Flying in the Face of Disaster
Dragonfly Surveying Workshop [Full Day]
Saturday April 24 at 10.30 am at
Brandon Marsh Nature Centre
This workshop is aimed at the
non-professional who is interested in helping us to survey
dragonflies for local projects in Warwickshire and identify their
breeding grounds and who wants to learn more about the ecology and
behaviour of dragonflies. The workshop will involve both an indoor
session to improve your ID skills in the morning and then an
afternoon visit to see the animals in their natural
environment.
COST: £10
per person, payable at the time of booking to guarantee your place.
Places are limited, so book early
Light refreshments are provided but lunch
is not included in the price.
Weekend
Workparties
On Sunday 25 April you are invited to join
in with one of our weekend work parties on various nature reserves
around the county.
On Sunday 25 April at 10.00 am
Join volunteer warden Ron Hill for a
woodland work party at Clowes Wood and New Fallings
Coppice Site of Special Scientific
Interest. Please meet at the woodland entrance off Wood
Lane, Earlswood at grid reference SP101743.
Join volunteer wardens Howard and Serena
Eccles at Kenilworth Common Local Nature Reserve,
an area of wonderfully diverse woodland for a practical management
session. Meet at the railway bridge on Common Lane, at grid
reference SP298732.
Join volunteer warden Val Kendrick at
Rough Hill Wood Site of Special Scientific
Interest, Studley to assist in the management of this
wonderful old woodland. Please meet at the car park off The Slough
(the A448) at grid reference SP 052637.
Join volunteer warden Mike Slater at
Ryton Wood Site of Special Scientific Interest,
Ryton-on-Dunsmore for a work party in the largest wood in
Warwickshire. Please meet at the car park, which can be accessed
via an access track off the A423 near the Bull and Butcher pub at
grid reference SP 384726.
COST:
These events are free and full training will be given.
For ALL the events listed, please bring
appropriate weatherproof clothing and strong footwear.
Caroline Bailey, Biodiversity Officer says,
"The National Dragonfly Atlas Project was launched in April 2008 to
update the known distribution of British dragonfly and damselfly
species over the next 5 years in order to produce a much-needed new
national atlas in 2013. But why, you may ask, does this
matter?
A press release from the IUCN (International Union for Conservation
of Nature) published on 16th March 2010 reports serious concerns
about declines in several European species of butterflies, beetles
and dragonflies, specifically, "14% of dragonflies are
threatened with extinction within Europe. Some species are so
threatened that they are at risk of global extinction and are now
included in the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species™."
The production of a high quality national atlas will provide a
sound baseline from which we will be able to inform the future
planning of dragonfly conservation. Which is where you, our
much-appreciated volunteers come in. Take the first step along the
path to helping this ambitious project to succeed by coming along
to our Dragonfly Surveying Workshop."
For further information, please contact
Caroline Bailey on 024 7630 8993
ENDS
Press contact: Caroline Bailey on 024 7630
8993
Notes to Editor
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is the leading
local charity for wildlife and the environment. The Trust
currently cares for over 55 nature reserves throughout
Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull, and has a wide range of
conservation activities taking place throughout the year. For
further details or to get a copy of our leaflet "Wild Events and
Activities" please contact the Trust on 024 7630 8999, drop into
the Trust's Visitor Centres at Brandon Marsh Nature Centre and
Parkridge Centre in Brueton Park, Solihull, pick up a leaflet in
your local library or visit our website on
www.warwickshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk