– 19th July 2018 –
Nature Reserves Are Not Enough!
On 19th July, Chris Packham came to Prees Heath BioBlitz, as part of the first independent audit of its kind in the UK involving Citizen Science. The campaign has a serious purpose as the results of the 2018 audit will be recorded to create a benchmark: this will help measure the rise and fall in numbers of different species on these sites in the future.
For centuries Prees Heath was an open heathland common, used for warfare training during WWI and as a bomber airfield during WWII. The heathland was gradually destroyed during the decades following WWII. Fortunately, a small part was given protection as a Site of Special Interest in 1991. Thanks to the great efforts by Butterfly Conservation, Cheshire, and Shropshire Wildlife Trusts and members of the public during the Prees Heath Appeal, sufficient money was raised for Butterfly Conservation to purchase 148 acres of the heathland.
