So accustomed have we become to ‘doom and gloom’ announcements and proclamations relating to wildlife, our natural environment and the negative impacts of climate change that it can be difficult for those of us with a passion for nature and the countryside to remain hopeful for the future. Thankfully, a major new project designed to bring water voles back from the brink right here in Nottinghamshire provides more than a glimmer of hope.
The endearing and once ubiquitous water vole, made famous, albeit incorrectly labelled, as the much loved ‘Ratty’ from the charming Wind in the Willows sto...
Over the past 60 years, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has worked to protect and enhance some of the most important places for nature in Nottinghamshire. We’re passionate about creating a healthy natural world which benefits us all, by putting nature’s recovery at the heart of everything we do.
The Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society and Ashfield District Council have been working together for some time on the highly publicised and much anticipated plans for the new Planetarium and Visitor Centre. The exciting new facility will be based at the existing Sherwood Observatory and its adjacent disused underground Victorian Reservoir. The Planetarium is tipped to be an unrivalled science, technology, engineering and maths educational centre and much welcomed visitor attraction.
As a charity dedicated to protecting the county’s nature, people often assume our focus is on wild plants and animals. In reality, much of our work relates to people.
For almost 30 years, I have worked to celebrate and inspire a love of nature amongst the people of Nottinghamshire. After all, the charitable objectives of my employers, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, are to ‘promote and protect’ the wildlife of our county and beyond. On many occasions down the years, I been keen to point out that the word ‘promote’ appears ahead of ‘protect’ in our founding documents. Not out of some vain attempt to talk up the value of my role in communications, but out of a heart-felt view that in order for people to care enough to act to protect something, they first h...
With wildlife under ever increasing pressure and climate change making efforts to secure nature’s recovery even tougher, it is clear that we need bold action to create a wilder Nottinghamshire for all.
Visual artist Gary Dawes has created a series of works entitled LOOKER – Watchers of the Forest, which aims to raise awareness to the threats faced by trees, woodlands and forests around the world – the first exhibition of its kind to be displayed on the Major Oak trail at the reserve.
With almost 90% of people living in towns and cities that are feeling the impact of the decline of the high street and endless pressure to build yet more homes and with wild species in decline, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust believes it is time to take a stand to ensure that wildlife habitats in urban areas are protected and restored and that people have a right to access nature on their doorstep.
Helping the marvellous, mysterious eel.
The connection between our local rivers and the wide expanses of ocean that cover two thirds of the surface of our precious planet was underlined a few years ago when a specially designed eel pass was installed between the River idle and Belmoor Lake – the water body immediately adjacent to the visitor facilities - at our Idle Valley Nature Reserve.
