DURHAM SPRING 2020
WWW.DURHAMWT.COM
WILDLIFE DURHAM SPRING 2020 | 1
News
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A Golden Anniversary Building The Den Raising Funds Through Recycling Dragonflies & Damselflies Bounce Back Moving On Wilderness Ranger Sets Out To Inspire A Tribute To David Bellamy
Campaigning
SPRING 2020 ISSUE @ durhamwildlife
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The Environmental and Climate Emergency Tackling The Climate Emergency Everyday Action To Tackle Climate Change Calculate Your Footprint Is It Time To Change Our Ways?
Book Club
@ durhamwildlifetrust
A Time For Action This edition of Wildlife Durham has a climate change theme. As a nature conservation organisation, climate change is an issue that will have greater and greater significance for the work we deliver.
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Spring Reads
@ durhamwildlife
Now seems the right time to set out Durham Wildlife Trust’s position and explain how we will continue to respond to the challenge.
Events
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Spring 2020
National
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A Big Splash For UK Seas 2019 In Numbers 100 Miles Wilder New Leader For The Wildlife Trusts An Insect Apocolypse Natural Carbon Solutions
VISITOR CENTRES Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve Chilton Moor, Houghton-le-Spring Tyne & Wear, DH4 6PU Tel: 0191 584 3112
Low Barns Nature Reserve Witton-le-Wear, Bishop Auckland County Durham, DL14 0AG Tel: 01388 488 728
The Meadows Coffee Shop Angela Watson and Team Tel: 0191 512 8940
Low Barns Coffee Shop Angela Watson and Team Tel: 01388 488 729
The Trust’s nature conservation work is already helping to address the climate and ecological emergency recently declared by national and local government, and has been doing so for many years. Our 50th anniversary is in July 2021 and the Trust’s aim is to use that anniversary to focus attention on our work and generate the resources we need to do more. The summer magazine will launch a year of action leading up to the anniversary that we hope will set the foundation for the next 50 years. This magazine also looks back at the history of the charity as we remember the support that David Bellamy gave to Durham Wildlife Trust. His views on climate change were controversial but, at the same time, his contribution to nature conservation in both his local patch and across the world was unmatched.
Jim Cokill - Director
MAGAZINE Editorial: John Dean
Design & Print: www.intimation.co.uk
Paper: FSC approved, 100% recycled
Cover Image: L esley Hodgson Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum papillosum)
If you would like to receive a PDF copy of the magazine please email mail@durhamwt.co.uk
NEWS
A Golden Anniversary In July 2021, Durham Wildlife Trust will be celebrating its 50th birthday and a major campaign is being planned to mark the occasion. Durham Wildlife Trust is one of 46 individual Wildlife Trusts that have grown up across the UK since 1912 when Charles Rothschild founded the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves (which later became The Wildlife Trusts) and first proposed the idea of seeking out the best places for wildlife in Britain and promoting them as ‘nature reserves’. Managing special places for wildlife has been at the heart of the Wildlife Trust movement ever since and across the country the Wildlife Trusts manage about 2,300 nature reserves of all shapes, sizes and varieties. That’s why, together, the Wildlife Trusts are the UK’s largest people-powered environmental organisation working for nature’s recovery on land and at sea. Across the Durham Wildlife Trust patch of County Durham, Darlington, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland, no one is working harder to make sure wildlife has a place in the landscape, but we must do more to support nature’s recovery. The best way to do that is to have more nature reserves, where wildlife comes first and people are given the chance to experience and enjoy nature. Nature reserves are at the centre of the battle to overcome the ecological emergency facing our wildlife and deliver nature’s recovery. They help protect what we already have and create a network for wildlife to move across the landscape.
Raising Funds Through Recycling Durham Wildlife Trust has opened up Recycling for Good Causes stations at its Rainton Meadows and Low Barns Visitor Centres. Recycling for Good Causes processes old and unwanted items and returns 75% of the profits back to Durham Wildlife Trust.
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Building The Den
The items which can be recycled at the stations are unwanted gold and silver, including damaged
The habitats on nature reserves can take carbon from the atmosphere, locking it into the ecosystem. Nature reserves are places where people can experience the natural world and be inspired to take action. As it stands, Durham Wildlife Trust manages 37 nature reserves. Our ambitious target for 2021 is to increase that total to 50 to celebrate our 50th birthday.
Work on The Den, an innovative new education space next to WildPlay at Rainton Meadows, has progressed well during the winter months.
So, while our golden anniversary will be an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the past, it will also be a major part of our plan for the future. There are already some sites in the pipeline and ideas for others but reaching the 50 target will be a massive undertaking.
A converted shipping container has been used to create The Den and design agency 24 Design has transformed the interior into a nature-themed environment to inspire children and encourage them to learn about wildlife.
Durham Wildlife Trust will need to involve all its members and supporters in the effort so we need the views of our members and supporters to shape our campaign.
Volunteers have been busy building fences and making the external space surrounding The Den ready for visitors and a group of the Trust’s Young Rangers planted ferns in front of the structure to help naturalise its surroundings.
Visit www.durhamwt.com/fifty to share your views. Look out for more details on our plans and how you can get involved in the summer edition of Wildlife Durham.
jewellery, coins and banknotes (any currency of any age), stamps, mobile phones, cameras and electrical gadgets. Items can be dropped into the recycling boxes at each centre or, if you have a lot to recycle, get in touch and we can arrange storage. In addition to the recycling boxes at centres, envelopes are also available to send unwanted items directly to Recycling for Good Causes.
The Den will become the start and end point of all group visits to Rainton Meadows. To find out more and arrange your school or group visit contact Education Officer Dorinda Kealoha at education@durhamwt.co.uk.
