01 February 2018
A wildlife event for schools, families and local environmentalists is being held later this month to promote and celebrate Jersey’s outstanding natural environment.
The third Wild About Jersey event is taking place at Fort Regent from Friday 23 to Saturday 24 February. Local primary schools are attending on the Friday, and there will be a free open-to-the-public day on Saturday 24 February, launched by Durrell chief executive officer Dr Lesley Dickie.
She will introduce a day of opportunities to learn about Jersey’s unique wildlife, how to protect it and what it has to offer, ‘We want to ensure a wilder, healthier, more colourful world for future generations, to rewild children and reconnect them to nature.’
Wild About Jersey will include activities and talks on topics such as:
- Digging for earthworms
- Rewild ourselves, rewild our world
- Introducing Hugh the bat and the Jersey bat project
- Centipede hunting
- Jersey Mencap pond project
- Rock pool touch tank
The Department of the Environment has worked with businesses and not-for-profit organisations on the event and it has been developed in partnership with two other organisations who work to protect and promote Jersey's natural beauty, Jersey National Park, and Natural Jersey.
Respect it
Natural Jersey chairman, Mike Stentiford, said ‘From your garden or your park to the wide open coastal spaces of the Jersey National Park, nature is much closer than you think. Wild About Jersey gives you the chance to find out more about how to explore it, enjoy it, respect it and to help it as much as you can.’
Ten Island primary schools are also involved. At a workshop on 23 February teachers, support staff and pupils will learn how to develop a landscape strategy for their school.
School grounds
The workshop is being run by eco active – the States environmental behaviour change programme. Eco active programme manager Jane Burns said ‘The Wild About Jersey theme ‘connecting with nature’ really fits our work with schools and we hope schools will come away with a plan to make the most of their outside spaces and wildlife in the grounds.’
The event takes place between 9.30 am and 4pm at Fort Regent. It is free and there’s no need to book.
Become a Wild Volunteer (Wild About Jersey)
gov.je