Somerset County Council and Natural Environment Services

A follow up on my post on 8th Feb.

Simon Nash was  talking to BBC Somerset on Thursday 7.2.13 about a meeting he had had with the Leader of the County Council on the issue of proposed cuts to essential environmental services.

It seems pretty obvious that the Council were considering the redundancy of Ecologist working for the Council where their job is to advise the Council on development projects and similar situations. If the Council doesn't employ specialists then it will be unable to fully understand what  the environmental consequences will be of any of its decisions which affect the whole County of Somerset!

You can listen to his interview with Matt Faulkner on BBC Iplayer for three more days. BBC Somerset are very helpful in tracking down when these items come on air. Here is the reply I got to my enquiry with a link to the programme. Go to 2hr and 2min into the programme and it starts with an interview with  John Osman Leader of the County Council followed by Simon Nash:

*********************************************************************

Hi David,

The interview with Simon took place at 8.30am on the morning of Thursday, 7^th Feb. You can listen back to it via the iPlayer – www.bbc.co.uk/bbcsomerset. Just search back for Thursday’s Breakfast with Matt Faulkner, the interview will be around two hours in.

Kind regards,

Rachel Andrews

Broadcast Journalist and Producer

BBC Somerset 01823 323956

www.bbc.co.uk/somerset

From: David German [mailto:davidgerman555@gmail.com]
Sent: 08 February 2013 12:06
To: bbc.co.uk/somerset
Subject: Re SCC cuts and Simon Nash, Wildlife Trust CEO

Please let me know the programme and time that this news item was on the air?

Thanks

David German

Wildlife Blog:
http://heartofthelevels.blogspot.co.uk

Doha Climate Talks

There is plenty to read about these talks. I haven't heard much if anything on the BBC News about the importance of Global agreement on climate change. The Guardian as usual is a good place to see what is going on or not!!

Apparently Lord Monkton was escorted  / thrown out of the talks for impersonating a Burmese delegate.

Click here        :http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/08/climate-change-talks-deadlocked-summit?intcmp=239

• Environment
• Climate change

Climate change talks deadlocked on final day of UN summit

Talks on a new climate deal ground on through Friday night in Qatar, as countries failed to agree on key issues including: rescuing the Kyoto protocol, finance and compensation for poor countries suffering the effects of climate change, and how to structure a proposed new global climate change agreement.

The negotiations, which have gone on for more than a fortnight, looked set to last for most of Saturday. But the marathon session left many delegates hopeful of rescuing a deal amid the frustration and confusion of the night.

"We have worked without a break and people realise we need to go home with something," said one delegate.

The EU is understood to have proposed a deadline of 3pm Saturday (12pm GMT) for adopting final amendments, but every deadline that has been set so far in the last days of talks has been breached.

Ed Davey, the UK energy and climate secretary, worked through the night, meeting with ministers from developed and developing countries in an attempt to secure a deal.

Nick Baker on Westhay nature reserve.

If you don't follow the Somerset Wildlife Trust on Facebook you are missing a treat.  Here is a very recent posting with a video clip describing a nature reserve not far from where I live and which I only occasionally visit. Time and other interests make it difficult to keep in touch with the natural world around us but it's a shame if we don't try.  Thanks to Jane for bringing it to our attention!

Viewing this video with Nick Baker taking us on a walk on the reserve is very well put together and gives us an insight into our own local natural world.

Here are links to the Trusts Facebook page and to the video clip

http://www.facebook.com/somersetwildlifetrust?

ref=streamhttp://www.facebook.com/somersetwildlifetrust?ref=stream

Somerset Wildlife Trust

Did you see Nick Baker watching dragonflies being caught by sundews on our Westhay Moor Nature Reserve the other night, on BBC's Inside Out? Don't worry if you missed it, you can watch it again here. Enjoy! It's really great footage! Jane

Inside Out South West: 12/11/2012

www.bbc.co.uk

Nick Baker visits Westhay Moor nature reserve in Somerset, an outstanding haven for wildlife largely created by man.

Like ·  · Share · 422 · about an hour ago · 

• 4 people like this.
• 2 shares
• 

  Somerset Wildlife Trust Great to see our very own Mark Blake being interviewed as well - explaining how we are conserving the largest surviving fragment of lowland acid mire in the south west. Jane

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Ruth Bartleet This is a lovely film. Thank you so much for sharing it.

Eco- therapy! Richard Mabey explains.

There is an interesting comparison between this post and my last. In this post the message is the value of getting involved with nature. In my last post it was all about human beings being totally disconnected from nature in the pursuit of wealth, power and denigration of fellow human beings who dared to say no.


I am rapidly becoming a Richard Mabey fan. Although I've read some of his many books and articles and admired his literary skills nothing has connected with me as much as listening to a BBC video of a programme on BBC World Service.

