Free wildlife sessions for local groups with West Somerset Wildways
A new project launched this Easter is offering free wildlife sessions to local community and youth groups across West Somerset. The project, West Somerset Wildways, will help people to observe and record the nature around them using the iNaturalist app or website.
‘This is vital work to keep our local wildlife on the map and protect it for the future,’ says Elizabeth Atkinson, the project coordinator. ‘Everyone and anyone can help: all you need is a means of taking digital photos and access to a smartphone or computer. And you don’t need to be a wildlife expert or a technical wizard: just upload your photos and iNaturalist will suggest IDs!’
The project is part of Somerset Wildlife Trust’s ‘Team Wilder’ community wildlife mapping initiative, involving local communities in observing and recording wildlife as a baseline for the Trust’s 10-year Nature Recovery Programme. They are appealing for hundreds, even thousands, of people to help create a digital map of the county’s nature by uploading their photos to iNaturalist. And the West Somerset Wildways project has been founded to help people do just that, with funding from the HPC Community Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund as part of Somerset Wildlife Trust’s ‘Somerset’s Wilder Coast’ project.
The project was launched on Easter Saturday (8th April) when around 300 people came along to enjoy a fun day of free wildlife activities in Minehead’s Blenheim gardens. Mandy Wallington of the Somerset Wildlife Trust was on hand with her microscope and camera to observe and record the minibeasts brought to her by eager children for identification. There were minibeast quizzes, drawing and colouring activities and wildlife challenges, with the ‘Whose Poo?’ challenge proving especially popular! And West Somerset Wildways volunteers were available throughout the day to introduce the iNaturalist app to visitors and show them the amazing variety of local wildlife already uploaded to the app.
Elizabeth and her team of volunteers are now offering wildlife talks and free, family-friendly wildlife sessions to local community and youth groups across West Somerset to get them started with observations. To book a session or a temporary wildlife display, or for more information about the project, email Elizabeth at wswildways@somersetwildlife.org or ring 01643 821756, or view the West Somerset Wildways project on iNaturalist.
