Sense of Place Natural Environment
The scenery and wildlife of the Lake District draws thousands of visitors every year, but beyond the central Lakes there are other equally attractive areas to discover - the Pennine moorlands, Solway Plain, limestone pavements of Arnside and Silverdale, coppiced woodlands of south Cumbria, wildflower meadows on Alston Moor, raised mosses of the Duddon estuary, coastal dune systems and a wealth of new habitats created on old industrial sites. All this adds up to a diverse range of environments within Cumbria, creating a mosaic of special habitats for our wildlife.
What you can do
- Find out where local nature reserves, publicly accessible woodlands and open access land can be found. OS maps are a good source of information.
- Learn what species are associated with particular habitats so you can direct visitors to where they can see moorland birds, fritillary butterflies, bluebell woods, wild daffodils, ospreys, red squirrels, etc.
- Provide a list of natural history events happening in your local area, such as guided walks, pond dipping, bat finding. Many events are organised by Natural England, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the National Trust.
- Create a feeding station for red squirrels, badgers, foxes and birds if this is appropriate to your locality. Provide binoculars for close-up views of wildlife.
- Organise badger, fox or deer watching evenings (if applicable).
- Display bird identification posters and provide books on natural history.
- Know where the local sights are - good viewpoints, waterfalls, tranquil tarns, good places for seeing wildlife, etc.
- Add a blog to your website - providing information on the changing seasons, the birds and animals that visit your grounds and the antics they get up to.
- Devise a natural history trail within the local area.
- Look out for farm open days in your area.
For more information on Cumbria's wildlife and habitats, try the following websites:
www.ourstolookafter.co.uk
www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
www.naturalengland.org.uk
www.lake-district.gov.uk
www.fld.org.uk
www.edenriverstrust.org.uk
