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Nature Detectives Needed
Posted on 23/08/2007
Loughborough Newsdesk
Fancy being a nature detective? Well Leicestershire County Council is calling for help with wildlife surveys across Leicestershire and Rutland to help collect much needed information about our local wildlife and its habitats.
The surveys are part of the Community Heritage Initiative programme, which is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Rutland County Council.
Volunteers are needed to help record natural history information through various habitat and species surveys in every parish across the two counties.
Volunteers are also needed to help with survey projects on ancient trees, hedgerows, woodlands, grasslands and field ponds, as well as audits of parish special wildlife sites, along with records for reptiles in the two counties. Information will be directly fed into the areas wildlife records collated at the County Councils Environment and Heritage Resources Centre. The information obtained will be used to help map habitats which may have important wildlife value and to inform planning authorities of sites that have ecological value. The information will also be fed into the published Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland Biodiversity Action Plan - a detailed strategy aiming to improve the state of nature and our knowledge of it. All information recorded by budding "Bill Oddies" will provide a valuable update on the state of the natural environment. These surveys are also used to inform landowners of the ecological value of their land to encourage further appropriate management.
Background survey booklets are available for woodlands, grasslands, hedgerows and field ponds, as well as more detailed recording forms linking to the criteria for evaluation as sites of county importance. For ancient trees, fish and for the reptile surveys, forms exist containing guidelines and background notes. Guidance packs are also available for carrying out whole parish surveys and maps for marking records can be provided for recorders upon request for survey use only.
For more information on local wildlife and natural history surveys contact the Community Heritage Initiative at Holly Hayes Environment and Heritage Resources Centre, 216 Birstall Road, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 4DG, email chi@leics.gov.uk or visit the projects website: www.leics.gov.uk/celebrating_wildlife