SPOTLIGHT: Improving knowledge of our ancient woodland
Partnership working
Local Nature Recovery Strategies
North and East Yorkshire’s Local Wildlife Sites
New Opportunity: New to Nature
SPOTLIGHT: Wold Ecology habitat digitisation
Local recording community
Working with recording groups
Hull City Nature Challenge 2023
NEYEDC’s drone operations
SPOTLIGHT: Making grassland fungi recording accessible to all
Communications and outreach
Social media platforms and growth
Communications series
Engaging the next generation
SPOTLIGHT: Keeping up with our moth recorders
Financial report
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Scaling up to the challenge
The continued decline of nature locally, nationally and internationally is a depressing backdrop against which to table this report It is sobering to realise that England is one of the most depleted countries in the world with respect to biodiversity It is not sufficient, however, for an ecological data organisation like ours to track the decline of biodiversity We should, indeed, must try to mobilise the right data to enable the sector to resist the trend.
The Environment Act (2021) offers a framework for Nature Recovery in England, and it is essential that we grasp this opportunity. Much of the focus of the Centre’s activity over the last few years has been to build the resources and resilience necessary to respond to this challenge. Over the last twelve months, NEYEDC has created new posts, including training positions, and invested in our technical infrastructure, to expand our capability to support our partner organisations as they begin to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) and other initiatives to halt the decline of Nature
The launch of the development processes for both the Hull and East Yorkshire LNRS and North Yorkshire and York LNRS in October 2023 has highlighted the need to underpin the development of strategy and operational delivery with high quality data This will see us working with the existing data throughout 2024 and making a strong case for the collection of new and more focused datasets as we move into the LNRS delivery phase in future years
SIMON PICKLES DIRECTOR
DATA DELIVERY
Collating and sharing our sites, species and habitats
Introducing you to our new database: ORCA
NEYEDC have used the ORCA system for records centre administration since 2012, but as part of our efforts to streamline our ecological data search service, we have now transitioned to hosting our ecological records database within the same system
Species records
With the streamlining of our whole ecological data search service has come more time to dedicate to the curation and management of our species records database In this reporting period, 68,123 new species records were added to the reporting database, including 41,840 records of protected or priority species This corresponds to 62 new datasets added to ORCA and includes data from large projects such as The Wild Watch, nationwide surveys such as the Peoples’ Trust for Endangered Species Big Hedgehog Map, public bodies including Yorkshire Water and National Highways, community projects and groups, and a large number of consultancy records
Grassland at Little Stainforth, Yorkshire Dales
Fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera)
Sites and habitats
Orca also allows for the storage of sites and habitat data This includes national and international sites data (including Ramsar, SAC, and SPA sites), but also our region’s four local site systems; North Yorkshire Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), East Yorkshire Local Wildlife Sites (LWS), Hull Sites of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI), and York SINCs We also include information on Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserves Since starting to utilise eMapper we have also made additional layers available, such as Buglife’s Important Invertebrate Areas Habitat layers currently include the Priority Habitats Inventory and Ancient Woodland Inventory, but will look to include additional layers in future as NEYEDC develops its habitat database.
Nosterfield Quarry Nature Reserve, North Yorkshire
Upgrading our ecological data searches
February 2024 saw the launch of eMapper, an interactive mapping platform which we are now using to deliver our ecological data search results Following on from the 2022 launch of MyLERC, an online portal where clients can make their data search requests, the addition of eMapper into our process sees the full automation of the ecological data search service – a huge step forward for NEYEDC
Prior to launching eMapper, an ecological data search had to be completed manually in QGIS and results were provided in static Excel and PDF formats as standard Using eMapper, an area can be searched in seconds, pulling information from our species, sites, and habitats database in ORCA A unique link for each search is generated, which is then accessed by the client The data associated with their ecological data search is shown to them in an interactive window, overlaid on a map of their search location A highly flexible system, eMapper allows clients to personalise their map view, toggle layers on and off, inspect individual records, create maps, and access results in spreadsheet, GIS shapefile, and PDF formats. This has vastly improved our service for clients, reducing turnaround time for results (from 5 working days to often same-day turnaround) and allowing us to utilise the time saved to invest in our species records database and the sourcing and creation of new data products.
