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KRAG Run Summer Holiday Workshops |
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Written by Mike Phillips
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Wednesday, 25 August 2010 18:37 |
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 KRAG have been running summer holiday workshops with one of our Conservation Partners. The Kent High Weald Partnership invited KRAG to run four workshops in a series of events that they are running for children through the summer holidays and we were only too keen to join in. Children from all over Tunbridge Wells joined us at Barnetts Wood to take a walk around the nature reserve looking for reptiles. This was followed by the chance to pond dip in one of the two great crested newt ponds and take home a dragonfly made from pipe cleaners and laminated cleaning cloths I bet you never thought that was possible!
KRAG would like to extend their thanks to Gemma and Vicky for their help with this event. |
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Written by Mike Phillips
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Thursday, 15 July 2010 18:23 |
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KRAG have been lucky enough to be awarded £3600 through the Opal Grants Scheme administered by the Natural History Museum. These grants are specifically designed to support recording schemes so we were delighted to team up with KRAG Conservation Partners, The Kent High Weald Partnership, to apply for the grant.
Together, we will deliver a number of sessions in the Tunbridge Wells area for both children and adults. These will range from pond dipping for children through to guided walks and training courses. Look out for more details soon in the events section of the website. |
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Survey work with Conservation Partners |
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Written by Mike Phillips
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Friday, 21 May 2010 12:50 |
KRAG member Michael Chalkley has been working with one of our Conservation Partners, the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership, to help them monitor reptiles on two of their sites. One of the sites has just revealed its second adder of the season and the first female to ever be seen on the site. The relationships that KRAG is able to forge with Conservation Partners is a great way not only to obtain records but to help give management advice that is positive for amphibians and reptiles. Thanks to Michael and Leonie at White Cliffs for making this partnership so successful. We are also pleased to announce that the Environment Agency have just become Conservation Partners. 
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KRAG Visit to Boxley Warren |
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Written by Mike Phillips
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Tuesday, 13 April 2010 00:00 |
Last Sunday, KRAG volunteers visited Boxley Warren, a site that KRAG has just started to monitor following a successful work party this winter. The site is on the scarp slope of the North Downs just to the north of Maidstone and, as you can see from the picture, certainly forms some of the steepest slopes of this scarp. Although the weather was bright there was a chill in the air and a breeze that stripped any warmth from the sun. Not ideal reptile surveying conditions then and hopes were not especially high when we set off, necks craned upwards looking at where we were going to have to climb to. Sure enough, there weren't great surveying conditions but although we weren't lucky enough to find any adders we did manage to uncover two slow-worms later on in the morning.
Despite the poor weather, occasions like these are still a great opportunity for KRAG members to meet up, share experiences and learn about what makes a good reptile sites and what factors can limit the success of reptiles too. Look out for similar walks later on in the year on our events page with the next ramble due to take place at Bredhurst Woods in September. |
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Written by Dorothy Wright
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Thursday, 01 April 2010 10:44 |
SAPs available on-line
The review of the Species Action Plans for the original priority herpetofauna species (great crested newt, sand lizard, pool frog and natterjack toad) is now complete.
This work has been undertaken over the last year by the Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT and Froglife have since merged to become Amphibian and Reptile Conservation), SAP Steering Groups, representatives from Natural England, Countryside Council for Wales and Scottish Natural Heritage. These new plans replace the original plans, many of which were written in 1995.
Two, new, UK plans have been produced to cover the widespread species added during the BAP review in 2007 – adder, grass snake, slow-worm and common lizard (grouped under widespread reptiles) and common toad. The smooth snake is also a new BAP species, but due to similar habitat requirements etc, we have grouped this with the sand lizard plan (mentioned above).
The four revised, and two new, UK BAP Species Action Plans are available on the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation’s website www.arc-trust.org/species/saps.php. We will shortly add the ‘All Herpetofauna Plan (UK)’, which pulls all the actions into one plan and is colour coded for generic, and species-specific actions.
Guidance
Note that the current plans are ‘national’ – so they include actions at country, regional and local levels. If you’re working on a local plan you should refer to actions labelled as this level. Also, note that Amphibian and Reptile Conservation is working on a guidance for different sectors in the Biodiversity Action Plan, and for those involved with implementing Local Biodiversity Action Plans.
Review
The Species Action Plans will be reviewed in March 2010. This review date will allow for any amendments to be made, and additional actions included. We are keen to receive your input with this work, so if you have any comments (additions/amendments etc.) please contact me.
If I can help with any local BAP review or other matters please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes,
Dorothy Wright
Great Crested Newt Conservation Officer
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