Practical Volunteer Update – August
August 2024
Summer has arrived at last and more visitors are out on the Commons exploring the great outdoors. Butterfly numbers have increased during the warm spell and whilst it was an abysmal start to the UKBMS recording season, it looks like numbers have improved in recent weeks. I have certainly enjoyed observing burgeoning numbers of Six-spot Burnet moths on Park Downs and Chalk Hill Blues on Banstead Downs – simply a joy to watch and a testament to our healthy landscapes.
Due to staff annual leave, our Nature Detective Days and the increase in wildlife monitoring surveys on the Commons, there will no volunteer work parties held in August. Sessions will commence again in September.
You can find our Volunteer Spring / Summer Work Programme if you click here.
We are looking to increase our volunteer numbers from September so if you know of any local newsletters, noticeboards (including online), or groups who we could contact to harness more support, please let me know. I would also be interested to hear any feedback you might have if you thought there was something we could introduce that would help attract more people to our sessions.
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No work parties will be held in August |
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3 Sept ‘24 10:00 – 14:30 |
Lowland heath glade management. Scything and tree popping.
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Meeting point W3W location: like.door.help Grid reference: TQ23799 52971 Parking details will be sent on registration.
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19 Sept ‘24 10:00 – 14:30
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Lowland heath glade management. Scything and tree popping. |
Meeting point W3W location: like.door.help Grid reference: TQ23799 52971 Parking details will be sent on registration. |
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In addition to our regular work parties, we will be hosting several corporate volunteer days on Banstead Heath this September which will enable us to tackle more of the woody scrub in the compartments of lowland heath habitat.
For those of you who helped last year, I would encourage you to visit the area we worked on (What3Words: dates.flood.deflection – photo below) the Heather has just burst bud and you can clearly see what a difference your work has made to the habitat – it looks spectacular!
Whilst our practical volunteer sessions have stopped this month, volunteers are still helping to support conservation efforts on the Commons by collecting valuable biological data for us sites. Thank you. Keep an eye on our social media pages for news and updates – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Our Annual Report 2024 has just been published and can be downloaded from our website. 872 volunteer hours were given to conservation tasks on Banstead Commons this year – an approximate economic value of around £11,000. Thank you for your ongoing support.
That’s all from me. I hope you all enjoy a well-deserved rest this month and we look forward to welcoming you to back to Banstead Heath on Tuesday 3rd September.
Warm Regards,
Lucy
Clerk and General Manager