An example eMapper search output, with a variety of improved features including:
Interactive mapping window with togglable species groups, site boundaries and habitat parcels
Options to filter records by designation, age, distance from development, and resolution
Multiple data download formats including shapefile, PDF, and Excel
Customisable PDF mapping
New data layers
A move to eMapper also allows us to provide new data products to our clients more easily. One ongoing internal project is the writing of short SINC/LWS descriptions to be available as part of a site citation for every site delivered through eMapper. These documents will offer a brief insight into a site and contain key information about its reason for designation, size, and other features, beyond the information we currently provide. Clients can choose to download these documents when viewing their results. We also hope to add additional layers which will be of interest to our consultant clients, including Great Crested Newt District Level Licensing, veteran trees, and alert layers such as that for grassland fungi, a process which will be easier to implement and update via this new system
Improving knowledge of our ancient woodland PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Ancient woodlands are amongst our most diverse and ecologically complex habitats, having developed over centuries to create locally distinct wildlife communities including many species that cannot live elsewhere The unique biodiversity they support and the long timescale over which ancient woodlands have existed have resulted in their inclusion on Natural England’s list of irreplaceable habitats The ancient woodland inventory (AWI) is an invaluable resource mapping woodlands considered ancient across the UK (each country has its own inventory), which in England means woodland has been present since 1600 First generated between 1981 and 1992 and digitised later in the 1990s, the original inventories were a huge achievement, and improvements in technology since the 1980s have provided a golden opportunity to update and refine the AWIs As such, Natural England and other partners launched the Ancient Woodland Inventory Update project in 2019
The update has three main aims:
Reduce the minimum size of a qualifying ancient woodland parcel from 2 to 0 25 hectares
Use an improved evidence base to add woodlands missed in the original inventory or remove those where new evidence suggests they are not sufficiently old Improve the mapping accuracy of the woods themselves
NEYEDC reached the major milestone of completing the first phase of the project in 2023 By comparing recent aerial photography to the first generation of Ordnance Survey map (“Epoch 1” from around the 1850s) for our whole area, approximately 11000km², we produced the longestablished woodland (LEW) layer. This layer includes every parcel of currently existing woodland or wood-pasture and parkland that was also present in the Epoch 1 maps. A fantastic resource in its own right, this LEW layer forms the basis for all subsequent phases of the project, including phase 2, where we compare it with the current AWI to identify potential new areas of ancient woodland and possible errors on the current dataset. This in turn will help us plan where to focus ground survey effort and historical research in the evidence-gathering of phase 3.
PARTNERSHIP WORKING
Collaborating to benefit wildlife conservation
Local Nature Recovery Strategies
The long anticipated Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) development process began in August 2023, with NEYEDC supporting both the North Yorkshire and York and the Hull and East Riding strategies NEYEDC has helped with the ongoing development of detailed methodologies for mandatory steps of the process as the statutory guidance has gradually emerged through the year
NEYEDC led the mapping of the Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity (APIBs) and supported the development of a working description of the biodiversity assets of both LNRSs, which has helped to provide context for strategy development Our staff also contributed to the identification and prioritisation of opportunities to make habitats bigger, better, more numerous and more joined up and the measures that could be employed to realise these opportunities
NEYEDC staff also have helped to facilitate LNRS workshops around North and East Yorkshire, which have provided one of the major mechanisms through which stakeholders have participated in building the strategy from the ground up. We have now collated and presented outcomes to the LNRS development groups and stakeholders and begun to work on the statutory requirement to summarise aspects of the LNRS in the form of an interactive map, which will constitute part of the formal consultation processes that will take place in 2025.
