#535: Mendip National Nature Reserve

Those teaching in or near to Somerset gained another possible option for field visits following the 2023 announcement that Mendip became a National Nature Reserve.

Mendip in #Somerset is our newest ‘super’ #NationalNatureReserve 🎉

Home to a vibrant landscape and nationally endangered species such as horseshoe #bats, this 1,400 hectare #NNR will boost #NatureRecovery whilst connecting people to nature.

Read more: https://t.co/Au8d4RFbgC pic.twitter.com/4dSgNu5eSi

— Natural England (@NaturalEngland) October 19, 2023

 Mendip is a place that I have visited a few times over the years.

#426: Nice beaver...

There are wild beavers within 15 minutes of my house.... they are active at Sculthorpe Nature Reserve in Norfolk.

As #COP29 draws to a close in Baku, perhaps it is a good moment to be reminded that despite the complex global politics, there are practical things we can do on the ground here in England. & in acting to build resilience to climate change impacts, we can restore Nature too. pic.twitter.com/YdzbeFyvPC

— Tony Juniper (@TonyJuniper) November 22, 2024

These local initiatives are part of the Beavers and Biodiversity Gain Project.

In September 2019, after a successful application to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, the Trust secured a grant.

The project was in two stages, based at the Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve – Norfolk.

• Creation and reintroduction of Beaver area.
• The diversion of flood water from the Wensum to Hempton Moor, south of the Reserve, and enhancing its wetland habitat (reedbed & ponds).

#416: Norfolk Wildlife Trust - case study

I think a useful focus for some of the work that goes on once the new course is taught will involve the work of the many Wildlife Trusts that there are in the UK.

These are often based on activity within counties. It may be worth checking whether you have a local Wildlife Trust.

I have put together a list of the Wildife Trusts - and a link through to a website where you can visit them easily. Along with that, I've put together a case study of my local Wildlife Trust.

I have just received my new membership card and parking permit for my local wildlife trust for 2024-5. I thought it might be worth adding a case study.

Case Study: Norfolk Wildlife Trust

I've got quite a few pictures of Norfolk Wildlife Trust locations as well, which will be in the Flickr folder of images I'm creating - all CC licensed for teachers who will perhaps need to create their own resources as they may not have the budget for class sets of any official textbook that emerges - and there is likely to be at least one of course.

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust's website is here.

The trust was actually the first local wildlife trust to be founded.

The original land was at Cley next the Sea in North Norfolk. This is the NWT Reserve I have visited the most over the years that I have lived in the county.

It had previously been used for wildfowling: the shooting of wild fowl such as geese.

Duck decoys can still be seen marked on local maps. Where is your nearest duck decoy?

Like all Trusts, they publish an annual Impact Report - these would make useful resources to interrogate to see the sort of work that is carried out to develop and protect habitats.

The most recent Imapct Report for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust is here.

Their 2023 strategy is called Wilder Norfolk for All.

#357: Wicken Fen's 125th birthday

2024 marks the 125th birthday of Wicken Fen: a local nature reserve to me in Cambridgeshire.

Wednesday 1 May 2024 marked 125 years since the National Trust acquired its first two acres of land at Wicken Fen. 

Since 1899, when it became the National Trust's first nature reserve, Wicken Fen has now expanded to over 2,000 acres. Today, it is one of Europe's most important wetlands and home to more than 9,000 species.

#216: Wicken Fen- 125th anniversary

2024 marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of Wicken Fen.

From the website:

Before 1899, the Sedge Fen area was home to a thriving sedge-harvesting community, and was frequented by naturalists who delighted in this remnant of undrained fenland. 

In the 19th century, Wicken Fen became popular with Victorian naturalists - while there isn't evidence that Charles Darwin actually visited Wicken, he is known to have collected beetles in the fens in 1820. Later, during the first half of the 20th century, Cambridge botanists Sir Harry Godwin and Dr Arthur Tansley - recognised as the fathers of modern ecology and conservation - carried out cutting-dge studies in the area.

