Community volunteers on the trail of nature
Posted on 4 August 2010
They want local people to collect data on plants and animals in the Fitzwilliam and Upton Country Parks in the Wakefield area.
We'd like local people to get involved – they could even combine looking out for particular species whilst walking their dogs!
Sarah West
OPAL is a nation-wide project which aims to inspire people about the natural world around them. It has received a grant of £11.75m from Big Lottery Fund under the "Changing Spaces" programme, to inspire the next generation of nature enthusiasts. Scientists from the Environment Department and the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York are delivering the project in Yorkshire.
The "Community Science" project in the Wakefield area will continue until autumn 2011, and the scientists are hoping to recruit a small and enthusiastic group of volunteers to assist in the vital work of data collection. They will work in Fitzwilliam and Upton Country Parks, researching how plants and animals have re-colonised these sites after mining ceased.
OPAL Community Scientist Sarah West said that, ideally, the team of volunteers, who would receive appropriate training, would devote up to two hours a week to the project.
“We will train people to carry out the various data-gathering tasks. These will include, for instance, identifying and surveying for bumblebees, involving people walking a specific route around the site on a regular basis looking for particular bee species. Other groups of people might wish to concentrate on wildflowers, fungi, grasshoppers or bats, and they would operate in a similar way,” she said.
“We'd like local people to get involved – they could even combine looking out for particular species whilst walking their dogs! We also plan to run specific afternoon or morning surveying events for groups who live further away, or for local schools.”
OPAL will have a stand at the Fitzwilliam Country Park Fun Day from 11am-2pm on Wednesday 11 August.
Potential volunteers can find out more at www.OPALexplorenature.org
Notes to editors:
- Contact Sarah West on 01904 434577 or email: opalproject@york.ac.uk
- Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) is a nation-wide partnership initiative that will inspire communities to discover, enjoy and protect their local environments. It aims to create a new generation of nature-lovers by stimulating interest through local and national projects which are accessible, fun and relevant to anyone who wants to take part.
- The Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme was launched in November 2005 to help communities enjoy and improve their local environments. The programme funds a range of activities from local food schemes and farmers markets, to education projects teaching people about the environment. Imperial College London (the leading OPAL partner) was awarded a £11,760,783 Changing Spaces grant in August 2007.
- The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
- More information on the University of York’s Environment Department at www.york.ac.uk/depts/eeem/.
- More information on the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York at sei-international.org.
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