Strategic Area Mapping for North Yorkshire and York’s LNRS, produced by NEYEDC
North and East Yorkshire’s Local Wildlife Sites
Local Wildlife Sites (LWS), known in some areas as Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), are locally designated sites, selected based on the significance of habitats and species found there. Guidelines which determine which sites should be selected are defined locally and are written and continually updated by a panel of local experts. These sites form a network of known ecologically important sites within each county and allow them to be protected in planning policy. Privately owned land, golf courses, road verges, stretches of riverbank and churchyardsthese diverse sites act as green corridors between nationally (SSSI) and internationally protected sites (SAC, SPA, Ramsar). Coordination, management and dissemination of LWS survey data is a core part of the work NEYEDC does on behalf of its partners. NEYEDC report on original LWS survey data for East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and York as well as collecting new survey data in some regions. Representatives from different directorates within the relevant local authority, NGOs (eg. YWT), National Landscapes, local groups and independent experts all collaborate with NEYEDC to deliver the survey programme, update guidelines and maintain a dynamic list of designated sites.
With the decision to initiate a 10-year rolling programme of survey taken by partners in October 2023, NEYEDC were able to recruit a dedicated LWS officer, who has been working to establish the rolling programme, complete landowner liaison, organise surveys, digitise results and work on streamlining the process. Successful recruitment of Seebra into this role in November 2023 has allowed NEYEDC to start to prepare for the first surveys of the rolling programme in 2024. Streamlining of processes such as habitat map generation, landowner letter writing and citation production has begun, as well as tasks such as the revision of survey methodology documents and establishment of relationships with new landowners recruitment of new surveyors.
New candidate LWS can be put forward at any time, by anybody, for consideration by the relevant LWS panel. To submit a new site for consideration, a ‘New candidate site form’ must be completed, where its importance for wildlife and evidence available will be collated and presented to the panel. Contact our LWS officer for more information on proposing a new candidate site, or any other LWSrelated matter, at seebra.young@neyedc.co.uk.
SE37-12 Ripon Golf Course, designated for ancient semi-natural neutral and calcareous grassland.
TA09-03 Cloughton Beck Marsh, designated for poor-fen and ancient seminatural neutral and calcareous grassland.
North Yorkshire - 779 Candidate and Designated LWS
Coastal Grassland
Hedgerow Woodland
Parkland Wetland&fen
Flowingwater Mixedhabitats
Proportion of different habitats found in the Local Wildlife Site systems that NEYEDC manage
Coastal Grassland
Heathland Hedgerow
Parkland Verge
Wetland&fen Woodland
Mixedhabitats
Wetland&fen Hedgerow
Grassland Verge Woodland
Mixedhabitats
Bridgedesignedforbats
East Yorkshire - 282 Candidate and Designated LWS
York - 97 Candidate and Designated LWS
New Opportunity: New to Nature
A new and different opportunity came NEYEDC’s way in early 2023: the chance to host a trainee for a year as part of the New to Nature initiative New to Nature is a national programme of paid work placements designed to boost the capacity of environmental organisations while delivering career opportunities for people from underrepresented groups, targeting young people who are disabled or from a minority ethnic or economically disadvantaged background. For NEYEDC this was an opportunity to increase the diversity of our staff and investigate an alternative recruitment pathway, the focus of which was not on academic achievements, but on what the trainee could bring to the role and organisation.
NEYEDC recruited Seebra, who gained enough experience from six months in her New to Nature trainee role to be successfully appointed in autumn 2023 as our Local Wildlife Sites Officer – a new role that was openly recruited. During her time as a New to Nature trainee Seebra had the opportunity to attend conferences, undertake training courses, shadow surveyors completing field surveys and join local recording group Bradford Botany Group to improve her botanical identification skills This was as well as learning about the core functions of a Local Environmental Records Centre, which involved completing plenty of data collation and entry into our species database and partaking in several outreach opportunities In fact, in the first week of her new job she helped to deliver Hull’s first City Nature Challenge (see p13 for our report)!
