Batcombe Down, nr Hilfield - Duke of Burgundy habitat enhancement project
Hilfield Friary for a lift to the worksite on Batcombe Down
This is the fifth of the now six sites we will be working on in this exciting new project funded through the Dorset AONB with a FIPL grant. We have already carried out work on Red Post Hill at Up Sydling, Yelcombe Bottom and the north side of Giant Hill, and Black Hill at Cerne Abbas. For this event Butterfly Conservation (Dorset branch) and EuCAN volunteers will be working with volunteers from Hilfield Friary, and the group will be ferried to the site in the Hilfield Friary minibus, meeting at the Friary at 9.30am, aiming to leave for the worksite at 10am.
We have funding to carry out emergency habitat management for Dorset’s most endangered butterfly species: the Duke of Burgundy. This butterfly is now reduced to six small colonies in the county, all of which require careful management to maintain suitable habitat. We have a grant to carry out scrub control on several of these sites during the coming winter, which will greatly increase the butterfly’s chances of survival. The work is funded under a Farming in Protected Landscapes (FIPL) grant awarded to Hilfield Friary, in conjunction with the Dorset Branch of Butterfly Conservation and EuCAN CIC.
We are looking for practical support from as many volunteers as possible at this and the other sites. Please get in touch with Martin Warren if you would like to find out more. martinswarren@btinternet.com
The other sites which we shall be visiting over the coming weeks are: Telegraph Hill near Hilfield (Feb 4th and 11th), and the Langford valley near Stratton (Feb 18th).
Meet at 9.30am in the Hilfield Friary carpark – the minibus will leave at 10am to take the volunteers to the site (where there is very limited parking). To see the google map, click on the site name above.
Map of Batcombe Down and access to it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oTa5qoUFpZrGnPShKHsR7gNIRWfgufmL/view?usp=sharing
Please bring your refreshments and lunch with you.
It will help us with the planning (though not essential) if you let us know that you are hoping to join us.