Dorset Countryside Over the past 10 months Dorset Countryside has been undergoing a major restructure, and the new service, which was launched last month, integrates the work of three teams; Access, Rangers and Grounds. The service now manages green space across Dorset including Rights of Way, national and regional trails, country parks, nature reserves, road verges, Gypsies and Traveller sites, school grounds, monument management and a wide range of other work The service will continue to play a major part in conserving Dorset’s unique natural and historic environment while ensuring everyone can access and enjoy our wonderful countryside. Engaging with local communities and volunteers remains a high priority, and we will provide a high quality, cost effective service which has major benefits for the local economy. Six teams cover the county: Team: Manager: Definitive Map: Vanessa Penney ([email protected]) Trees: Steve Maros ([email protected]) Grounds: Nick Leeming ([email protected]) Coastal: Carmel Wilkinson ([email protected]) North and West Dorset: Giles Nicholson ([email protected]) East Dorset and Purbeck: Steve Davies ([email protected]) Group Manager: Hamish Murray ([email protected]) While the teams develop their new roles we hope that any inconvenience to the public will be kept to a minimum but if there are any problems please email us or telephone Dorset Direct on 01305 224463 or e-mail [email protected] Over the past few months, several valued members of staff have left Dorset County Council to pursue other opportunities. Many thanks go to John Hayes, Steve Harris, Iain Hewitt, Steve Kourik, Lawrence Weston, Tom Newton, Mark Parfitt and Ashley Harris for all their hard work and commitment to the service. ‘Growth’ – An Exhibition at Durlston Castle of New Work by the Purbeck Collective If you haven’t yet finished your Christmas shopping and are looking for a unique and beautiful Christmas gift, then there are still a few days left of the current exhibition at Durston, which could be the ideal place to start! 1 The exhibition, by the Purbeck Collective is open every day between 11am and 4pm until the 15 December and features everything from paintings, to ceramics, textiles, digital work and more, so there will be something for everyone to enjoy. All work is for sale, and the artists will be on hand throughout. Children’s Nature Nursery at Durlston: Opening Spring 2014 Following the success of the ‘Outstanding’ (OFSTED 2013) Children’s Nature Nursery at Avon Heath Country Park, Kids Love Nature is very excited to be opening a new nursery in the former visitor centre at Durlston Country Park. The nursery for 2 to 8 year olds will ‘connect children to nature’. Over the next three months, part of the old visitors centre is being transformed into a custom built classroom and garden. The garden will have a large sandpit, vegetable patch, den area, climbing apparatus and fire pit. The children will venture out into the Country Park with the teachers, on daily explorer sessions discovering the wonders of nature. Within the beautiful classroom children will experience creative arts, story sessions, cooking and baking, science experiments, language and maths activities. Their energy levels will be kept up with organic snacks and lunch. Kids love Nature looks forward to being part of Durlston Country Park and the Swanage community. For more information or to register your interest please visit www.kidslovenature.co.uk Saving Durlston’s Chalkhill Blues Durlston Country Park and National Nature Reserve has just secured £9,700 worth of funds, thanks to SITA Trust, to conserve the sadly declining Chalkhill Blue butterfly. The SITA Trusts Enriching Nature Programme, provides funding for year long biodiversity conservation projects, that focus on priority single species or habitats The aim of the project is to restore and conserve the Chalkhill butterfly’s habitat across the reserves grasslands to allow the butterfly the opportunity to feed, breed and reproduce as it has historically done across the local landscape. The work will primarily involve the removal of scrub which has encroached across the floristically rich limestone grasslands, to promote more areas of the butterflies preferred habitat which includes south facing grasslands slopes rich in the caterpillar’s food plant - Horseshoe Vetch. Conservation Ranger Simon Breeze said “Durlston is a magical place for butterflies with the reserve being one of the best places in the country for seeing a wide range of species. We have been very concerned to see the sad decline of the once abundant Chalkhill Blue, however thanks to funding by the SITA trust we will be able to restore areas across the Durlston to help out this much loved jewel of the grasslands” For more information call 01929 424443 or visit