Following Seebra’s permanent move to Local Wildlife Sites Officer, there was still six months of the New to Nature funding remaining This allowed us to recruit recent Environmental Geography graduate Rob Bailey for a year-long placement as Assistant Ecological Data Officer Rob says of his appointment:
“I’ve been able to gain experience in a broad range of work including GIS mapping and drone surveying The team has a great deal of experience and technical knowledge which they have generously shared to help me transition from being a graduate to working in the ecology sector ”
The New to Nature initiative gave both Seebra and Rob their first step into a career in ecology and provided NEYEDC with an opportunity to expand its team in a new and different role, whilst ultimately being able to support two trainee positions from a single funding source
Wold Ecology habitat digitisation
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
NEYEDC has a wide range of partners, from local authorities and statutory bodies to ecological consultants and local recording groups As well as providing core services of data collation, management and dissemination for and on behalf of our partners, we also complete bespoke pieces of work using our technical skills and know-how One such example has been creating habitat maps for Richard Baines of Wold Ecology, which involved digitising field maps and converting traditional National Vegetation Classification (NVC) data into the UK Habitat Classification (UK Hab) format to identify priority habitats
NEYEDC took the wonderfully detailed NVC field maps of surveyor Bill Meek, scanned and georeferenced them so they could be imported into our Geographic Information System (GIS), before tracing round each habitat polygon to create a digital copy that could be stylised according to the habitat suitability for tree planting
NEYEDC’s expertise in digitising and creating high quality electronic maps provides an invaluable resource to local recording groups and ecological consultants that do not have the necessary skills or time to complete this type of work, and strengthens working relationships with our partners
A photograph of acid grassland at Mulgrave Estate during the surveywhat the landscape looks like in person
The digitised habitat parcels in GIS, overlaid on a satellite image The parcel colours in this map indicate the suitability of that area for proposed tree planting
NVC field map annotated with habitat parcels and their associated codes MG codes represent different mesotrophic grassland communities
LOCAL RECORDING COMMUNITY
Supporting our local recorders and naturalists
Working with recording groups
Making connections
Data lies at the core of our role as a Local Environmental Records Centre In an effort to constantly improve our evidence base, we have been working to expand our data holdings and better understand national and regional data flows. Against the backdrop of LNRS and the need for new and targeted datasets, we hope to increase the data we source from national schemes and societies and from online sources such as iRecord and NBN Atlas, streamlining the process of sourcing species records and targeting data gaps. Time spent understanding current data flows on a large scale has allowed for the identification of strategic aims going forwards for a targeted approach to our data campaign in the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.
Local recorders
We have also started the process of establishing or re-establishing relationships with local groups, including wildlife community groups, field naturalist groups, and nature reserves One such example is Molescroft Wildlife Network, a parish-based group who contacted us after receiving funding for a ‘Hedgehog Highways’ project We have been able to support them by helping establish their organisation on iNaturalist, mapping new and existing hedgehog records, and providing resources. We also assisted them at their launch event, presenting to parish residents about the work of NEYEDC and data collection in their area. In return, NEYEDC has access to records collected as part of their hedgehog project and wider recording activity, which includes a number of experienced naturalists. We have also taken the opportunity to re-engage with larger and more established natural history groups, such as Scarborough Field Naturalists and Hull Natural History Society. We hope to use these experiences to build a standard offer of support to extend to this network, increasing data uptake as well as fulfilling our charitable aims of supporting recorders throughout the region.
Before After
Hull 2023
In April 2023, NEYEDC led the organisation of the first ever Hull City Nature Challenge (CNC), which ran from 28th April – 1st May 2023. The CNC is a global bioblitz event which takes place in hundreds of ‘cities’ throughout the world, across one weekend in April. The goal is to record as much wild flora and fauna as possible, engaging the public with biological recording and partaking in a bit of friendly competition with neighbouring (and faraway) cities
The 7-Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septumpunctata) was the most recorded species in the 2023 CNC Image credit: Charlie Jackson, Flickr
NEYEDC acted as the lead organiser for the challenge’s inaugural year in Hull, with an aim to focus mainly on the collection of high-quality data that could be utilised beyond the CNC Working alongside organisations such as Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the University of Hull, and Hull City Council, we delivered the event through a combination of encouraging independent recording from the public and experienced naturalists, and organising events at parks and green spaces around the city We recorded a total of 4,170 observations via our iNaturalist project in Hull over the recording weekend This number represented 836 different species, collected by 66 different observers Prior to the event, our data holdings for Hull were fairly poor, with low density of records and patchy coverage across the city. After the event’s verification period, we were able to add properly licensed and verified data to our database, which has given us a better picture of species distributions in Hull. The response to the event from attendees and partners was overwhelmingly positive, with an appetite to continue hosting the event annually.
