Durham Wildlife Trust is trying to attain funding from NatWest Community Force to deliver a Bee Project to transform urban areas making them significantly more ‘bee-friendly’

Bees are essential agents in pollinating plants including many species which provide us with food.

Through the project local schools will receive inspiring education sessions all about bees and plant nectar flowers around their school grounds. They will also be equipped with wildflower seeds to plant in their gardens and local communities. Schools will be encouraged to build up a street level map of their local area adding the places where nectar rich planting has occurred. The project will also deliver community events to raise awareness of the bees and assist local people in improving the urban environment for these busy little creatures.

So please help us get this project up and running by voting for Durham Wildlife Trust Bees Project at this address and click on :

http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/4571

You will be asked to register first, but don’t worry, it doesn’t take long.

Thank you

The Heritage Lottery funded Durham Veteran Tree project are holding an array of events over the next few months. Come along to learn about what veteran trees are and why they are important. You can also learn how to survey veteran trees.

Redworth Hall
Veteran Tree Recording event:
Friday 21st Octoberr, 10.30am - 3.00pm

Join us to learn all about the magnificent ancient and veteran trees that surround us and found out how we can help protect these beautiful trees.
A short presentation will be given in the morning introducing the project and giving guidance on how to record veteran trees in your area. Followed by a free buffet lunch and guided walk around Redworth Hall grounds to begin recording these historical features.

Booking required.

If you are interested in attending a training or survey session or want to suggest an area for an event or survey, please contact: Vicky Newlove at vickynewlove@durhambiodiversity.org.uk or 0191 584 3112

The Durham Veteran Trees project is currently producing a publication on notable trees from across the area. We are calling on members of the public to put forward suggestions of their favourite trees to be included in the guide and to let them know a little bit about why the tree is so important to them. Whether it’s huge, gnarled, and so ancient it’s been around longer than your granny can remember, or just a tree with an interesting story or a special memory, the Veteran Tree project want to hear all about it. Any anecdotes or stories sent in will be posted on the website and the best ones will be selected for publication. The guide will also include a number of guided walks in the region which take in some of the fascinating trees recorded in the Veteran Tree database.

For more information or to find out how to get involved with the project and our hunt for ancient and notable trees across the North East, contact the Veteran Trees Project Officer, Vicky Newlove, at vickynewlove@durhambiodiversity.org.uk, or call on 0191 584 3112.

The Heritage Lottery funded Durham Veteran Trees Project is coming to the aid of old trees in the North East with its recently published Veteran Trees Management Guide. The guide offers background information on veteran trees and how to identify them, as well as tips on managing your tree positively for wildlife and how to protect veteran trees of the future. It will be available as either a set of practical, easy-to-follow laminated cards or as a downloadable document from the Durham Veteran Trees website www.durhamveterantrees.org.uk.

From 9th May 2011 Durham Biodiversity Data Service (DBDS) will be merging with Environmental Records Information Centre (ERIC) North East.

ERIC North East works with wildlife recorders and groups across the whole region to to collate, manage and improve access to the biological records. It is a resource that helps organisations and individuals to make decisions about the natural environment of the North East, and improves knowledge about the species and habitats that can be found there.

Recording groups and individuals in the Durham area who currently sharing their wildlife records with DBDS have been consulted to ensure data management, procedures and exisiting standards are maintained following the transfer.

From 9th May all data search requests should be sent to eric.ne@twmuseums.org.uk.

For more information on the handover please contact Katherine Pinnock on 0191 222 5158 (ERIC North East) or Paul Hannaby on 0191 584 3112 (DBDS)

DBDS staff would like to thank everyone involved in establishing and running the service over the past 3 years.

The latest edition of Fieldnotes has recently been produced, detailing the positive action taken for biodiversity over the last 12 months.

Fieldnotes Issue 6