Den Interior
The 2020 discount for members to receive 15% off at Cotswold Outdoors is AF-WILDLIFE-M5
For more information about raising funds through recycling please email mail@durhamwt.co.uk WILDLIFE DURHAM SPRING 2020 | 3
NEWS
Dragonflies and Damselflies Bounce Back From Tough Year
The Trust-led project entered its fifth year in 2019 and surveys were carried out by volunteers who adopted sites in their local area and recorded dragonfly and damselfly larva and adults. The previous year, 2018, was a year of extreme weather that had a significant impact on dragonflies in the Durham Wildlife Trust region. Firstly, during the whole of March, a large Arctic air mass stretched from Russia and the Far East to the British Isles (the ‘Beast From The East’) and brought with it significant snowfall and icy conditions, which had an adverse impact on some dragonfly and damselfly species. Then June 2018 was the hottest on record since 1915 and the hot weather continued well into September, resulting in many wetland and pond areas drying up completely, which destroyed both eggs and larvae. The weather in 2019 was very different and the region was awash with dragonflies and damselflies. First to emerge at the end of April was the large red damselfly, easy to identify partly as they are bright red and black. The last to be seen, at the Trust’s Rainton Meadows 4 | SPRING 2020 WILDLIFE DURHAM
reserve near Houghton-le-Spring, in November was the migrant hawker, which survived two weeks of frost before finally bowing out. Michael Coates, the Durham Wildlife Trust Trustee who organises the surveys and training for volunteers, said: “The survey effort this time has been truly outstanding. Watching dragonflies is an experience I think everyone would enjoy. The information gathered enables Durham Wildlife Trust to get a clearer picture of how dragonflies and damselflies are faring in Durham against national trends and helps the Trust monitor the wetland habitats these insects rely on. Dragonflies and damselflies are ideal indicators of wetland health because their larvae develop over quite a long period of time in the water.” The 2019 report is available to view at www.durhamwt.com/dragons
© Mal Wilkinson
A survey into numbers of dragonflies and damselflies in the Durham Wildlife Trust area has shown that the insects have bounced back spectacularly after a challenging 2018.
Moving On Staff and volunteers alike were sad to see three members of the Durham Wildlife Trust team leave over the winter. Low Barns Assistant Steve Purvis has moved on to a full time role with the National Trust at Gibside. Living Landscapes Officer (North) Chris Jones has taken up a new post with the RSPB in the region and Heart of Durham Officer Anne Porter retired in March. They have all made a valuable contribution to
the Trust over the years and leave with best wishes for the future from all at Durham Wildlife Trust. After many years supporting the Trust’s media and communications work, including as Editor of Wildlife Durham, there is also a fond farewell to John Dean, who retired from his media work at the end of March to concentrate on his writing career. John has a number of crime novels to his name already. We would like to take this opportunity to thank John for all of his work and wish him the best for the future.
Wilderness Ranger Sets Out to Inspire A new addition to the Trust team is Wilderness Ranger Rachel Richards, who will be delivering the Trust’s youth engagement activities at Low Barns and providing more opportunities for people of all ages to get involved in nature conservation. Rachel said: “Since I started as Wilderness Ranger last October, I’ve begun introducing new activities at Low Barns. There’s now Muddy Welly walks for toddlers and I’ve been running winter bird watching sessions for our members. “I’ve been involved at Low Barns for quite a while, running the Watch Group before taking on the Wilderness Ranger job. “The centre and site has really developed over the last year with the new cafe and other improvements. “My role is to make sure more people of all ages visit and enjoy Low Barns and learn about the natural world. There’s a new hide aimed at younger visitors and school groups that will, hopefully, be on site by the summer and plans for the observation tower too. Low Barns is a fantastic place; if you haven’t been, you must visit!”
A Tribute To David Bellamy Former Trust President and Patron David Bellamy died shortly before Christmas aged 86. Julie Stobbs, Durham Wildlife Trust’s first member of staff, who worked closely with David during the early days of the Trust, remembers his contribution. It was a terrific privilege to have known David Bellamy, particularly as a lecturer on the post-graduate Ecology course that I undertook at Durham University 50 years ago and then during my employment with the Trust from 1974 to 1990. Born in London in January 1933, David moved up to the North East with his wife Rosemary in 1968 when he obtained a lectureship in Botany at Durham University, a position he held for fourteen years. By this time, he had become a famous and instantly recognisable face on television as increasingly he was invited to make programmes on myriad aspects of natural history and environmental concerns. A devoted family man with five children (the latter four all adopted), he was also a workaholic,
making time for lecturing, scientific research, international expeditions, writing 34 books (including a fascinating and entertaining autobiography) and undertaking any number of presentations and events for different societies, schools and other organisations.
his huge energy “ with and enthusiasm he did
a fantastic amount in inspiring interest in the natural environment, especially amongst children. We owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.