NEYEDC’s drone operations
The Yorkshire and Humber Ecological Data Trust (YHEDT), the charity that governs NEYEDC, operates a fleet of three aircraft: two eBee Sensefly fixed-wing drones and a DJI Phantom multirotor copter drone We hold a CAA General Visual line-of-sight Certificate (GVC) Operational Authorisation for our eBee aircraft, which permits us to fly closer to and over people and property whilst ensuring we maintain the highest standards of safety Our pilots all hold an A2 Certificate of Competency (A2CofC) to operate the copter drone closer to people in a safe manner
Our fixed-wing drones are used to conduct surveys to help inform the management of sites, utilizing high-resolution camera images, Multi-spectral images and outputs such as NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) to aid habitat mapping This can include identifying scrub location and areas of wetter/drier habitat, such as the mapping of draw-down zones. We also offer to use our copter drone to capture contextual information such as landscape images of sites and video flythroughs.
During 2023-2024 we continued to support the managers of smaller nature conservation sites as a legacy of our NatureHack project, to help put technological solutions into the hands of local land managers, such as at Three Hagges Woodmeadow Nature Reserve pictured right We also explored ways in which we could more efficiently survey harder to access locations such as large linear sites (e g coastal habitat) and woodland
In Summer 2023 we worked with the managers at High Batts Nature Reserve to undertake a full mapping survey of both the Nature Reserve itself, and an adjacent quarry This work is part of High Batts ‘In at the Start’ project, which aims to monitor the effect of the quarrying and the subsequent management of the site and its effect on several different aspects of the local biodiversity. The mapping work undertaken using the fixed-wing drones is part of a series of surveys we have undertaken on an annual basis since 2018.
Lower Ure Conservation Trust have been long-standing supporters of NEYEDC and have made use of our aerial survey capability on a number of occasions – this year being no exception! We visited Flask Lake and Kiln Lake to survey their wetland planting area to enable them to accurately map the areas they had planted up, and a small limestone outcrop to map the size and extent of the exposure We then crossed over into the main Nosterfield Nature Reserve to survey some new wetland scrapes that had been put in earlier in the winter in the northern part of the site We look forward to visiting both new and familiar sites in the coming year
Drone imagery of Three Hagges Woodmeadow Nature Reserve
Making grassland fungi recording accessible to all
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
As a Local Environmental Records Centre, one of NEYEDC’s aims is to support existing and engage with new biological recorders We are always on the lookout for opportunities and projects that will allow this to happen, especially with under-recorded, or difficult to identify taxa The work NEYEDC has been doing since autumn 2022 to identify Important Grassland Fungi Sites in North and East Yorkshire is one such example This project has reached out to both casual recorders and more experienced volunteers through a blend of citizen science and traditional site survey.
Important Grassland Fungi Sites are an indicator of long-established or ancient grasslands, sadly now a rare habitat in the UK Whilst some such grasslands can be identified by their plant communities, others are best identified by their array of ‘CHEGD’ fungi species, also known as ‘waxcap assemblages’ present in the autumn The irregular occurrence of fungi fruiting bodies and relatively short field season outside the traditional survey period for grassland flora mean that important fungi sites, regardless of their habitat, tend to be under-recorded Therefore, finding a quick and easy way to record potential sites that requires little expertise would be key to building a resource of potential sites – step in Plantlife’s Waxcap Watch and their WaxcApp!