A friend sent me this photo taken in their garden. Its a common spider which can change its colour to suit its location.


If you are interested in nature or the conservation of wildlife in any way at all then I hope that listening to this programme you will find as I have done a new value, purpose and benefit  in the pursuit of your interest.

Here is a link to the BBC programme recording :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00z9srx/Health_Check_Ecotherapy/


or use this URL


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00z9srx/Health_Check_Ecotherapy

I have in the last year or two attended a workshop arranged by Somerset Wildlife Trust with MIND on the subject of mental health but I dont recall it as being as relevant as this programme on Eco Therapy.

Reflections of a Curlew: New Relationship With Nature - The Government is g...

By visiting the  Blog shown below you can read a lot more about the Radio 4 programme and Mary Colwell's thoughts on the subject.


Reflections of a Curlew: New Relationship With Nature - The Government is g...: The Great Hall at the University of Bristol for the recording of Sustaining Life for Radio 4 Panelists J...

World population and nature

I listened to a poem written specially for the occasion and read out by the poet during the Radio 4 recording on Monday evening.   In the middle of a discussion about world population growth and its effect on nature it was a dramatic part of the whole evening. Listening to it live is probably the best way to experience the poets feelings for the subject. Below are some extracts from a transcript of the spoken word.The reading had more impact by taking place in the Great Hall of Bristol University. Its  a splendid venue.
You can find out more about the Radio 4 programme by going to my later posting.

Listen to the recorded programme on Dec 23rd on Radio 4.

Celebration

Go for a walk run in the woods and breathe in
Mother nature till she fills your veins
Travel, view, as many beautiful landscapes
as you can until your imagination complains

*********************
*********************

Sit on top of a satellite see the world
and the lands on which we all live
Take it in and ask yourself what can I invent?
what can I not take? What can I give?

***************************
***************************

Trust her she continues to feed us
and give us all we need to drink
but she does more than that
She’s that essential creative link

*************************
*************************

You can do it, amaze yourself,
this place is all we’ve got
This is our home and our children’s
children’s, children’s home
What? Don’t tell me you forgot?

Read by the poet, Miles Chambers

Reflections of a Curlew: People and Wildlife - A Shared Earth - BBC Recording

Reflections of a Curlew: People and Wildlife - A Shared Earth - BBC Recording

You might find the programme referred to in the link of interest. Just click on the words above. I've reserved three tickets and as far as I can see tickets are still available. ( checked today 20.11.11). 
This is a BBC recording on November 28th at 6.30 pm for a Radio 4  programme  debating world population issues and their effect on Wildlife.The programme will be broadcast on 23rd Dec 20.00 hrs and repeated on the 24th
Its part of a series which I regret I havent picked up on before called "Saving Species"  and this particular programme is titled Population and the Natural World.Its produced by Mary Colwell who amongst other things writes the Blog at  http://marycolwell.blogspot.com/      or click.here.

The Bolas spider

A friend has sent me a link. to a video clip showing the hunting habits of the Bolas Spider.
Its a good job my wife didn't open it ! Being curious about the origin of the clip I did a bit of web searching.
The clip seems to be a copy of an extract from a BBC programme in which Sir David Attenborough describes how the spider catches its prey , in this case moths.The same clip seems to be used by others but with out credit to the BBC so I prefer to use this way of showing it.
Viewing the clips posted by others means that you are shown lots of adverts.
To view the BBC clip go to this link here.
This way you don't get all the distractions. 

British Butterflies

If you missed the one hour programme on British butterflies on BBC 2 on Thursday, " Butterflies: A Very British Obsession"  your really should have a look at BBC  I Player using this link, click here:
You've got 6 days left to view it.
Amazing photography and information about many of our favourite butterflies plus interesting stuff about people involved in butterfly conservation.
Controversial reporting about reintroduction of rare species by breeding off site for instance.  But also an account of how important it is to manage habitats to ensure their survival. Somerset Wildlife Trust is very proud of its reintroduction work for the Large Blue.
My only slightly negative comment on the  programme was  however that  I did find the background music a bit intrusive at times.
As a humble offering I'm including a photo of my own showing a pair of Small Coppers enjoying the sunshine in the grass, and a Large Blue  from the Somerset Wildlife Trust library.

Here's a brief extract from the programme notes.

"Wildlife documentary featuring the fascinating lives of Britain's beautiful butterflies filmed in exquisite detail and also a celebration of their enduring appeal to the British people. Butterfly-costumed carnival-goers dance at Notting Hill, street artist Nick Walker uses their image to brighten bare city walls, burlesque dancer Vicky Butterfly recreates butterfly dances and at Britain's biggest tattoo convention women reveal their butterfly tattoos.
Britain's butterflies have never been so threatened, three quarters are in decline. A search for butterflies leads to some of the most beautiful parts of Britain. It opens up the intriguing possibility that a passion for butterflies could help us preserve the landscapes that we love.