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NEWS
In 1984, he became a Vice President of the Durham Trust and in 1990 President, followed by Patron in 2015. One of the major Trust events for which he was the inspiration were the Country and Forest Workshops held at Hamsterley Forest, close to where he lived at Bedburn, organised jointly with the
Forestry Commission over two Spring Bank Holiday weekends. At these, the public could try their hand at an assortment of different countryside activities with guidance provided by local experts. Many of the activities were David’s own ideas; he was never short on imagination. His own role was to run ‘plodgey nature trails’ for children in the Bedburn Beck, which he did every hour for two whole days. At a press preview day in 1981, the whole of Hamsterley Village School attended and joined a ‘tree-tops trail’ in an open-top double decker bus borrowed from Scarborough for the occasion. After the success of the Country and Forest Workshops, David came up with a new venture in 1982, chartering a train up the heritage line from Darlington to Stanhope and again, running plodgey nature trails for children, this time in the River Wear. On the train, he and industrial archaeologist Don Wilcox were the chief guides, ensuring that commentaries were provided in all six coaches. In 1985, the Durham Trust was fortunate to be selected as one of twelve for a talk by Sir David Attenborough. Given at the Sunderland Empire, who better to introduce the main speaker than his almost equally well-known friend David Bellamy? On the more scientific side, it was fascinating to work with him on the Thrislington Technical Advisory Committee, overseeing the translocation of areas of magnesian limestone turf (each the size of a small car) before quarrying took place at what was to become Thrislington National Nature Reserve. This again was David’s initiative. Although his views in later life may at times have been controversial, with his huge energy and enthusiasm he did a fantastic amount in inspiring interest in the natural environment, especially amongst children. We owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.
WILDLIFE DURHAM SPRING 2020 | 5
CAMPAIGNING
CAMPAIGNING
by Jim Cokill
Climate change has really hit the headlines since the UK Government declared an ‘environment and climate emergency’ last May. There’s been lots of discussion since then on what that actually means in practice and in those discussions the environment part of the emergency is often overlooked. Our environment was in crisis long before climate change was on the press agenda. Wildlife populations, the barometer of the health of our environment, have been in decline for decades, the victims of agricultural intensification and urbanisation, driven by a rising population and consumerism. Add climate change to that mix and pressure on the natural environment increases. We have all seen footage of the bushfires in Australia.
changes, “ Asthetheareaclimate where these
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plants are able to survive will shrink.
Thankfully, nature in the UK is less dramatic than in Australia and our species and habitats are not under immediate threat from wildfire, although the risk to our uplands is increasing. Instead our wildlife is slowly having the life squeezed out of it.
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As an example, take two of our region’s wildlife specialities, the Teesdale assemblage of plants and Durham argus butterfly. The Teesdale assemblage is adapted to the climate of the North Pennines and has always been restricted in distribution. As the climate changes, the area where these plants are able to survive will shrink. A combination of topography and land use will prevent the movement of these species (yes plants do move, albeit slowly) across the landscape and the result is extinction. The Durham argus is a sub species of the Northern brown argus, a butterfly at the southern end of its range in the Durham Wildlife Trust area.
These examples focus on the rare and already threatened, but similar stories will unfold as time goes on with the specialist species that are adapted to a narrow band of conditions going first. This cycle of changing climate and shifting populations isn’t new, it has been going on since life on Earth began, but now the speed of change is faster and in places like the UK habitats are fragmented. A quick change, which in climate terms is what we are experiencing, and species can’t move fast enough. When species are confined to isolated fragments of habitat, as they are in modern Britain, even if they can move fast enough they have nowhere to move to. Luckily, the wonderful thing about nature is that it has the capacity to heal itself, but only if we allow it to. Even luckier, Durham Wildlife Trust has been tackling the environmental and ecological emergency for nearly 50 years, if only we had realised it. Our nature reserves are the strips and patches of habitat that remain, havens for the wildlife we still have. The habitats they contain, the woodlands, wetlands and grasslands, are sinks for carbon, drawing it from the atmosphere and locking it into the ecosystem. Yes, trees absorb carbon, but it’s woodlands that store that carbon for the long term locking it into soils. It’s not the number of trees we can plant, it’s the number of woodlands we can restore and create that will make the difference.
By making our existing nature reserves bigger and having more of them, we have more space for nature in the landscape and can create a network of habitat that allows species to shift as climate changes – a nature recovery network. The environmental and climate emergency can be addressed. Governments can implement policies that make the right thing for the environment also the right thing economically, particularly in the agricultural sector. Business and civil society can become more efficient and we as individuals can choose to change the way we live.
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Luckily, the wonderful thing about nature is that it has the capacity to heal itself, but only if we allow it to.
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Responding to the Environmental and Climate Emergency
As climate changes, the brown argus, a separate species that is found in southern Britain, will move northwards. Genetic studies indicate that the two species will interbreed and Durham’s iconic butterfly will be lost.
At Durham Wildlife Trust, we are beginning to make the changes needed, looking for ways to cut waste and become more efficient. Investing in technology to allow staff to work from home and reduce travel. Supporting farmers to access the funding they need to restore habitats on their farms and, most importantly, Durham Wildlife Trust is seeking opportunities to create more nature reserves and deliver the Nature Recovery Network we want to see.
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CAMPAIGNING
CAMPAIGNING
For 50 years Durham Wildlife Trust has existed to conserve the natural flora and fauna of County Durham, Darlington, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland.
We know that, fundamentally, our nature reserves are making a positive contribution, but as an organisation we are looking at how we operate, across all our activities, and seeking to improve. To help with that process, Durham Wildlife Trust is undertaking Investors in the Environment accreditation (iiE) with Capability North East. iiE is a national environmental accreditation scheme designed to help businesses and organisations of all sizes save money, reduce their impact on the environment and improve their green credentials.
by Emily Routledge
It means that as a Durham Wildlife Trust member you are already tackling the climate and ecological emergency that we are all facing. Your subscriptions allow the Trust to manage its nature reserves and acquire new sites and, in the past 15 years, Durham Wildlife Trust has more than doubled the area of land it manages for wildlife. If you are able to increase your membership subscription, you can help Durham Wildlife Trust do more and manage even more land for wildlife and for people. Call 0191 584 3112 to increase your donation.