Plantlife offered to create for NEYEDC a Yorkshire version of their WaxcApp using ArcGIS’s Survey 123 recording app This has made us able to engage with casual recorders who may have a general interest in nature and wildlife near to where they live, but feel unable, or do not wish to, try and identify grassland fungi to species level All the app asks for is the colour of the fungi to be recorded, and different colours are awarded different points For example, the pink waxcap category which includes the IUCN vulnerable Ballerina waxcap, Porpolomopsis calyptriformis, scores a maximum 5 points whereas the green waxcap category, which includes the more common Parrot waxcap Gliophorus psittacinus, scores 1 point It allows for records of waxcaps, clubs/corals/spindles and earthongues, but not pinkgills or crazed caps Whilst the WaxcApp has its shortcomings, it provides a quick and easy broad-brush approach to identifying the location of potentially good sites that can be followed up with landowner liaison and hopefully further survey By December 2024 a total of 99 potential sites had been identified through the WaxcApp and whilst some of them may only score in single figures, we have had many sites that score high enough to warrant further investigation; a live map of these sites can be found on NEYEDC’s waxcap webpage
To support those biological recorders who would like to know a bit more about recording grassland fungi, maybe to species level, we have been fortunate enough to secure funding to run free training events These have included introduction to grassland fungi sessions that support beginners to differentiate between CHEGD and non-CHEGD grassland fungi and improver sessions that start to look more in-depth at identifying harder to identify CHEGD species, like pinkgills, using keys
As well as our casual and less experienced recorders, we have also been lucky enough to have a group of knowledgeable and experienced mycologists who have given up their time to visit sites that require follow-up survey They have produced detailed species lists on a field-by-field basis of sites that have the potential to be regionally or even nationally Important Grassland Fungi Sites From the 2022 and 2023 surveys we have formally identified 20 such sites and are working with landowners to raise awareness of the importance of their land and to encourage the continuation of existing management practices It just goes to show that you don’t need to be a species expert to make a difference!
COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH
Passing on our knowledge and expertise
The last year has seen NEYEDC make great strides in terms of communications Not only has our social media presence, output, and efforts to identify communications opportunities grown, but our communications in other areas have begun to develop well. With a focus on longer-form pieces, we’ve created a landing area for communications on the website to make space to share more about the work we do and the services we offer.
Social media platforms and growth
In the 2023-2024 financial year, we have seen significant growth of our social media platforms On Twitter/X, our followers continued to grow, from 273 in April 2023 to over 350 in March 2024 Content continues to be wellreceived, with engagement on every post (averaging 5 9%) and average impressions per month for this report period at 5,951 On LinkedIn, we’ve gained 56 followers over the report period, including from organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts, Nature Recovery and Landscape Partnerships, Rivers Trusts, JNCC, Environment Agency, local authorities, and ecological consultancies. Communications are tailored to each audience type - on Twitter/X, this leans towards the general public, naturalists, and recorders, which differs from that of LinkedIn, where our audience tends to be business to business contacts and our ecology sector professional network.
This financial year also saw the creation of an ‘Updates & Insights’ page on the NEYEDC website, a landing page for longer-form communications pieces and new series. As we started to produce more content, it became obvious that we needed a space to host this outside of the constraints of social media channels. This page now houses our regular communications series – aside from The Natural History of Yorkshire in 100 Species – and any standalone pieces. This has made communications output far more flexible and expansive, reducing the reliance on individual social media platforms and restrictive formatting. Small redevelopments such as this have also allowed for greater traffic to be generated elsewhere on the website. Future website development is a goal in the coming months and years and will focus on creating a website that is an effective hub for communications and signposting our audiences to the services and content relevant to them.
Communications series
The Natural History of Yorkshire in 100 Species
The Natural History of Yorkshire in 100 Species began in 2021, a series curated by NEYEDC that looks to highlight 100 species found in Yorkshire and their stories, authored by academics, ecologists, conservationists, volunteers, naturalists, and more. In this reporting period, 25 individual instalments were published. There were 1,371 main page views for the project, 3,229 total instalment views, and the project page is the currently the third most viewed page on the NEYEDC website. Despite being launched in 2021, almost every instalment is viewed at some point every calendar month This is a testament to the interest that the series continues to generate, which has also been a great chance to expand our network
Dataset Diaries
of the Month
In August 2023, we launched the series ‘Map of the Month’ This is a monthly series which centres on a map created by NEYEDC with a short piece of background information on what it shows, why it was created, and some signposting to any additional information linked to the ‘story’ behind the map This has allowed for us to feature elements of our core work and illustrate our expertise in mapping and data visualisation The maps featured have ranged from mapped species records produced for local recording groups to LNRS Strategic Area mapping
Finally, Dataset Diaries is another regular series, usually posted monthly or bi-monthly, where each instalment puts the spotlight on one dataset received and prepared by NEYEDC In a similar vein to Map of the Month, this allows us to highlight on our core work as a Local Environmental Records Centre and give recorders insight into the data preparation, management, and collation of the records they submit to us.
