Help support Strawberry Hill - our newest nature reserve!
Strawberry Hill – what’s next?
Buying Strawberry Hill was only possible thanks to your generosity. Now the land is saved, we must ensure that Strawberry Hill remains an extraordinary place for wildlife.
Find out more about Strawberry Hill here
We know you have already dug deep to help buy Strawberry Hill. Could you continue to support Strawberry Hill going forward? Anything you can give now will go towards some immediate needs for our newest nature reserve and help plan for the long term.
How you can help
Strawberry Hill is what it is today because nature was allowed to take over. However, the natural progression for a site such as Strawberry Hill is that it will eventually become woodland if left completely alone. While this benefits some species, other wildlife has different needs. For example, nightingales, turtle doves and other bird species need the dense hawthorn and blackthorn scrub for nesting, woodcock require open glades for foraging, and for butterflies and other insects wide, open rides are essential.
Managing the habitat at Strawberry Hill is going to require a lot of work to ensure it is kept in the best condition for wildlife to thrive.
Your donation will initially go towards:
- Helping our reserves staff and volunteer work parties plan and carry out conservation activities to benefit a wide range of habitats and wildlife.
- Providing a temporary base with simple facilities, including tool storage, for staff and volunteers, utilising rainwater harvesting and harnessing solar power to enable ‘off grid’ operations.
- Bringing Highland cattle to parts of the site, enabling these eco-engineers to keep the scrub in check for nightingales, and graze the grasslands to encourage wildflowers and butterflies.
- Creating a new access on to the reserve for machinery and livestock.
- Creating a small off-road parking area for staff, volunteers, and visitors so as not to inconvenience local residents and other road users.
- Installing new fencing and gates.
- Installing signage to help visitors enjoy the reserve without disturbing wildlife
The need for funding is long-term, though the costliest phase will be these next few years when the need for infrastructure is greatest.
Strawberry Hill is part of our vision to Help Nature Recover across our three counties. Local wildlife populations are in steep decline and places like Strawberry Hill offer lifelines to threatened species. Can you help Strawberry Hill thrive?