Plea for volunteers to survey Yorkshire Dales’ bumblebees
VOLUNTEERS ARE needed to help survey bee populations and record their feeding habits across the Yorkshire Dales.
The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust is looking to recruit members of the public to complete “bee walks” once a week for six weeks from early June to mid-July.
Full training in the identification and monitoring of bee species will be provided in preparation for the survey.
Officials behind the project hope that by regularly walking a defined area of specially-selected wildflower hay meadow – in the Yorkshire Dales and the Forest of Bowland – they will gather enough data to build a detailed picture of the spread of bees across the region.
The work forms part of the Meadow Links project, which is a community-driven scheme led by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust aiming to restore wildflower-rich hay meadows to boost wildlife.
To date, the trust has helped deliver more than 1,900 projects worth about £27m in the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding areas.
The project covers countryside apprenticeships, restoring woodlands and wildlife habitats, supporting local businesses and education and outreach work.
To volunteer or find out more about the work in the Yorkshire Dales, contact Tanya St Pierre on 015242 51002 or email Tanya. Stpierre@ydmt.org.