Why: To preserve and re-establish areas of open heathland and keep it clean for visitors and wildlife.
Where: Iping and Steadham Commons, near Midhurst
When: Sunday 1 October, 10:30-13:30
This event is a part of the South Downs GeoTour. You can earn 2 bonus points per person for attending this event and helping to support the conservation of the National Park. Don't forget to bring your GeoTour Passport.
What is it all about?
Iping and Stedham Common Nature Reserve is situated just west of Midhurst and is one of the best examples of lowland heathland in Sussex. Its extensive 125ha is mostly owned by Sussex Wildlife Trust and also now includes Trotton Common and Bridgelands Plantation. It is a great place to see some of the amazing wildlife that can only be found on this declining habitat. Over 80% of lowland heath has been lost from the UK in the last couple of centuries. On top of this the UK has 20% of the world’s lowland heath making the total area rarer than tropical rainforests.
The challenge is to clear some of the encroaching scrub that shades out the iconic heathland plants and make sure that this open landscape maintains a mosaic of heathers and gorse. The common is well-visited and litter can be a problem around the car park, we will also make sure to give this a tidy-up. If a significant amount of scrub is cleared, we will get a fire going to burn it all!
There will be moderate physical effort and bending and lifting involved, so here’s a great opportunity to get outdoors, meet new people and help conserve your local patch.
What do I need?
No specific skills are required just enthusiasm for the task and a willingness to work with others - it’s a team effort and we want you to have fun! You will be joining the South Downs National Park Authority Rangers in helping to conserve your local area whilst meeting new people and enjoying a day out too.
You will need to bring old clothes, sturdy footwear (preferably steel toe-capped), gloves (some will be available to borrow), waterproofs or sun protection depending on the weather, plenty of drinking water, flasks of tea/coffee and packed lunches if you want to enjoy lunch on the common once you've finished.
Please write a note to log how many peopleplan on attending.
If you need any more information please contact geocaching@southdowns.gov.uk or call Jonathan on 01730 819287. On the day you can reach Ranger Kate on 07387 109657.
Completed Silver or Gold?
There will be a stash of the reward geocoins for you to grab on the day if you've reached a milestone. If you think you might be close please make a note on your attendance log so we have enough to go around.
There will also be the beautiful Seven Sisters Geocoin too - all proceeds are going toward the cost of keeping the GeoTour running. Every little bit helps folks. Thanks.