Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is appealing for volunteers to take part in its conservation work parties during February. The Trust is organising work days to remove scrub and young trees from its nature reserves, making way for next summer's wild flowers.

Reserves Officer Julia Gow explains: "In a few months our reserves will be bursting with life and colour, with wildflowers, butterflies and other insects, and birds nesting in the woodlands. The work we are carrying out now will ensure this wildlife can enjoy the best conditions at these reserves."

Volunteers are welcome to come along and join in. No experience is necessary - just bring sensible footwear and waterproof clothing, food and a drink.

Over the coming weeks work parties are planned as follows:

Sunday 7^th February: Miller's Dale Quarry.
Thursday 11^th February: Hadfields Quarry.
Sunday 14^th February: Rose End Meadows.
Thursday 18^th February: Miller's Dale Quarry.
Sunday 21^st February: Priestcliffe Lees.
Tuesday 23^rd February: Gang Mine.
Wednesday 24^th February: Cramside Wood.
Thursday 25^th and Sunday 28^th February: Chee Dale.

To find out more about the work parties, including where to meet, contact the Trust on 01773 881188.

Join Derbyshire Wildlife Trust during February half term to celebrate National Nest Box Week and discover local wildlife.

The Trust is organising a Wild Wednesday on 17^th February with activities suitable for all the family. The nature reserve and learning centre will be open from 10am to 3.30pm, with Trust staff on hand to tell visitors about the reserve and its wildlife and the opportunity to discover the birds on the reserve or take part in a nature trail.

Two workshops will also be held, where families can make a bird box to take home for a £5 donation or to put up on a Trust nature reserve. Workshops will also feature a guided walk with bird-related activities and family fun and games.

Sarah Sutton, the Trust's Education Officer, explains: "As birds start to get ready for spring they will be looking for somewhere to nest. Some of their natural nesting places such as holes in trees and buildings are now in short supply and nest boxes are a vital lifeline for our birds. This is the first of a series of Wild Wednesdays and Wild Weekends planned for this year at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust locations around the county."

Please note that booking is essential for workshops, which take place from 10am-12pm and from 1.30pm to 3.30pm. Phone Derbyshire Wildlife Trust on 01773 881188 to book and for more details. Children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the activity.

The Avenue Washlands is at Wingerworth near Chesterfield. The nature reserve is on part of the site of the former Avenue Coking Works which has been undergoing a major clean-up operation co-ordinated by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda). The reserve is managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust on behalf of the Land Restoration Trust.

For further information about The Avenue visit  www.theavenueproject.co.uk

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is delighted to be a part of the Learning Environments in Marine, Urban and Rural areas (LEMUR) project. This initiative is an accredited training scheme that offers a fast track route to developing the necessary skills and competency required to gain a professional post in nature conservation. The ‘on the job’ placements and training reflect either a marine, urban or rural aspect of nature conservation.

To date LEMUR has provided 36 funded heritage bursary training placements over 3 years that have given each placement the necessary skills and experience to enter a professional post in nature conservation.

For more information please go to the project website at: http://www.projectlemur.org/index.html

New fencing at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Rose End Meadows Nature Reserve will help the Trust safeguard the future of these important wildflower meadows.

The reserve, near Cromford, consists of a group of fields that have never been treated with artificial fertiliser or herbicide. As a result, it is rich in wildflowers, providing a riot of colour in spring and summer as bluebells, cowslips and orchids among others bloom here. To help maintain the meadows in good condition, the Trust has introduced sheep onto the reserve and has installed the fencing to ensure they can't escape onto neighbouring land.

Access for visitors onto the reserve has also been upgraded, with the replacement of three old stiles with new wicket gates.