Greening Our Ways
The Trust’s 37 nature reserves, a combination of woodlands, grasslands, peat bogs, heaths and wetlands, act as carbon ‘sinks’ absorbing carbon dioxide (CO₂) through natural processes.
In carrying out its conservation work the Trust, like any other organisation or individual going about their day-to-day business, is contributing to carbon dioxide emissions and other negative environmental impacts.
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In the past 15 years, Durham Wildlife Trust has more than doubled the area of land it manages for wildlife.
As an organisation that hopes to be able to influence others and change their behaviour to the benefit of wildlife and the natural environment, the Trust must practice what it preaches.
With guidance from Capability North East, Durham Wildlife Trust is looking forward to creating and implementing a new environmental management system through iiE, further reducing the Trust’s carbon footprint and saving charity resources. In the process of securing the accreditation, the Trust will build on its already strong environmental work, upgrade its environmental policies and, hopefully, inspire other businesses and organisations to do the same. Capability North East is a not for profit environmental consultancy which was established by the North East England Nature Partnership – Durham Wildlife Trust is a founder member of the Partnership. Capability North East delivers iiE accreditation across our region and works with organisations of all sizes. To find out more, visit www.capabilityne.org.uk If you would like any more information about Durham Wildlife Trust’s work to achieve iiE accreditation contact mail@durhamwt.co.uk
Carbon Capture In Numbers* * Source: Natural England: carbon storage by habitat
Managed oak woodland can to 13 sequester up 2 per O tonnes of C ar. ye hectare per
Kelp forests sequester 14 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year . Mudflats seques ter 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per hectar e per year.
550 megatonnes of CO2 is stored within the trees in UK forests. is stored 4 gigatonnes of CO2 forests. within the soils in UK
A managed impr oved grassland emits CO2 into the atmosph ere rate of 4.85 tonn at a es per hectare per year . If the managed grassla nd is restored to lowland fen, as a numbe r of the ongoing Brightwater proj ects are aiming to do, the land then begins to store CO2 at a rate of 1.14 tonnes per hectare per year .
It is estimated that England’s bogs and fens* store 526 . megatonnes of carbon sphagnum moss as *bogs and fens contain ver of this magazine shown on the front co ion, Heath and bog vegetat tured below, like Stanley Moss pic 2 tonnes of stores approximately carbon per hectare. ter 2.2 tonnes Grasslands can seques r year. of CO2 per hectare pe
Stanley Moss nature reserve
When the Trust was established in the early 1970s, press speculation on climate centred around global cooling and ice ages, although the scientific community was even then highlighting concerns over carbon dioxide levels and potential for warming. Today the science is well understood and climate predictions are increasingly becoming a reality.
On one hand, Durham Wildlife Trust produces waste and has a carbon footprint and on the other its land-holding sequesters carbon and its education work hopes to change hearts and minds.
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Durham Wildlife Trust Seeks To Play Its Part In Tackling Climate Emergency
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WILDLIFE DURHAM SPRING 2020 | 9
CAMPAIGNING
CAMPAIGNING
We are all aware of the climate emergency declared by organisations ranging from the United Nations to local councils. What the headlines don’t always say is that this is a climate and ecological emergency; the two go hand in hand. The scale of the problem can seem overwhelming and sometimes it can be difficult to understand how, as individuals, we can make a difference. However, actions at a local level can have a global impact, just as the global problem of climate change is having an impact on our local wildlife. We can all make a difference by making changes to our everyday lives.
Making Your Business A Bit Wilder As an employee or employer, there are steps that you can take to influence change and cut the carbon footprint in your workplace
rate Member Become A Corpo ust of Durham Wildlife Tr
play its can help your company Talk to us about how we and ecological emergency. part in tackling the climate teers support employee volun Durham Wildlife Trust can ip rsh nso or your company’s spo to re-wild your grounds manage more land. can support the Trust to
the Planet Champion
e office: ate champion of th Make yourself clim cycled paper, ng, buy better (re encourage recycli are ent), start a car-sh eco-friendly equipm the lights eryone to switch off scheme, remind ev little of ens. There are lots and computer scre e. nc up to a big differe changes that add
Book A Meeting With Us
Our visitor ce ntres offer a se lect of meeting ro oms that are pe ion rfect for companie s and organisat ions looking to esca pe the office an d ignite some te am creativity.
Many thanks to all of our corporate members for their ongoing support. Bronze Members
Simon Berry Optometrists, Down to Earth Garden Care, Spincraft
Silver Members
Wieberberger, GlaxoSmithKline
Gold Members
Northumbrian Water, Northern Gas Networks, Vine House Farm, Thomas Swan
Find out more about the contribution your business can make - mail@durhamwt.co.uk 10 | SPRING 2020 WILDLIFE DURHAM
Little Bit Wilder If we can engage curious young minds then we can inspire future generations of nature enthusiasts to protect our world. Spring is a great time to take your little ones on a litter pick. Follow our guide on how to get started safely.
Go On A Litter Pick or Beach Clean An adult helper A group of friends
(optional but useful!)
Garden for Wildlife
Lifestyle choices can have a significant impact on our carbon footprint. Whether you walk, cycle or drive to the office, holiday in the UK or abroad or take steps to reduce your energy use at home, it all makes a difference. To reduce your footprint, you first need to understand what it is. There are a number of online calculators to work out carbon footprint. Fear not if your footprint looks worse than you expected. There are plenty of things that you can do to reduce its impact on the planet and help the wildlife on your doorstep.
what t.o.. collect
Thick gardening gloves
Bright coloured clothes
Suitable footwear
(optional but useful!)
