company’s marketing manager. “Encouraging people of all ages to get out and about to enjoy their local environment and to see its wildlife, plant life and insect life is an important part of what we try to do here at Opticron. We’re looking forward to seeing the entries as they come in and hope that the volunteers involved find inspiration for some great photographs on their chosen reserves”.
The coordinator of the project, Henry Stanier, Ecology Groups Officer of the Trust said, “This is a good example of a flexible project that people can fit into their own lifestyle and still support their local wildlife. We will be supporting them with seasonal forecasts on how and what to photograph as well, so they will be able to capture the changes in our Living Landscape, evidence that will be vital if we are to successfully monitor the long term future of our wildlife.”
If you want to become a volunteer and take part in the Wildlife Forecast Photographers project or help with other monitoring including bat surveys, contact Ecology Groups Officer Henry Stanier (see end).
Adopt a Barbastelle Bat
Barbastelle bats are a very rare woodland species unique in their frosted appearance and pug-like squashed face. The money raised by your adoption will help the Trust protect the habitats required for these species to survive. Click here for more information and to view the other species available to adopt.
Next steps
For more information contact Henry Stanier, the Ecology Groups Officer, on 01954 713519 or email ecologygroups@wildlifebcnp.org