Two more links on the subject of moths and butterflies in Somerset.
http://www.somerset-butterflies.org.uk/

http://www.somersetmothgroup.org.uk/portal

BBC Breathing Spaces

Photo by Mike Cook.

Here's a lovely photo of a Goldfinch taken by a neighbour, showing some of the recent snow. It may be the same bird which feeds on Niger seed in our garden too. We often have three or four birds at a time. The night time temperature has been down to minus 5 or 6 C over the last few nights. How do these birds stand it?

I get a regular newsletter from the Breathing Spaces team and its a good reminder of the many events and activities going on in the wildlife world. Even if you cant get to any of them they are still good value for activity ideas.
So here is a link to their newsletter web site. Click here.

And here is the full BBC Breathing spaces web site. Click here

Chris Sperring on BBC Autumn Watch

Looking for info for our Jan meeting I have just discovered that Chris Sperring is appearing on BBC Autumn Watch this week. Why did no one tell me!!!
Here is a link to his Web site where you can find more information.
Here is a link to the BBC Web Cams.

Because I have only just seen the news item I'm too late to spread the word.

Starlings in Gloucestershire

Here is a link to a BBC news item and video clip.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7860322.stm

BBC Breathing Places Programmes

I hope the BBC don't mind me giving their programme a bit of publicity. This series of programmes and their newsletter seem to be very relevant to the work of the SWT and our local group. Here is their October newsletter.



October 2008

bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/


Welcome to October's edition of the BBC Breathing Places newsletter. Autumn has arrived and the cosy knits are out of the wardrobe! Did you catch our September edition? If not, read on to find out what's going on this autumn and what you can do to get involved.

Do One Thing - Make a hedgehog home

At this time of year hedgehogs will start collecting leaves, grass and other materials to build snug nests in which to hibernate. Why not help them along by making your own hedgehog home? It's easier than you think! In fact, many gardens already have natural materials that can provide perfect hibernation spots. Hedgehogs will happily nest behind log piles or under compost heaps, shrubs, piles of building materials and sheds.

If you're feeling particularly adventurous you could even try building a more permanent structure. There are different options to choose from, including simple, cardboard boxes and crates, as well as 'designer', home-made, wooden boxes.

SWAT Revisited

SWAT's back, which means many of you will be getting the chance to see the Springwatch Action Teams returning to your local area this autumn. To reflect the new season, we've renamed the volunteers Autumnwatch Action Teams. They'll be checking out how the transformations kicked off in June have progressed and they'll also be running some new events.

To celebrate the work achieved to date and the upcoming activities, our colleagues on Autumnwatch will be bringing you the lowdown on what's happening all over the country - so keep your eyes peeled (Autumnwatch runs Monday to Friday, 8pm, BBC Two until 6 November).

Partner of the Month - The Bat Conservation Trust

Bats are fantastic creatures and an important part of our natural environment. There are 17 species of bat in the UK, all of which are protected by law because their numbers have decreased so dramatically. The Bat Conservation Trust formed in 1990, is dedicated to protecting bats and ensuring they thrive in our modern world. This means that they can be enjoyed by many generations to come.

The Bat Conservation Trust is an umbrella organisation for a large number of UK bat groups. It also provides support, training, advice and a national voice for bat conservation as a whole. So, if you have a passion for bats, the BCT is a great place to start and offers lots of ways for you to get involved in helping your local bat community - from fundraising to volunteering and bat-counting projects!

Next Month

Breathing Places has teamed up with CBeebies on their new series The Green Balloon Club - a brand new programme aimed at encouraging children to get involved with nature. This autumn, we are offering children the chance to get a special Green Balloon Club Kit, featuring a bird seed cake and sticker selection. We hope that children all around the UK will hang up their seed cake, helping to ensure that birds get fed well this Christmas. To get a free kit, check out The Green Balloon Club on CBeebies from Friday 7 November.

Wild Week

Fancy getting in touch with your wild side this autumn? Why not check out one of our partner events? A particular favourite for this month is Wild Week (25 October to 9 November). There's lots of other ways you can get close to nature this Autumn. Why not download our pocket guide and 'Sounds of the Night' CD and Discover the Dark Side


Events Coming Up

Organisers of Wild Week - BTCV and The Wildlife Trusts - will be running hundreds of events across the UK to celebrate nature. And they're not alone: many of the UK's largest and best-known conservation organisations are also joining in. So, whether you'd like to find out more about bats or take an autumn wildlife walk, we've got an event to suit. Find events in your area