In the late 19th century, with the local sedge and peat industries collapsing, naturalists paid villagers to assist with collecting trips on the Fen, and also bought up land from them. Distinguished entomologist Herbert Goss suggested the National Trust should consider saving Wicken Fen as early as 1898, as it was 'the haunt of much wildlife'. These naturalists then sold or gifted their land at Wicken to the newly-formed National Trust, including J C Moberley whose two acres were sold to the organisation for £10. Other notable donors included George Verrall, MP for Newmarket, who bequesthed 239 acres, on his death in 1911. Banker Charles Rothschild, an early influential figure in nature conservation donated parts of St Edmunds and Adventurers' Fens in 1901.

In 1999 - to mark the 100th anniversary of the first acquisition - the Wicken Fen Vision was launched, a 100-year project that will see the nature reserve expanded from Wicken Fen to the edge of Cambridge. Since 1999, the size of the reserve has more than doubled, for the benefit of wildlife, and for access into green space for people.

Image: © National Trust Images/Rob Coleman

Wicken Fen is very close to Ely, and the school where I work.

#29: King's Series of National Nature Reserves

DEFRA and Natural England are combining to develop a series of new Nature Reserves.

Natural England will leave a lasting public legacy for people and nature by creating of a King’s Series of National Nature Reserves to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

As Prince of Wales, His Majesty expressed a deep love and concern for England’s wildlife, natural and rural places, frequently reflecting on his love of walking and its role in promoting a healthy mind and body.

The plans will see the creation of a new ‘King’s Series of National Nature Reserves’, with five major National Nature Reserves named every year for the next five years - 25 in total.

The first - the Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve - will be declared by Natural England this summer. 

Over 12 square miles in area, it contains a wonderful variety of sand dunes, saltmarsh, mudflats and freshwater marshes, which support many breeding and wintering birds, natterjack toads, special plants and insects.

The remaining four National Nature Reserves for 2023-2024 will be confirmed at a later date, but are likely to include the Mendip Hills in Somerset, Moccas Park in Herefordshire, Ingleborough in North Yorkshire and Lullington in East Sussex.

It would be good for schools in these areas to connect with these national nature reserves and get involved in the creation of educational resources.

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared under CC license

Update

The King visited the reserve when it was opened. It featured in a documentary shown on Christmas Day.

#28: National Nature Reserves Week 2023

 

There is a  week to celebrate National Nature Reserves in late May.

From the website:

National Nature Reserves are our most important places for nature, the beating heart of England’s landscapes. From Lindisfarne in Northumberland, to the Lizard in Cornwall. From ferny woodlands and ancient heaths, to glimmering wetlands and wild coasts. 

National Nature Reserves are not only precious, but as colourful and diverse as the wildlife and people who call them home.

These ancient and unique places are wildlife-rich, breath-taking, and play a vital role in securing our country’s amazing wildlife and geology. They are at the centre of landscapes and communities, providing the foundation and inspiration to work towards reducing the impact of climate change and increasing the resilience of our countryside, towns and cities for people and wildlife. They are at the heart of a growing nature recovery network. National Nature Reserves act as outdoor laboratories where learning, science and discovery come together. Time is running out for our wildlife and ancient landscapes. Our reserves are helping us to find the answers to tackle the threats of climate change and biodiversity loss.

From the very first six in 1952, there are now 221 National Nature Reserves in England. 

Almost two thirds of these are managed by Natural England, but also by over 60 different partner organisations including the National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, local authorities and many other landowners and conservation bodies. These NNR partners all work together to ensure our most important places for nature thrive, and are protected for people to enjoy.

One useful activity would be to consider where your nearest National Nature Reserve is, and what format it takes.

To find them, you can use an interactive map produced by Natural England, and accessible from this link.

My nearest NNR is Foxley Woods, famous for its bluebells at the right time of year.

This is also an SSSI: a Site of Special Scientific Interest. 

These acronyms will also need to be part of the supporting materials for the new specification and we will be providing a list of them as part of the rsources we will be creating around the blog.