Agriculture and sustainable land management

Residential weekend and get-together,  Saturday July 2nd – Monday July 4th 2016.  Knepp Castle Estate in Sussex  with a range of different activites including a tour of the rewilding project there and a Purple Emperor Safari.

The Knepp Rewilding project is the inspired brainchild of Charles Burrell the owner, and is a very interesting example of an alternative and sustainable method of land management – see http://www.knepp.co.uk/  for full information.

Programme for the weekend

Saturday 2nd July: meet approx 4pm  at the campsite at Knepp, put up tents, tea, local exploration. Evening: BBQ on the campsite, set up moth trap, bat detecting.

Sunday 3rd July: analysis of the moth trap before breakfast at 8am.

9am: introduction to the Knepp Re-wilding Project by Charlie Burrell, followed by a tour of the estate in the Austrian ex-military vehicle, the Pinzgauer. This can take 13 people and preference will be given to those who did not attend in 2015. The rest of the group will go out onto the Estate with EuCANer and Sussex Wildlife Trust Officer, Laurie Jackson, to have a look at the changes in the floristic composition in some of the former arable compartments of the  estate. This will be a good opportunity to brush up on your botanical id. and to develop ideas on colonisation, succession and arable reversion. Back to the campsite for a late lunch.

afternoon: visit to Kithurst Hill, a nearby site, rich in butterflies and  wildflowers.

evening: supper on the campsite or in a local pub, set up moth trap.

Monday 4th July: analysis of the moth trap before breakfast at 8am.

9.30am  EuCAN Community Interest Company AGM.

10.15am   Introduction by Matthew Oates to the morning’s Purple Emperor safari, followed by a morning with one of the UK’s most iconic and beautiful butterflies.

1pm  Lunch in the camp and dispersal afterwards.

To see the photos taken during the 2015 visit, go to our Flickr page .

The weekend will cost £60 per person (£50 for unwaged ). Please complete the registration form, return it by email and pay the weekend fee by BACS into the EuCAN bank account (details on the registration form}

Please contact nigel@eucan.org.uk for further information.