on Sat 16th June 10 till 4, we will be labeling up plants of interest and also be running a few guided walks round, as well as having the SNG nature table up. The reserve is on the road between Ruddington and Wilford on the left just before the Ring Road Bridge. The entrance will be signed and there is car parking or you could use the number 3 bus.
Monthly Archives: May 2018
SNG Nature Table at Summer Fetes
This year we will be taking our nature table to East Bridgford Horticultural Show (30th June 11 till 4), Ruddington Summer Fayre (Sat 21st July 12 till 6), Lark in the Park (Wed 1st Aug 10 till 4) and Skylarks Nature Reserve Festival (Thurs 23 Aug 10 till 4). If you are there look us up.
Swift Awareness Evening at Kinoulton
There will be a Swift Open Evening at St. Luke’s Church, Kinoulton, on Thursday 21st June from around 7.30pm until it goes dark. All welcome but it would be good if folk could let me know so that we have enough coffee/tea/bikkies for all. We hope to have aerial displays of screaming swifts around the tower as well as views of the birds on their nests via the TV screen in the church. Perhaps bats and a glorious sunset as well if we’re really lucky. Please contact Carol Collins, 0194981798 or carolwcollins61@gmail.com at the beginning of June, by which time we should have decided on dates and times.
Spotlight on Gresham Marsh
We are currently working in partnership with Rushcliffe Borough Council and the Environment Agency on a project to get a once much-loved but now somewhat neglected nature reserve back into good management condition. The site, known as Gresham Marsh is located behind Embankment Primary Care Centre on Wilford Lane and on the right of Gresham Park Road as you drive up to Emmanual School from the mini-roundabout.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust used to manage the site as a nature reserve, grazing it with our sheep. Sadly, due to limited resources and issues with livestock safety we have been unable to do this for many years. However, we are now currently working with the land owners (Environment Agency) and Rushcliffe Borough Council with the aim to get it back into good condition for wildlife and for people. We are currently engaging with nearby schools and colleges, health centres, groups and other organisations nearby, which may have an interest in the land and could potentially help look after the site.
Although some may consider that the site has become very overgrown, it is still a very important remnant wetland habitat, supporting much wildlife interest such as marsh, reed swamp, grassland and scrub habitats. It is of importance to breeding birds in the summer, wading birds in the winter and it used to support several species of scarce wetland plants and the charismatic water vole, which sadly hasn’t been recorded here since the 1980s.
At the current time there is a lack of resources to look after the land but we are hoping to address this by forming a new ‘friends group’ to help involve the local community with care of the site and to enhance its wildlife value. Such a group would provide valuable resources in terms of carrying out work on the ground and possibly bring in much needed funds. A renewed focused on the site will also help secure its long-term future.
We would love to hear from any nearby groups or individuals who could help. If you are interested in supporting such a project please contact Ben Driver, Southern Conservation Officer on 0115 9588242 or emailbdriver@nottswt.co.uk.
RUSHCLIFFE LOCAL PLAN FOR HOUSING
Rushcliffe Borough Council have released the latest draft of the plan for housing and industrial land allocation in our area. A weighty tome, the key pieces of information are the maps showing land to be allocated and once these areas are allotted outline planning permission is pretty much a formality (the detailed permissions would however be open to challenge) and equally important land not allocated (except for bits and bobs) will have a presumption against being built on for the foreseeable future (unless a government ups housing targets).
Have not had a chance to look in detail, but I don`t think any obvious designated wildlife sites are directly effected, but we will need to pore over the maps. What is quite good news is that the land to the west of Sharphill Wood seems not to have been allocated so hopefully the wood will get completely surrounded, which is a worry. Of course chunks of countryside adjacent to many Rushcliffe towns and villages will be built on, but under National Planning guidelines the choice is pretty much not if, but where. In addition RBC have put in policies that should help protect designated wildlife sites and green corridors. Of course the devil is in the details and any policy on any topic always contains caveats.
Notts Wildlife Trust and Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy Implementation Group (RNCSIG) will be taking a look at the allocated sites and nature conservation policies and commenting, both on issues of concern and also supporting policies etc that we think are reasonable. If you want to know more please follow this link to the RBC web site
Home > Planning and Building > Planning > Planning policy > Local Plan (the key doc is Local Plan Part 2)
But individuals have as much right to comment on the plan as groups and organizations and whilst we will limit themselves to commenting on wildlife related issues, individuals can comment on other issues of local concern. You can be sure building companies will be commenting on the local plan to try to shape it to their benefit.
There will be a Public Enquiry in due course and any comments must be in to RBC by Thurs 28th June.
Who are Keeping it Wild and What do we do?
Keeping It Wild is the youth group of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust for 13 to 25 year-olds. We started in 2016 as Young Roots Steering Group and then we received Heritage Lottery Funding to officially become Keeping It Wild! That funding allowed us to take part in lots of conservation and educational activities and get branded clothing like our Toad Patrol high vis vests (pictured). Last summer we even went away for a week to visit other Wildlife Trusts and see new wildlife including beavers and horseshoe bats! Now the funding has finished, we do lots of fundraising events in order to be self-sufficient. We have sold handmade Christmas decorations at Maggie’s at the City Hospital and at Attenborough nature reserve, put on a nature trail at Idle Valley Spring Fair and we had a stall at Green Up Day in Sneinton Market Place (pictured).
We also put on events to connect people with nature – we hosted a bushcraft day in Seller’s Wood and a family games event at Woodthorpe Meadow. During Nottingham’s Night Light we put on a silent disco for the public where participants wore light up headphones that played nature sounds to show them what we are missing in the city. Our mission is to connect young people to nature through our activities and to raise awareness of the importance of Nottingham’s green spaces. This year, we were part of the Creating a Buzz campaign, which included creative workshops with local poets and photographers focusing on nature in Nottingham, and a debate in the Council House with a panel of experts and around 100 local school children (pictured). We are also planning on shout our manifesto to parliament in London!
In the future, we are going to be trusted to manage our own nature reserve! We will be looking after Woodthorpe Meadow in Sherwood and hosting more events there to encourage local people to visit the reserve. We are also looking to raise awareness of our group so we can recruit new members and increase our fundraising opportunities, and we are looking for our own space to meet!
Want to join us ? Contact us on Facebook via @willow fox or via Laura Bacon on lbacon@nottswt.co.uk or dropping a text or what’s app on 07711886414
We are the Future protecting Wildlife!