Opportunities for young people to learn more about nature, habitat restoration and general conservation management skills are being offered thanks to Vectis Housing’s ‘Green Army’, a volunteer group of young adults aged 16-25.
The Green Army is part of Vectis Housing’s new 3-year ‘Wild about Wight’ project for the Heritage-Lottery funded Down to the Coast programme. The group was originally inspired by conversations with young Foyer residents and developed initially through Natural Wight, part of the Natural England’s lottery-funded Access to Nature programme.
As well as some definite wins for conservation, the Green Army are learning more about the built and natural heritage and landscapes of East Wight and the sessions provide a fresh air forum for people to make new friends, get fitter and transform their CVs. It’s hands-on stuff and Green Army volunteers have been out in all weathers working with the indomitable team from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust on reserves across East Wight, come rain or shine.
Last month the group joined the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust in one of their newest Island reserves, Martin’s Wood in Newchurch.
While part of the reserve is managed for its relatively new woodland and so the related species such as red squirrel and woodland birds, the really special thing about much of this site is that it’s an absolute magnet for bees and wasps. It’s a former sweetcorn field and its sandy soil is perfect for unsung pollinator heroes, the solitary mining bees, who drill their nests into it and who, in summer, fill the place with buzz and movement. 112 species of bees and wasps have been discovered in the open glades between the woodland here, making this patch of land at the back of Newchurch internationally significant.
The reserve needs regular management for the bees – making sure that the turf is turned over in patches and the bees can nest more easily is one job and keeping the trees and scrub in check in the glades or bee hot spots is another (winter) job.
A massive Green Army gang turned out for the task of digging bee ‘scrapes’, tipping up the turf into various shapes and sizes, creating cliffs, dunes and bare patches as potential nest sites. Jamie Marsh and Steve Egerton-Read from the Wildlife Trust explained the significance of the site and the ecologist Ian Boyd from Arc, assisted in identifying some of the species spotted.
Islanders are being invited to join Vectis Neighbourhood days and Wild About Wight workshops – Green Army conservation volunteering sessions, Wonders of East Wight art days, Under the Pier Pre-event Decoration workshops and more.
For more information on how to get involved with Wild About Wight email Claire Hector on [email protected] or Suzie Mundell on [email protected].
Featured photo L-R: Sam Doyle, Ros McFourt and Jackie Fearn