Empty cans
Cigarette butts
things to avoid... Broken glass
Bottles of liquid
Sharp objects
Dog poo bags
Anything dirty or dangerous
Large or heavy rubbish
Carrier bags
what you'll need...
Strong bin bags (for visibility near roads)
1. Calculate Your Footprint
Fishing net
Crisp packets or wrappers
Paper
2.
Help Nature lem Tackle the Prob
serves act as carbon e Trust’s nature re th of ll A d wetlands lands. Peatlands an sinks, not just wood ds and rbon than woodlan can absorb more ca althy soils grasslands with he naturally managed lping the . Your support is he also lock in carbon at it already e nature reserves th Trust to manage th age more an support we can m has, but with more ange ch her landowners to land and support ot ate on /d durhamwt.com what they do. www.
3.
Around the House*
Hang the washi ng out Hanging the washing out instead of using the tumble drier will save abo ut 153kg CO₂ a year - that’s £52 each yea r, based on 150 cycles a year. Turn the heati ng down Reducing your heating by 1⁰C can reduce your energy consumption by 8% and could save you around £42 each year. Boil what you need Only boiling the amount of water for your hot drink will save 72kg CO ₂ a year - that’s £23 per annum.
Bits of plastic
Ask an adult if you’re not sure whether to pick something up.
Make your garde n a haven for wildlife, allo w the grass to grow and create a mini meadow, install a mini-pond, add a bug ho tel, feed the birds - it all helps provide the eco logical stepping stones wildlife needs to be able to move as the climate changes. By making our landscape more hospitable to wildlife, we give a wider range of species a greater chan ce of survival.
Empty bottles You could try separating litter into different bags for recycling.
Shower shorte r Spending one minute less in the shower can save 23kg CO₂ and £8 a yea r (based on one shower a day and a 9kW sho wer). Switch off Turn electrical equipment off when not in use.
*Stats sourced from carbonfootprint.com
Every Day Action You Can Take To Tackle Climate Change
WILDLIFE DURHAM SPRING 2020 | 11
CAMPAIGNING
BOOK CLUB
Is It Time To Change Our Ways?
If you would like to receive a PDF copy of the magazine please email mail@durhamwt.co.uk
Wildlife Durham in Numbers We print Wildlife Durham in the most environmentally-friendly way possible, using recycled paper and vegetable inks. We currently print 15,000 copies of Wildlife Durham each year We mail-out about 12,000 copies of Wildlife Durham per year Producing the recycled paper needed to print the magazine for our members each year has a life-cycle carbon footprint of more than 9000kg The magazine costs the Trust about £22,000 per year to print and distribute, money that could be put towards buying more nature reserves or delivering conservation projects and education
It is important that, as an organisation, Durham Wildlife Trust examines its own impact on the environment and tries to minimise it.
One of the main objectives is to reduce the charity’s carbon footprint and the members’ magazine is one area that needs greater scrutiny. But, before making any changes to how the magazine is produced and distributed, we want to hear your views.
Spring Reads by Steve Gater
Yet another book on trees? Well if you can answer questions such as follow perhaps it is not for you. If not, this international best-seller might open your mind to some amazing facts that are well worth discovering.
Our options The Trust has looked at a number of different options for reducing the environmental impact of the Wildlife Durham magazine, from cutting the number of issues each year to making the magazine available in a digital format so that fewer copies are printed.
The Hidden Life of Trees - Peter Wohlleben
There are also options for offsetting the carbon footprint of magazine production and distribution. The Trust also recognises how valuable a resource the magazine can be, providing an important link between the charity and its supporters. Any changes made need to be the right ones as losing support from members would reduce the Trust’s ability to conserve wildlife and address the ecological emergency we are facing.
In this delightful book, Simon Barnes puts a novel twist on the topical conservation theme of rewilding, by encouraging you to rewild yourself. As his title suggests, this will help you to encounter wildlife more often and enjoy it, too.
Rewild Yourself.
23 Spellbinding Ways To Make Nature More Visible - Simon Barnes
Your views Please take the opportunity to have your say and complete our online survey about Wildlife Durham.
Just type the website address given below into your address bar and follow the steps on screen. If you are unable to complete the survey online, you can call the office on 0191 584 3112 and we will take your views over the phone.
Have your say by visiting www.durhamwt.com/survey
Trees with social networks? Caring for each other in family groups? Feeling pain and responding to attack? Communicating via electrical impulses passing along roots? Wood wide web? Tree or not a tree – what is the difference?
In 23 short, compelling chapters, he draws upon his extensive naturalist experience and expertise to explain simple ways (tips) to spot and observe wild animals of all kinds.
One night, Polly Planet, the new superhero in Seb’s comic book, suddenly appears in her bedroom… and an amazing adventure begins. Wow, what a brilliant book for young children!
Seb and Polly Planet On Their Ocean Quest - Michelle Cassar
Milly, six, really enjoyed reading this imaginative story that tells of the problem of plastic – and what can be done to deal with it. She understood the key message that plastics can harm and kill all sorts of animals; sea birds, turtles, narwhales and more.
If you’re looking for the perfect wildlife book to enjoy this spring, then look no further. We’ve reviewed our top three.
Peter Wohlleben, a seasoned German forester-cum-survival trainer, reveals a glut of fascinating aspects of our humble trees. As you read through his careful presentation of recent research findings, you come to realise that trees are complex living organisms and not so humble after all. They might be living in the ‘slow lane’, susceptible to short-term change and repeated damage, but they have evolved many a canny knack to ensure survival. The oldest
The chapter titles are intriguing – ‘enter a new world’, ‘the bottomless sit’, ‘… the turd world’… read on! His tips are simple and effective – don’t just walk through a wood, sit and let the animals come to you, sharpen up your peripheral vision, how to look for different signs of animal presence, and many more. Oh, and take a plastic bag – you’ll have to read the book to discover why! His overall message is that good technique is key and ‘nous’ is free.
