Culm restoration project's Christmas tree clearance begins

Clearance work at an overgrown Christmas tree plantation near Rackenford in Devon gets under way this month as part of Devon Wildlife Trust's Working Wetlands project.The 3.5 hectare site includes Norway Spruce trees of varying ages which have passed their commercial peak. It is hoped that by clearing the trees the site will return to being Culm grassland. In turn, this should enable habitat connections between several key wildlife sites in the vicinity, and help important species to move around the landscape.The initiative is due for completion by the end of March 2011 and is being funded through Natural England's Higher Level Stewardship scheme. The project site is owned by Tim & Andy Paxton and represents part of their Rackenford Manor Farm. Situated close to Rackenford Moor, it forms part of a larger area of internationally important Culm grassland habitat.The Paxton's holding sits within the Working Wetlands project's Knowstone and Witheridge priority area. Stuart Coleman, DWT Working Wetlands project advisor said: "Although not a large site, the removal of this derelict conifer crop is a key strategic boost for us. The wildlife rich habitat which will be recreated here will link nicely with other areas of Culm grassland, and aid the recovery of many

important species, such as curlew, and marsh fritillary." Working Wetlands is a seven year landscape scale project and this is just one of many initiatives being undertaken by the scheme across 65,000 hectares of the Culm Natural Area. It has been supported by South West Water, Tubney Charitable Trust, The Environment Agency, Devon County Council, Devon Waste Management, Grantscape and Natural England.

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Nick Baker confirmed to open summer Wildlife Festival in Barnstaple

TV wildlife presenter Nick Baker has confirmed he will open this year's Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) Wildlife Festival in June. The event is just one in a series taking place to celebrate the 13th North Devon Festival. The date for the Wildlife Festival has just been announced and plans are well on the way for making this year's event the best ever. This year will be the charity's fifth annual Wildlife Festival. Following a successful spectacle in Plymouth last year the event comes to Barnstaple Town Centre for 2011. The festival will be held on Saturday 4 June between 10am and 4pm. Jo Pullin DWT's event organiser said: "It's great to have Nick Baker on board again. He had a great time last year making nest boxes and talking to families about his wildlife experiences, so he was quick to agree to come up to north Devon. This will be the second time the festival has visited Barnstaple and it will be lovely to see old faces returning along with new people. We have a winning formula which people seem to love!" The charity is currently writing to local wildlife related organisations in the area to see if they would like to attend the event which will be held at The Square, close to the town centre. This year there are plans for a wildlife parade, along with bird watching on the river, and the ever popular attractions of nest box making, face painting and live animals. For more information about the event visit http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/. Anyone wanting to volunteer or have a stall at the event should contact Jo Pullin on 01392 279244.