4Th August 2016 Notices
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'People and Nature, Making Connections' 4th August 2016 Next issue Wednesday 17th August Notices 1. Volunteer for Oxfordshire’s Water-Blitz Volunteers needed for one day only! Schools, local groups and individuals are invited to take part in the county wide water blitz. Check the water quality of your local stream, pond, ditch or river and help build a water quality picture for Oxfordshire. For your free sampling pack register today by emailing [email protected] and join in on 3rd October. EarthWatch have volunteered to handle the data and map all results on their global water-hub with the resulting data available to everyone involved. 2. Hill End Teacher’s Forum needs you Here at Hill End we offer a range of outdoor learning experiences to schools and other community groups. Calling all teachers with an interest in outdoor learning we want: To find out from you what we are doing well To develop ideas of what Hill End could offer you and your school To find out what is already happening in your school for outdoor learning and plan how we could support you to develop this further First meeting: Thursday 22nd September 2016. 4-6pm at The Hill End Centre. Please contact Mandy if you need more information or would like to confirm attendance. Email:[email protected] , phone 01865 863510 – Tuesday- Friday. 3. Charter for Trees, Woods and People – Woodland owners consultation More than 50 organisations, co-ordinated by the Woodland Trust, are leading UK society in a call for a charter that will ensure that people and trees can stand stronger together in the future. This charter, strengthened by support from all corners of society, will provide guidelines and principles for policy, decision-makers, businesses, communities and individuals. For more information on the tree charter - https://treecharter.uk/ Woodland owners and custodians across Britain are being asked to take part in a unique consultation in support of the 2017 Charter for trees, woods and people. The consultation is the only activity specifically aimed at ensuring the views of woodland owners or custodians are reflected in the charter. More than two-thirds of woodlands are held in private hands, so it is vital that the voices of woodland owners/custodians are captured. If you are a woodland owner or custodian, or represent a woodland owner, we would like to record your hopes and fears for the future of your woodland, to ensure that the charter speaks for you, and supports you in your vital role as custodian of the nation’s woodland heritage. The consultation questions should take only five minutes to complete, or longer if you wish to share more stories. To take part visit: www.sylva.org.uk/myforest/charter 4. Living With Environmental Change - interesting policy and practice notes LWEC's policy and practice notes draw out conclusions and recommendations from research funded by LWEC members. They present key findings in non-technical language for public, private and third-sector audiences. Each note is tailored to its target audience; some are intended for a broad and diverse audience while others are more tightly focused on the needs of specific group of research users, for example local government, small businesses or national policy-makers. http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/partnerships/lwec/products/ppn/ 5. Biodiversity after the EU referendum - send your thoughts Can you help the Environmental Audit Committee? Deadline: 9th September 2016 The Environmental Audit Committee are looking into how support for biodiversity may be effected after the results of the EU referendum. Please pass this on to anyone who you feel would be interested in letting the Committee know about their experiences.We have put together some questions which you may want to answer. If you have thoughts about one or more of these questions then please let the committee know what you think. CAP funding/new policies: Do any of your initiatives to support biodiversity in the UK depend on CAP related payments? If we could start again with a UK agri-environment policy what would this look like? Are there any risks to this? How should future support for UK agriculture be structured in order to ensure there are incentives for environmentally-friendly land management? More questions can be found on the links below http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons- select/environmental-audit-committee/news-parliament-2015/future-of-natural-environment- after-the-eu-referendum-launch-16-17/ Reply form can be accessed here: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons- select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/future-of-the-natural- environment-after-the-eu-referendum-16-17/commons-written-submission-form/ 6. Raccoon, mongoose and cabbage among invasive species banned from UK Jessica Aldred. The Guardian 2 August 2016 The north American raccoon, an Asian hornet and an American cabbage are among 37 invasive species that will be