It inspired her to do something to help, most importantly to avoid plastic if she can. She’s already using reusable water bottles and mum is not allowed to take plastic bags to the shops now. For good reason, and Milly knows why and is looking for other ways to help. As well as an interesting story, this book is packed with facts about plastic pollution and things to do to minimise it. If you are a 6-to-9-year old, could you join Seb, and Milly, on their quest to take action now?
All books available to buy online or at Rainto n Meadows Visitor Centre
living tree is thought to be about 9,500 years old – beat that! The text is well translated, passionate and compelling. It’s difficult to stop reading because each chapter opens up surprising details of tree life and sets you up to learn more. So why is beech such an unbeatable species in central Europe? How do trees foster biodiversity? How do they dispose of waste? Read this book and you will see local trees with renewed pleasure – you might even give them a gentle hug!
Barnes is a well-published wildlife author. His writing is easy, witty, entertaining, thought-provoking and persuasive. He takes you into the wild as you read along and you can share his joy as he finds wildlife close to hand. Definitely a book to have when you visit a reserve, although he’s short on tips on how to observe plant-life – perhaps another book will follow?
The world certainly needs thoughtful young people like you to become a better place to live in. This book has lots of ideas and activities that could encourage you too to help. And adults beware! You’ll be expected to know your acronyms and do something to support. Yes, you can be PALL (plastic a lot less) and know that the 3 Rs in schools today are different! Here’s a quest for everyone.
Perfect for kids !
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EVENTS
EVENTS
Spring Events 2020
Durham Wildlife Trust hosts a wide range of events each month catering for all ages, abilities and wildlife interests. Browse our selection of favourites here. View the full line up and book online at www.durhamwt.com/events. Event information is correct at the time of printing, all events can also be booked by calling 0191 584 3112.
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
Dawn Chorus Experience 03 Sunday 3rd, 6am, £25 Early Bird (if booked before 12th April) £35 thereafter
Seashore Safari Tuesday 9th, 12pm - 2pm, 09 £3 for members, £5 for non-members
Willow Basket Workshop with Cream Tea 12 Sunday 12th, 10am - 1pm, £25 per person
Egg Rolling (Members Only) 10 Friday 10th, 10.30am– 12.30pm & 2pm – 4pm, £5 per child, booking essential
**Keep an eye on our website for our summer Forest School dates.**
Muddy Wellies Walk 30 Thursday 30th, 10am - 11.30am, £1 per child Low Barns Nature Reserve, Witton-le-Wear, DL14 0AG
Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 6PU EGGstravagant EGGtivities for Good Friday. Look for signs of spring and collect natural materials to decorate your egg on a short walk of the nature reserve, then race them in a roll down Nicholson’s Hill for EGGcellent prizes. All welcome, EGGtivities aimed at ages 5-11s.
Join our Wilderness Ranger for a fun, muddy, toddler-friendly walk around Low Barns nature reserve exploring bird hides, looking for minibeast and splashing in puddles followed by a short craft in the centre. Ideal for kids who love the outdoors. Suitable for under 5s. Takes place every month, check website for future dates
Young Rangers
SAVE THE DATE 24 Saturday 8th August Eco Festival at Rainton Meadows
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Saturday 15th August Run Rainton, bookings now open
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This monthly group is for teenagers 14-18yrs who care about the environment, don’t mind getting their hands dirty and want to develop practical conservation and species survey skills. There is no charge as young people will be volunteering for the Trust. Time with this group can be used toward a Duke of Edinburgh award. Takes place monthly on a Sunday at Low Barns and Saturday at Rainton Meadows. Check the website for details. Next sessions: 4th April, 10am-3pm - Rainton Meadows
Low Barns Nature Reserve, Witton-le-Wear, DL14 0AG
Whitburn beach - meet at South Bents car park, SR6 7NT
Take in the early morning air and discover the unique sounds of Low Barns in spring with naturalist Keith Bowey followed by breakfast in the coffee shop.
We’ll be heading to the coast to explore the mysteries of the shore and to discover the creatures that live there.
Join our expert willow weaver and build your very own willow basket, with a break for a cream tea from our fabulous coffee shop.
Evening Tour (Members Only) Thursday 11th June, 6pm, Free 11
Family Pond Dipping 26 Sunday 26th, 10am - 12pm, £4 per child
Shark Egg Hunt! 09 Saturday 9th, 10am to 12pm, £5 per child Seaham Hall Beach, nearest postcode SR7 7AG We’re going on an egg hunt, looking for Shark eggs and more! Join us for a seashore safari to find out more about marine animals that lay eggs like sharks on this unique egg hunt! Aimed at children aged 6+, one adult free with every child. Additional adults £5, siblings under 18 months free.
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Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 6PU Join our rangers for an evening stroll of Rainton Meadows nature reserve. A unique opportunity to meet and mingle with like-minded people while delighting in the flora and fauna of the reserve. You’ll also learn about current projects and future plans.
Low Barns Nature Reserve, Witton-le-Wear, DL14 0AG Grab your wellies and borrow our nets to find out what lies beneath the surface of our ponds.
Dawn Chorus Experience
Wildathon! Saturday 20th, 10am - 12pm 20 or 1pm - 3pm, £2 per person Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 6PU We love butterflies. They’re vibrant, eye-catching additions to our gardens, but so much more than that. They are helpful pollinators. Our Wildathon has a special butterfly theme for 2020 and will leave you with practical tips to make your home and garden a haven for butterflies. This event is part of 30 Days Wild, the month-long nature challenge to do something wild every day throughout June - you can sign up online.
