Woodland glade maintenance at Monmouth Hill, Milton Abbas - a volunteer workday with BC Dorset and EuCAN

Monmouth Hill near Milton Abbas

Butterfly Conservation (Dorset branch) and EuCAN will be holding volunteer workparties this autumn and winter season, normally on the third Thursday of the month. If you are available to help us, your company will be hugely appreciated! Please contact Steve Brown on estherandsteve10@gmail.com

Several years ago we (Butterfly Conservation Dorset branch in conjunction with EuCAN CIC) were invited by Forestry England to do some clearance work on Monmouth Hill (also called Melmoth’s Hill) to improve the habitats for butterflies, moths and other wildlife, followed by butterfly recording over the last three summers.

Since then we have had several very successful meetings on the site and have opened up a large swathe of grassland and re-coppiced some of the hazel there. We have been monitoring the butterflies with a transect each season and would like to continue the practical maintenance work this autumn and winter.

This week we will be re-cutting the glades through the wood which is the route of the butterfly survey transect and continuing with the coppicing programme. We hope we can attract as many volunteers as possible to help us with this valuable work.

It’s a beautiful site with wide views across the valley to Milton Abbey School and beyond.

Meet for a 9.30a.m. start at the parking area shown on the map, or walk to find us if you arrive later.

Please bring your refreshments and lunch, wear work gloves and thornproof clothing, and if you are a brushcutter operator, please let Steve know.

Please let Steve Brown know if you would like to attend and include your phone number so that he can call or text you if he needs to change the plans because of the weather.