Engaging the next generation
As part of its charitable function, NEYEDC often works with the public, community groups and schools on outreach projects to promote the importance of biological recording in helping us understand the natural world. Two recent examples of this saw us working with school children at different ends of the technology spectrum.
From computer coding in Hull…
In the summer of 2023, an opportunity arose for NEYEDC to be involved in a somewhat different type of community outreach project – running a day-long workshop at Alderman Kneeshaw Park, Hull as part of an ecology coding summer school that Bilton Grange Muslim Community Association were running for their secondary school-age members
NEYEDC jumped at the chance to work with a community that is underrepresented in the ecology and environment sector, hoping that by learning about different organisations and roles, the children may have a broader sense of what is possible for their careers later in life As well as introducing the ‘Four W’s’ of biological recording we also had lots of fun introducing them to some of our equipment and giving them the chance to work with different technologies. We used phones and sound recorders to collect data and software such as Scratch, Makey-Makey and Raspberry Pi to process and present the data.
Members of Bilton Grange Muslim Community Association during the data collection phase
The morning was filled with species record collection in the park and included visiting pitfall traps left out by the children the day before. Invertebrates such as harvestmen, bees, hoverflies and shield bugs were recorded alongside many of the park’s trees and plants We used stories about historical, medicinal and edible uses of different plants to keep the children engaged and learn about a historical connection between plants/nature and humans They used all their senses, by tasting blackberries and smelling the different scents of crushed lavender and buddleia Records were collected using both traditional methods of pen and paper as well as using the apps iNaturalist and BirdNet to identify and record observations
Back in the classroom the data collected were reviewed and analysed Listening back to the sound recordings we could hear buzzing bees, chirruping crickets and/or grasshoppers, singing birds including Goldcrests and Long-tailed tits and the hum of traffic in the distance The final exercise of the day was to create a virtual map of the park using the data collected as well as some simple coding on Scratch alongside Makey-Makey. Many of the children were keen to practise some coding - even the youngest children were very capable and got stuck in straight away with a remarkable aptitude for the technology. Others preferred to play to their creative strengths, working on presenting some of our finds and drawing out a map, and another group set about researching the species we had discovered and prepared audio recordings of text they had written to communicate their new-found knowledge to their audience. The image below shows some of the outputs.
…to showcasing moths in Market Weighton
In contrast, NEYEDC were also invited to Market Weighton Infant School, East Yorkshire to talk to the very youngest of their pupils in the pre-school and reception classes who were learning about different jobs. We took the opportunity to put two of our portable bucket moth traps out the night before to show the children the different moths that use their school wildlife garden at night – and the moths didn’t disappoint! After talking about nocturnal animals, the life cycle of butterflies and moths and camouflage, we looked at some of the moths found including the stunning Elephant hawk-moth (pictured) and the wonderful camouflage of Scalloped Oak and Willow Beauty. The children then had the chance to ask questions about being an ecologist before helping us to release the moths back into their wildlife garden.
It was a fantastic opportunity to be involved with both projects, especially as the importance of connecting with nature is greater than ever. We hope that these experiences will inspire the children, at whatever age, to go and explore and investigate what their local green space has to offer. NEYEDC is always happy to hear from any community group or school and ways in which we can engage with the next generation of biological recorders
Keeping up with our moth recorders PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Our project work this year has allowed for us to explore new communications platforms and formats, to great success 2023 saw us recruit another small cohort of moth recording volunteers, who we took on as part of the legacy of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology's ‘DECIDE’ project in 2022 Volunteers participating in moth trapping were invited to join a WhatsApp group for new and existing volunteers, which encouraged them to share photos, ask for ID help, and connect with one another Originally created in 2022, the group has remained active all through 2023 and into 2024 It has been a great vehicle for maintaining interest in our work and has also acted as a quick and easy way for us to share information with project volunteers Having identified this as a potential new communications channel, we have gone on to utilise it successfully for other project work, including our grassland fungi project Another communications element in this project was the reinstatement of fortnightly newsletters, where we shared resources, photos of moths trapped that period, upcoming events, resource reviews, and other additional content to keep volunteers engaged