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Children
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Join our Wilderness Ranger for a spring walk around Low Barns, identifying flowers and other plants beginning to spring to life as our days get longer and brighter. Dress for the outdoors and bring a notebook. Suitable for adults and children.
Bring lunch, ages 6 - 11. Our forest school is a unique woodland experience for young explorers. Children will spend the day in the woods playing games, creating woodland art, building dens and having lots of fun!
Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 6PU
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Low Barns Nature Reserve, Witton-le-Wear, DL14 0AG
Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 6PU
Wildlife & Wellbeing Walk Every last Monday of the month, 10.30am to 12pm, £3 per person Low Barns Nature Reserve, Witton-le-Wear, DL14 0AG Get out into nature, connect with the countryside and notice the small signs of the changing seasons. Take some time to look after you on this gentle observational walk being mindful and enjoying the beauty in nature, even in the greyer months, when we often need it the most. Suitable for adults of all ages.
Wildlife Watch £1 per child Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 6PU Low Barns Nature Reserve, Witton-le-Wear, DL14 0AG The nature club for kids! Join us for our monthly meetings, have fun and learn about all things WILD, with a different theme each month! Perfect for 4-11 year olds, children must be accompanied by an adult. Check website for dates and details www.durhamwt.com/events
easley © Laura B
Family Spring Plants Walk 16 Monday 6th, 1pm - 3pm, £2 per person (under 5s Free)
Forest School 17 Tuesday 14th - Friday 17th, 9am - 3pm, £20 per day (£70 for all days)
Adults
Wildlife Groups Everyone
Please visit our website for full details of events, including our local Wildlife Groups www.durhamwt.com
19th April, 1pm-4pm - Low Barns 14 | SPRING 2020 WILDLIFE DURHAM
WILDLIFE DURHAM SPRING 2020 | 15
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UK UPDATE
A Big Splash For UK Seas Our 2019 Marine Review
Careful monitoring revealed some fantastic good news stories around our shores, from bumper breeding seasons to amazing discoveries. A new citizen science project logged 320 sightings of cetaceans off Yorkshire’s east coast, including minke whales, bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises. There was good news for seals too, with Cumbria Wildlife Trust counting a site record of 483 grey seals at South Walney, including seven pups. Elsewhere, an individual seal, nicknamed Tulip Belle, was discovered commuting between the Isle of Man and Cornwall. Lara Howe, Manx Wildlife Trust’s marine officer, says: “It shows that seals will swim great distances for food and a place to pup, highlighting the importance of a network of Marine Protected Areas around the UK, so that wherever marine wildlife goes there are healthy seas to support them.”
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Our fight to secure this network saw a huge victory last summer, with the designation of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones. 2019 also saw a welcome boost for some of our struggling seabirds. On Handa Island, Scottish Wildlife Trust counted 8,207 razorbills, the highest number since 2006, though the population is sadly still in trouble. In North Wales, Sandwich terns had a bumper year, with 800 chicks fledging compared to just 180 in 2018. Sadly, it wasn’t all good news. Several Wildlife Trusts reported an increase in disturbance. Jet skis, kayakers, boats and drones have all been recorded causing distress to marine wildlife like dolphins, seals and seabirds. Plastics, ocean litter and discarded fishing gear also continue to devastate marine wildlife, though Wildlife Trusts around our shores cleared up huge amounts of litter, including 2.5 tonnes picked up by the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. All of this was made possible by the fantastic support of all our volunteers and members. For more amazing stories head to wildlifetrusts.org/marine-review-19
2019 IN NUMBERS • Over 5,000 volunteers supported coastal Wildlife Trusts with beach cleans, surveys and shore-based events. • More than 200 sharks, skates and rays were tagged as part of Ulster Wildlife’s SeaDeep project, helping us monitor these vulnerable animals. • Two giant gobies were among 1,310 species recorded in just 24 hours as Devon Wildlife Trust’s Wembury Marine Centre celebrated its 25th anniversary. • 27 tonnes of litter and fishing gear collected by fisherman for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Fishing 4 Litter.
Get involved We need to put nature into recovery on land and at sea. Join us on our campaign for a wilder future: wildlifetrusts.org/wilder-future
Space for nature should be at the heart of our planning and farming systems. This is the only way we can create a Nature Recovery Network, enabling wildlife to thrive across the landscape and bringing nature into our daily lives. But current proposals for developing the land between Oxford and Cambridge do not have nature at their heart. Without proper assessment, government cannot know whether the area © Tom Marshall
could support the current proposals for housing, road and rail and stay within environmental limits for nature, carbon and water. Special habitats are under threat, including ancient woodland and grazing marsh, which supports rare and declining wading birds like curlew and redshank. The Wildlife Trusts have created an alternative vision for this land: 100 miles of wilder landscape in which people can live, work and enjoy nature. By protecting and connecting the wildest places, we can introduce a new way of planning that has nature and people’s wellbeing at the centre. Find out more wildlifetrusts.org/100-miles-wilder
New Leader For The Wildlife Trusts
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Over the last year, over 2,800 young people aged 11-25 rolled up their sleeves to help nature thrive in their local area. The Grassroots Challenge project, led by Ulster Wildlife, gave young people the opportunity to unleash their passion, creativity and potential to make a real difference to their environment and community. ulsterwildlife.org/news/inspirational-youth
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust launched an appeal to raise £1 million to safeguard Attenborough Nature Reserve, a wild oasis at the edge of Nottingham that’s home to large numbers of wildfowl. The appeal was supported by Sir David Attenborough and raised over £900,000 in the first month.
