4 ways you can support nature and wildlife this May and June

4 ways you can support nature and wildlife this May and June

Were you inspired by David Attenborough’s ‘Wild Isles’ to do more to boost UK plants and wildlife? Would you like to make a difference but don’t know where to start?

 

Here are some simple things you can do to make a difference in your own back yard, your own neighbourhood and in the Chilterns, this May and June.

Wild Weekender - part of the 'Save our Wild Isles' campaign

The RSPB, the National Trust and the Wildlife Trusts have teamed up on the Save our Wild Isles Campaign, and from 28th April to 1st May you can take part in the Wild Weekender.

Whether you have a garden, a balcony, or an unloved community space, and whether you live in an urban area of the countryside, you can help any outdoor area can become a flourishing wildlife haven.  Sign up at the weblink to receive free tips and tricks on how to make your space wilder and share photos using the hashtag #MyWildSpace.

If you’re wondering why you would do this, you can look at the RSPB’s latest big garden bird watch results  which showed startling declines in some garden bird species, highlighting the fragility of our natural world.

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Now Mow May

Join Plantlife’s No Mow May movement and liberate your lawn starting on the 1 May.

No Mow May is Plantlife’s annual campaign calling all garden owners and green space managers not to mow during May – liberating your lawns and providing a space for nature.

A healthy lawn with some long grass and wildflowers benefits wildlife, tackles pollution and can even lock away carbon below ground – and best of all, to reap these benefits all you have to do is not mow your lawn in May! Even just leaving a little patch unmown will have a benefit.

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The Wildlife Trust's 30 days wild in June

Take part in 30 Days Wild The Wildlife Trusts‘ annual challenge where they ask everyone to do one wild thing a day throughout the month of June.

Sign up at the link above to receive a free pack. The packs are tailored to families, schools and youth groups, carehomes and workplaces with plenty of ideas for wild things to do to help nature and wildlife.

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River Chess volunteering - MudSpotter

The River Chess Smarter Water Catchment initiative needs a few local volunteers to learn how to survey the condition of chalk streams though carrying out MudSpotter surveys in Rickmansworth. MudSpotter is a brand new survey type that has just been piloted successfully in Chesham. It’s just a couple of hours of training, not too difficult, and you just need to be proficient with a mobile phone and happy to go for a walk in wet weather! You’ll take walks and identify places where the sediment is coming into the river from culverts and pipes.

The River Chess Smarter Water Catchment project is a partnership including local councils and so the date you collect will be used to resolve major sediment issues in the Chess, which have a negative effect on fish spawning and invertebrates, an essential part of the river’s ecosystem.

E-mail chesscs@chilterns.org.uk to get involved.

Have a look also at our Volunteering Hub through the links below.

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Chess Smarter Water Catchment Initiative

Citizen scientists can help us assess the current condition of the River Chess chalk stream and the surrounding catchment.

Chiltern Rangers

Chiltern Rangers would be delighted if you chose to volunteer with us! 

Chiltern Society

Volunteers like you are at the very heart of the Chiltern Society and have been for almost 60 years.

The Conservation Volunteers

We run volunteering day projects all around Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas – please contact us to find out if…

Urban Habitats Conservation Group

Conservation and restoration of Hicks Farm Wood Most of our restoration and conservation activities are dependent on the season, and…

Apply for a Volunteering Opportunity

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