Please Adopt a Species – You can save today’s wildlife for tomorrow.  Our annual appeal returns with some new exciting new species and old favourites!

A fantastic present for yourself, a friend or any member of your family.   The Adopt a Special Appeal is aiming to raise £25,000 towards Essex Wildlife Trust’s core conservation work across the county.

We received fantastic support from the previous two years -  Adopt a Species Appeals.  Following some really positive feedback from donors and recipients about the Adopt a Special Events we have decided to introduce four new species and keep two favourites which have proved extremely popular! 

Please adopt one or more of these iconic species and give a really inspirational gift for birthdays, anniversaries and/or Christmas.  All of the chosen species are in decline and threatened and really important in our Living Landscapes across Essex.  These marvels of nature are indicative of how wildlife is faring in general and we really need your help towards improving habitats and working on a landscape scale to enable species to thrive in more robust habitats and survive in this modern world.

For a suggested donation of £20 we will send you or your chosen recipient a gift certificate and you will both be invited to a special event or talk about your chosen species.   These events are a unique present and this year givers and recipients found the events not just fun but inspirational.  Essex Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers led them, giving everyone a chance to learn more about the specific species they adopted and in some cases to see them in their natural world.  There is still nothing more exciting than seeing a  Barn Owl hunting, a Hare running across farmland or seeing bats emerging from their roost before they begin a night of hunting.

The Barn Owl

The Ghost Owl is enchanting and breath-taking to watch.  Essex Wildlife Trust is working across the county as part of our Living Landscapes project to provide nest boxes for breeding barn owls, so far we have put up an additional 50 boxes.  We manage and protect remaining grazing marsh to ensure they have a suitable habitat in which to hunt. The Barn Owl Event will take place at Blue House Farm where this year our webcam Barn Owls were very late laying their eggs – but there were seven eggs in total.  This year’s breeding pair were Strachan and a new male, Hughes- Games (H-G).  To date five chicks have hatched.  We will have guided walks at Blue House Farm so that hopefully those adopting the species will be able to see the Barn Owls hunting, as well as other important species.

The Heath Fritillary

The Heath Fritillary butterfly is a new species for this appeal.  It’s increasing numbers are down to some really important work by Essex Wildlife Trust, beginning in the 1970’s when the Trust introduced the butterfly into Thrift Wood.  This rare and localised butterfly is confined to South Essex and it’s larval food is common cow wheat.  Following the success in 1970 this butterfly has been introduced at Pound Wood and colonised Little Haven nature reserve and also very recently, Belfairs Park.  Please support our work to ensure this rare gem survives and come along to Belfairs Park Woodland Centre to learn more about our work to manage habitats to protect this declining species.

 The Otter

During the mid 1980’s Otters were extinct in Essex!  Otters are extremely shy and elusive animals and are rarely seen.  Since 1996 Essex Wildlife Trust has been coordinating and  surveying all of the waterways in Essex to establish Otter numbers.  Year on year Otter numbers have been increasing – what a fantastic story for an animal that was once extinct in our county.  We work with many landowners to improve Otter habitat and our surveys are so important to establish numbers and ensure this species continues to thrive.  The Otter event led by our Water for Wildlife Officer will enable you to learn more about this species and our work.  We cannot guarantee you will see an Otter but you will learn how to identify at Otter spraint!

Soprano Pipistrelle Bat

British bat populations have suffered serious declines, partly linked to loss of woodlands and a reduction in the availability of invertebrate prey, as a result they and their roosts are now protected by law.  There has been considerable work across Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserves to imporove the habitats for bats, providing bat roosts and ensuring that we minimise tree work that could affect bats.  At Hanningfield Reservoir visitor centre we are delighted that the visitor centre roof has become a maternity roost for up to 470 bats each summer.  Come along to an event with a difference to learn about this wonderful species, count the bats emerging and experience this wonderful wildlife spectacular.

Hares

Hare today -  gone tomorrow.  Essex Wildlife Trust has been working across the county to ensure this does not happen.  Once a familiar site in the Essex countryside, either running athletically across a field, or, as the saying goes ‘mad as a march hare’ racing around during the breeding season.  Essex Wildlife Trust farms and nature reserves ensure that Hares have safe places in which to thrive, offering a diverse landscape to provide a continuous range of food throughout the year.  There are good populations of Hares at Blue House Farm where the Hare event will take place and we hope that visitors will get a chance to see a Hare at first site – what we can guarantee is a very informative guided walk where other wildlife can be enjoyed.

The Exmoor Pony

These hardy, endangered ponies graze Tiptee Heath, where the traditional management of grazing is having a really positive impact on the largest remaining lowland heathland in Essex.  The Exmoors are excellent for browsing saplings, bramble and scrub; they are also a really handsome rare British breed and are excellent management tools.  The Exmoor pony event will once again take place at Tiptree Heath where you will be inspired by these handsome ponies and where you and your guest will learn about the ponies, the vital grazing they do to maintain the Heath and the nature on Tiptree Heath. 

Please give yourself a unique present, or your family, or your friends.  The Adopt a Species Appeal runs until 31 December 2014.

How to support the Adopt a Species Appeal

Email maxines@essexwt.org.uk.  the following details if you have made a donation via Just Giving

WHAT SPECIES YOU WISH TO ADOPT. IF IT CHRISTMAS, BIRTHDAY ETC, . WHO IT IS TO AND FROM, AND THE ADDRESS IT IS TO BE SENT TOO 

A BIG THANK YOU IN ANTICIPATION OF YOUR SUPPORT.

Michele Kench, Fundraising and Marketing Manager