The 5th annual Essex Wildlife Trust Volunteer Open Day was well attended despite the distinctly wintry weather outside! Over 60 potential and existing volunteers braved the sleet to attend, and signed up for a range of survey opportunities, from winter work parties to advisory roles and practical survey work. Thank you to everybody who attended, we will be contacting you over the next few weeks to follow up on the event.

Special Roadside Verges (formerly Roadside Nature Reserves) are often remnants of larger grassland areas that have been lost. They are very important for the biodiversity they support, and their role in linking with other habitat types. Special Verges in Essex are maintained by Essex Highways, and surveyed annually by local verge representatives working with Essex Wildlife Trust.

Our verge reps are now reporting back on their 2015 surveys, read a report from one of them here.

Essex Wildlife Trust is looking for more volunteers to take part in researching the distribution of water shrews in the county.

Little is known of their current distribution but volunteers can help fill in the gaps by placing survey bait tubes along streams, ponds and ditches and collecting the scats left inside for analysis. No previous experience is required!