One of the UK’s leading environmental campaigners, Craig joins The Wildlife Trusts from Friends of the Earth, where he was Chief Executive.
nottinghamshirewildlife.org/lifelineappeal Craig Bennett says: “The Wildlife Trusts are an extraordinary grassroots movement that is uniquely placed to work with local communities to make this happen and ensure a wilder future, and I could not be more pleased to have been asked to lead them at this incredibly important moment.” wildlifetrusts.org/new-leader
An Insect Apocalypse A new report, Insect Declines and Why They Matter, commissioned by an alliance of Wildlife Trusts in the south west, concluded that drastic declines in insect numbers look set to have far-reaching consequences for both wildlife and people. The report concludes: “if insect declines are not halted, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems will collapse, with profound consequences for human wellbeing.” wildlifetrusts.org/urgent-action-insects
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The Wildlife Trusts are delighted to welcome Craig Bennett as their new Chief Executive Officer.
In a conservation career spanning over 20 years, Craig has led a movement to end peat cutting on important moorlands, helped secure better wildlife legislation through The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and, more recently, led successful campaigns to highlight climate change and to protect and restore bee populations.
Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are working for you across the UK.
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A ghost slug was discovered in the gardens of Devon Wildlife Trust’s Cricklepit Mill. The origins of this mysterious species are uncertain, but it’s thought to be a native of Ukraine. Since ghost slugs were first discovered in the UK in 2007, there have been a scattering of sightings, mainly from South Wales. It’s a predator of earthworms and may cause problems for our native worms if it becomes established. devonwildlifetrust.org/news/ghost
© Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION
© John MacPherson/2020VISION
A bottlenose dolphin leaps clear of the water in the Moray Firth
Together, the Wildlife Trusts form the UK’s largest marine conservation organisation. Our Living Seas teams are the eyes and ears of the UK’s coast. Throughout 2019, with the help of over 5,000 volunteers, they did wonderful things for the wildlife in our seas.
UK HIGHLIGHTS
© Phil Sansum
UK News
UK UPDATE
WILDLIFE DURHAM SPRING 2020 | 17
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Natural Carbon Solutions by Joanna Richards
© Illustration: Hilliard Design
We face a climate emergency. Extreme weather events are on the increase and the impacts of a warming climate are becoming evident on our beloved wildlife, with some UK species being pushed to the furthest limits of their natural ranges. To tackle a crisis of this scale, it is imperative every tool in the box is used, and this includes the natural solutions offered by our planet. Over half of all carbon emissions released into the atmosphere by humans are re-absorbed by the Earth’s natural systems. And yet, many of these systems are broken, the habitats providing them damaged and degraded. Restoring these systems would allow even more carbon to be absorbed – and The Wildlife Trusts are playing a leading role in helping this happen.
Like peatlands and grasslands, intertidal saltmarsh provides an important carbon store in its soils. Saltmarshes also act as a buffer against coastal erosion – although this and rising sea levels is leading to the loss of this habitat, with only 15% of its historic range remaining.
Urban greenspaces help make cities better in a world that’s getting hotter. Young street trees take up carbon dioxide and urban woodlands help control the local climate by providing shade and reducing the street temperature. Pleasant greenspaces can also encourage people to walk and cycle rather than jump in a car!
Peatlands cover just 3% of the earth’s surface, but store more carbon than any other habitat on land (more than twice the carbon of all the world’s forests put together). But when damaged, as in the UK, they release carbon, contributing to climate change – so restoration is essential.
Grassland
As they grow, trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere, storing it in their trunk, boughs and roots and as organic matter in woodland soils. So, new woodland creation – through natural regeneration for example – helps to combat climate change.
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At sea, the Trusts fought for the Marine Act 2009: properly implemented it restores our most important carbon absorber and the wildlife that lives within it, including kelp and phytoplankton. On land, 9% of the UK’s surface is a huge carbon store with carbon locked up in wet peat. Carbon is also stored in organic rich soils, especially those under grasslands and woodlands. For decades, The Wildlife Trusts have pioneered peatland restoration and sustainably managed woodlands and grassland meadows. This work continues, thanks to our supporters, helping in the fight against climate change.
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Healthy grassland soaks up and stores carbon in its roots and the soil. Grasslands that are undisturbed by arable agriculture and protected from soil erosion through sustainable management are important stores. Yet in the UK, we’ve lost 97% of our semi-natural grassland and they continue to be at risk.
Seaweed And Kelp Forests Kelp grows incredibly quickly, sucking up carbon as it does. These underwater forests provide critical short-term carbon stores. When they die, bits of kelp sink into the deep sea, where they remain for a long time.
Seagrass Meadows These aquatic flowering plants are responsible for around 10% of all carbon buried in the ocean, despite covering less than 0.2% of the ocean floor. They store carbon 35 times faster that rainforests, but estimates suggest that globally we are losing an area of seagrass the size of two football pitches every hour.
Marine Sediments Phytoplankton – miniscule marine algae – absorb carbon as they grow. When they die, some of the carbon they’ve taken up sinks to the ocean floor, where it can remain for thousands of years. WILDLIFE DURHAM SPRING 2020 | 19
1 – 30 June
u o e y Ar o r f e y a d r ? d l i W s y a D 0 3 #
#30DaysWild
Can you do some th wild eve ing ry day for 30 d ays? Natu
re nee ever‌ so ds us more than take the cha and sha re your lo llenge ve of wildlife this Jun e.
wildlifetrusts.org/30dayswild
