Last year we reported the launch of this project, spearheaded by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and supported by Keele University, SMDC, Outside Arts and ourselves among others. Work has now started on the selected sites for the project and we are currently doing the baseline surveys that are needed to record progress over the coming years. Most of this is done by volunteers from MCA, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and members of local community groups who are supporting their ‘patch’.
The surveys involve identifying different plant and animal species, recording their locations and taking soil and water samples where appropriate. Project staff have been running training workshops but it’s not too late to get involved - via
Baseline surveys done so far include sites in Cheadle, Tean, as well as Haregate and Woodcroft in Leek. Swifts of Leek are supporting a second site in Haregate, known for its vibrant swift population, but they will be doing the full vegetation and soil survey as well next week, with guidance from the Project’s PhD researcher, Alana Wheat. They're fun to do and usually there's plenty of opportunity to engage with passing members of the public who are intrigued to know what we're up to. What better way to engage with nature in a constructive way!