Page 2 - Wildlife News Dec 2017
P. 2
Nature reserve & project
It has been a Lifetime Achievement Award winners Margaret Cochrane, Anne Booth,
remarkable year Becky Woodell, Dr John Ward-Smith and Mike Turton. (KATE TITFORD)
for the Trust and it
couldn’t have ended Our volunteers are
better. Acquiring wildlife heroes!
Duxford Old River The positive impact BBOWT has on local
means we can create wildlife wouldn’t be possible without the years of volunteering led and transformed
the first nature reserve unswerving dedication of our incredible the Chilterns Group.
to span the Thames. Thank you to army of volunteers. There are more than
our members, the Heritage Lottery 1,400 of them, equivalent to 75 full-time Also receiving awards for their lifetime
Fund, and the many generous trusts, staff, and together they help us to look of service were Becky Woodell, volunteer
environmental bodies and private after 88 nature reserves, four education since 1959 who has looked after Whitecross
individuals who helped us reach centres and run hundreds of events. Green Wood since the Trust bought it in
the £575,000 target. The site will 1984; Margaret Cochrane, who has been
become part of Chimney Meadows These wildlife heroes were recognised surveying butterflies at Foxholes since
nature reserve, which offers a perfect at October’s Annual General Meeting, 1976; Mike Turton, for decades spent at
example of how land can be both including eight Lifetime Achievement Chinnor Hill and Oakley Hill clearing paths
productive and a haven for wildlife. Award winners who between them and checking on livestock; and Louise
You can read about our plans for have contributed 275 years of their Spicer, who has devoted more than 30
Duxford Old River from page 6. time to BBOWT. Awards were also made years to the restoration of wildflower
The future of food, farming and for Outstanding Individual and Group meadows at Blenheim Farm.
nature was explored at our recent Contributions, celebrating the daily
Conference. The session was led by commitment of volunteers who offer their Barbara Muston, the Chair-Elect of
Prof Dieter Helm, Chair of the Natural skills, hard graft and enthusiasm doing BBOWT, presented the awards: ‘I feel very
Capital Committee that recently everything from surveying butterflies to humble to be meeting people who have
advised Government on how to creating habitat for rare wild flowers. spent their lifetimes monitoring butterflies,
deliver its commitment to leave or meticulously creating the right habitats
the environment in a better state Lifetime Achievement Awards were for rare plants and dragonflies. Without
than it found it. We welcome the presented to John Dellow, warden of the commitment shown by all the people
committee’s recommendations that Kintbury Newt Ponds for more than we are celebrating today, this Wildlife Trust
the environment needs far-reaching 20 years and long-term contributor to would not be able to meet our vision of an
statutory provision and that the 25- the Barn Owl Group of West Berkshire; Dr environment rich in wildlife, valued by all.’
year Environment and Farming Plans John Ward-Smith for his 30 years leading
be merged – rightly so, as farming and work parties on Wildmoor Heath that have tBJhoBaOinnW18oT,’0us 0vuFrwmlo0oiknaeacld/u’dakmdvanelooylwtsoalsueuaviztealneddrmiystnlyiieefofcofgeaeeoru.rerrnEveltaotvonortoeicbjlbrkoeuyuibin–ntnvoegoattwhmnlaeutefdeon.tmoertrerre.sge.r
the environment are interdependent. rescued the small red damselfly from near
Our expert panel was unanimous: local extinction; Anne Booth, long-time
the environment must be central to volunteer at Moor Copse and butterfly
any post-Brexit farming subsidies to surveyor at Decoy Heath; and Dr Alan
deliver ‘public good’ – flood and soil Showler, a Chilterns naturalist who over 35
management, health benefits and so
on. For a healthy future we need to
figure out how farming and nature
can coexist. BBOWT will be working
with more landowners and farmers to
achieve just that.
We also welcomed our new Chair,
Barbara Muston. As a long-standing
volunteer we look forward to her
involvement over the coming years. I’ll
let Barbara introduce herself on page 9.
These are changing times but
BBOWT sees this as an opportunity
to promote nature into every aspect
of planning. Uncertainty prevails but
the appetite is there and with your
ongoing support we will do all we can
to speed the transition to a wildlife-
rich future.
Estelle Bailey, Chief Executive
2 Wildlife news / December 2017