www.durlston.co.uk Christmas at seventhwave café If you are looking to stretch your legs over the Christmas holiday why not take a stroll at beautiful Durlston Country Park and finish with tea, cake or a lovely lunch at seventhwave café and restaurant at Durlston Castle. seventhwave is open daily this Christmas (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am until 4.30pm offering a light bite, hearty feast or a well-deserved tasty treat and a hot drink after a leisurely stroll. With many of our ingredients sourced locally and a wide range of gluten free options, we have something on offer for everyone. Choose from our Christmas at Candlelight evening menu starting at £22.95. In addition there is a lunchtime Christmas menu for £15.95 for 2 courses along with our usual daily lunch menu from which there are a variety of options to whet your appetite. To view both Christmas menus visit: http://www.durlston.co.uk/documents/pdfs/cafe/Xmas%20set%20menu%20- %20lunchtime%20service%202013.pdf 2 http://www.durlston.co.uk/documents/pdfs/cafe/Xmas%20set%20menu%20-%20evening%202013.pdf Friday and Saturday evening reservations are also available, however booking is essential. Call us today on 01929 421111 to discuss your needs or request a menu. Coming to Durlston in 2014…. An exhibition by President of the Society of Wildlife Artists, Bruce Pearson… The start of an exciting new project to increase numbers of rare Chalkhill Blue butterflies at Durlston… The completion of an artist’s studio at the Learning Centre… The provision of a new flat for volunteers at the bungalow… The opening of the Durlston Nature Nursery at Easter… An exciting new programme of live music, theatre, lectures and walks… A major exhibition on Purbeck’s wartime history… For more information or news about Durlston, visit www.durlston.co.uk, follow us on Facebook or Twitter or call 01929 424443. A beautiful autumn at Avon Heath Country Park From the muted golds of Silver Birch leaves fluttering to the ground to the scarlet red on Fly Agaric fungi, the countryside was awash of colour – a treat before the greyness of winter is upon us. Here in the east of the county much of the purple heathland we care for turned to a deep bright brown. The heather has set seed and now is the time of year that much of the habitat management can begin in earnest. This year has been an exceptional growing season for some of the invasive plants that compete aggressively with our more delicate heathland species. Rhododendron bushes seem to have doubled in size over the summer and the ever-present Scots Pine saplings have been growing as if fed steroids. Much of our conservation work is dealing with these plants and our fast growing army of volunteers has set to work to re-address the balance in favour of the heathland. A big thank you goes out to all these volunteers whose help we cannot do without. The last few months have been exceptionally warm which has proved to be of great benefit to the rare reptiles that thrive on the heath. At Avon Heath, with the help of public donations, the rangers have worked with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Natural England to establish one of the most successful captive breeding programmes in the country for the Sand Lizard. This year many of the young that were reared from eggs laid at Avon Heath were re-introduced to heathland and sand dunes across the country. Hengistbury Head in Christchurch is one of the local sites to benefit from the release programme. This has only been possible after further habitat improvement at Hengistbury Head making more of the site suitable for these very rare creatures. If you are interested in helping with the conservation work of Dorset Countryside in the east of the county whether it is looking after your local rights of way or clearing the heathland of invasive plants please get in touch with either Kate Martin or Marco Marsango at Avon Heath Country Park on 01425 478082. The Great Heath Access audit The Dorset Great Heath project, also known as Dorset Urban Wildlink project, is one of the country’s most exciting conservation projects led by Dorset Wildlife Trust. Its aim is to purchase key parts of the Canford Estate and will use these as stepping-stones, to create links reconnecting the New Forest National Park with the Wild Purbeck Nature Improvement Area and to establish Dorset’s first urban living landscape. Dorset Countryside Ranger Paul Jones who has been working on an access audit for the project said: “Whilst I was familiar with many of the heathland sites I was pleasantly surprised to discover new view points, secret ponds and previously under explored woodlands”. Paul has produced recommendations for access improvements on the Canford Estate holdings, Castleman Trailway, Stour Valley Way and links between them.