The work has been funded by Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN) through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Rose End Meadows is one of 41 reserves managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust throughout the county - for more information visit www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk

Improvement work being carried out at Willington Gravel Pits Nature Reserve will benefit both visitors and the reserve's wildlife.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has been creating new shallow sections in these flooded gravel pits where reed will grow. The Trust's Reserves Manager Richard Spowage explains: "This work should allow fish to move around more easily, which will attract birds that feed on them. Among these we are hoping to see more bittern - a rare member of the heron family - which we have started to see visiting the reserve."

The work has been carried out close to one of the reserve's viewing platforms, which means that visitors should get good views of the birds as they hunt for fish. In addition, work is soon to start to improve access to another of the reserve's viewing platforms by covering the path with stone to avoid muddy conditions.

Funding for the work at Willington was provided by Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN) through the Landfill Communities Fund, with additional supported provided by the SITA Trust.

Willington Gravel Pits lies between Willington and Repton in south Derbyshire. It is one of 41 reserves managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust throughout the county - for more information visit www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk

Birds and other wildlife will receive a boost from a new section of hedgerow planted by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust at Hilton Gravel Pits Nature Reserve.

A 250 metre section of mixed hedgerow has been planted at the reserve, containing native species such as dog rose, hawthorn, blackthorn and field maple. The work was funded by Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN) through the Landfill Communities Fund.

The Trust's Reserves Manager Richard Spowage explains: "Hedgerows are a really important wildlife habitat and this new section will not only provide places for birds, mammals and other creatures to seek refuge but will also form a wildlife corridor, allowing them to move safely from one part of the reserve to another."

Hilton Gravel Pits lies close to the A50, south of Derby. Its flooded gravel pits and other habitats are home to birds, dragonflies, amphibians, wildflowers and fungi. It is one of 41 reserves managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust throughout the county - for more information visit www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk

Please note that tonight's meeting of the East Derbyshire Group has been cancelled.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has a wild way to beat the cold this winter - on a conservation work party. The Trust is organising work days throughout January and February to remove scrub and young trees from its nature reserves, making way for next summer's wild flowers.

Reserves Officer Julia Gow explains: "Many of the Trust's nature reserves are renowned for their wildflowers during the summer months, including several species of orchid. These flowers provide essential food for a variety of creatures, including many butterflies. To ensure that they will flourish again this summer, we need to get busy now removing woody growth."

Volunteers are welcome to come along and join in. No experience is necessary - just bring sensible footwear and waterproof clothing, food and a drink.

Over the coming weeks work parties are planned as follows:

Sunday 17^th January: Priestcliffe Lees.
Tuesday 19^th and Wednesday 20^th January: Deep Dale.
Tuesday 26^th and Wednesday 27^th January: Priestcliffe Lees.
Sunday 31^st January: Deep Dale.
Tuesday 2^nd February: Priestcliffe Lees.
Wednesday 3^rd February: Brockholes Wood.

To find out more about the work parties, including where to meet, contact the Trust on 01773 881188.

Please note that Golden Brook Storage Lagoon will be closed for two weeks from Monday 11th January 2010 while work is being carried out by the Environment Agency.

Visitors should also note that the platform at the end of the boardwalk has been vandalised and is dangerous.

The harsh winter weather has led to a number of sightings of the rare bittern in the county.

Over the past few days, two of the birds were seen at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Drakelow Nature Reserve in South Derbyshire, with two birds also sighted at Willington Gravel Pits. Further north, a bittern was also reported at Carr Vale near Bolsover.

The bittern, a member of the heron family, is one of the UK's most threatened birds. It is found in reedbeds, a habitat which is fast disappearing in this country. The Trust's Reserves Manager Richard Spowage commented: "The Trust has been working to create new areas of reedbed on these three nature reserves, and it would seem that the bitterns are finding refuge here from harsh conditions elsewhere in the UK and Europe."

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust welcomes reports of sightings on its nature reserves. To find out more visit www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk

Visitors to Drakelow Nature Reserve should be aware that a permit is necessary for access. These are available from the Trust office - contact 01773 881188 in normal office hours.