Local Action for Nature
Welcome
We are all aware that there is a Climate Crisis, and that biodiversity is suffering; in fact it’s reported that 41% of insects species face extinction. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful area where we have a lot of nature on our doorstep. However, there are steps we can take as individuals, small groups and as a community that can make a big difference.
On this page, you will find information and inspiration about small steps you can take as an individual, ideas for what you can do locally, as a neighbourhood perhaps, and then suggestions of more practical local action that you can get involved in to support nature and help make Yateley, Darby Green and Frogmore greener and more wildlife friendly.
What can I do?
Here you can download a leaflet that provides information on small changes you can make in your own garden to make it more wildlife friendly.
If you want to read more, then here are some helpful links to help you rewild your garden and make more space for nature. There are also links to other websites and groups you can join for further inspiration:
- Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust - also see Team Wilder on FB.
- Rewilding Britain
- Buglife
- Worcester Environment Group
You can also get involved in many of the citizen science projects that take place throughout the year, recording and reporting what you see in your garden. Here are details of a few of them:
- Butterfly Conservation - Big Butterfly Count over a couple of weeks each summer
- RSPB - Big Garden Birdwatch over 1 weekend each year
- BTO – Year-round garden bird watch
There are also various apps you can use to report all year round such as iRecord, Birdtrack and iButterfly.
What can we do?
Talk to your neighbours! Share what you are doing with others as it might inspire them to join in. Research shows that if 1 in 4 of us change what we do, others will follow.
- Could you create a hedgehog highway within your neighbourhood, or even through the gardens of a few houses? Providing safe passage for hogs, so they can avoid roads, helps them stay safe. See the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for advice on how to create your Hog Highway. If you find a hedgehog in distress, contact the Happy Hedgehog Rescue in Yateley.
- Can you all agree to mow the grass less and leave a patch garden to go wild to provide a network of habitat for pollinators to move between? Even more important if you are at the Darby Green end of the parish as this is near a Buglife B-line (click here to see how close you are) so anything you can do there will really support pollinators.
- Are you an amateur/expert botanist or ecologist? Can you share your knowledge with a few people? Lead a walk and tell people what they are looking at – plants, birds, wildlife? Follow the Rebel Botanists on FB for inspiration. Could you lead a Citizen Science project and carry out some recording? See Buglife for inspiration.
Community Actions
Practical Conservation - There are lots of opportunities for practical voluntary conservation work in the local area. Thames Basin Heath Partnership brings them all together. Obviously at the current time, they may not all be running so check with the organiser before turning up.
- Watch out for “Project Pond” that is coming online in the near future which is a collaboration between Yateley Town Council (YTC), The Yateley Society and the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust. The plan is to start a long-term project restoring the ponds in Yateley, Darby Green and Frogmore that are in YTC ownership. There will be plenty of opportunities to get involved – bring your waders!
- Community Orchard/allotments/community food - Lockdown has shown how important time in nature is and a community project along these lines would provide a focus plus free food in the long run, plus educational opportunities and mental health benefits..
- Become an active member of YCAN and support local action!