banned from being brought into the UK from Wednesday when a new EU regulation comes into effect. The continent-wide rules now make it illegal to import, keep, breed or grow, transport, sell or use, or release into the environment without a permit the listed invasive, non-native plant and animal species. But the ban will no longer apply when then UK leaves the EU. The 14 plants listed include the American skunk cabbage, which has invaded Scottish marshes and wiped out all of the native flora at one site in the New Forest, Hampshire. Curly waterweed, also on the list, has increased by 41% in 15 years in the UK, while floating pennywort can spread at a rate of 20cm per day.....Read full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/02/raccoon-mongoose-and-cabbage- among-invasive-species-banned-from-uk Vacancies/Voluntary Work 7. Wildlife Trainees: Conservation (Berkshire) x5 – Closing Date: Tuesday 16th August 2016www.bbowt.org.uk/node/20081 1 x Wildlife Trainees (Conservation) West Berkshire Living Landscape Living Landscape trainee roles will involve practical conservation work on heathland, woodland and wetland nature reserves and privately owned land, improving habitats and connectivity. Trainees will also carry out species surveys; work with local community groups and volunteers. 4 x Wildlife Trainees (Conservation) Berkshire Reserves Berkshire Reserves trainees will assist the reserves team carrying out land management work across our nature reserves in Berkshire, you will work on a variety of habitats including heathland, woodland, wetland and grassland. Work will also include site infrastructure maintenance such as fencing, gate repairs and sign installation. There will also be chance to gain livestock experience and opportunity to join in with species and habitat surveys. 8. Student Project Sponsorship The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Local Nature Partnership (NEP) is looking to support project related expenses for students, up to a maximum of £500. This project is designed to engage undergraduate and post graduate students with the broad objectives of the NEP and deliver relevant, innovative and novel research on Buckinghamshire’s natural environment and its contribution to the local economy, health and wellbeing. http://www.bucksmknep.co.uk/get-involved-2/students/ Applications should be completed by 30 August 2016 and sent to [email protected] 9. Opportunity with Anne Carpmael Charitable Trust (Withymead Nature Reserve, Goring) The post of Warden at Withymead Nature Reserve, on the Bridle Way between Goring and South Stoke, will become available from August 2016. The post is a three-year fixed term role. The position is being offered, either as a Volunteer Worker which is unsalaried, but with on-site, rent-free accommodation or as a self-employed free lance consultant, based off-site. Closing date for applications – 5th August.For more information please email [email protected]. or take a look at the website www.withymead.org Training Many more training courses can be found on our website http://www.wildoxfordshire.org.uk/directory/ lots of new courses added by Oxford University 10. Grassland management, RSPB Otmoor, Oxfordshire 6 November - An introduction to wet grassland 17 November - Oxon Advanced lowland wet grassland: managing wet grasslands into the future There is a charge of £80 + VAT for each course, which includes full information pack, site visit, refreshments and a light buffet lunch. Full details of these courses and how to book onto them are available on the RSPB websitehttp://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/advice/training/habitattraining.aspx Pl ease go to [email protected] or telephone direct on 01767 693308, for any further information, quoting the reference code: NAM 01 11. River Fly Monitoring Days Tuesday 9th August at Adderbury Parish Institute, The Green, Adderbury, Banbury OX17 3NE (sampling the Sor Brook) Thursday 18th August at Standlake Village Hall, Rack End, Standlake OX29 7SB (sampling the Windrush) The training involves learning how to sample aquatic invertebrates by kick-sampling, how to identify invertebrate groups (such as mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies), and how to interpret findings in order to assess the health of a river. With this training, volunteers will be able to recognise and report any changes in water quality, which might be linked to pollution or other incidents upstream. This monitoring by volunteers supports the Environment Agency’s on-going monitoring programme and is often able to pick up incidents more quickly than the EA can alone. The training lasts a full day, including a couple of hours on the river, with lunch and refreshments provided. Beginners are very welcome. Wellies and waterproof trousers will be needed as a minimum, or ideally waders if you have them. A degree of mobility will be required to get in and out of the river, but if anyone less able-bodied would like to attend, please do get in touch as I’m sure we can arrange to buddy-up.