Target reached!
Wow, thank you to all our wonderful supporters for helping us reach our £3,000 targe...
Help Our Dormouse Sleep Soundly
Dorset
Aim
Please don't let Dormice disappear forever! In the last 16 years the population of dormice has dropped by a 1/3 in the UK.
Please don't let Dormice disappear forever!
In the last 16 years the population of dormice has dropped by a 1/3 in the UK.
Hazel dormice are in real danger…
Like us, dormice live in close-knit family groups as the young mature. Dormice spend most of their lives sleeping, so safe nesting and hibernating sites such as those found in well maintained hedgerows are vital to their survival. When hedges are neglected they become ‘gappy’ making it impossible to build safe, warm nests, putting baby hazel dormice in real danger.
Lack of continued funding has meant Dorset Wildlife Trust urgently needs to raise money to ensure we can maintain our nature reserve hedges for these vulnerable creatures here in Dorset.
In addition to somewhere to nest, hedgerows provide good crops of nuts and berries to help Dormice put on weight in preparation for hibernation in autumn. Blackberries are a favourite to help fatten up a dormouse!
A thriving population of hazel dormice needs an ample food supply and shelter, and good lengths of hedgerows to move about.
Please show you care today, and help us ensure we are able to provide dormice with safe and secure homes, whilst providing ample food supplies for them to survive the winter.
Your donation can make a real difference
- £10 would pay for 1m of hedge fence to be erected
- £15 would enable us to trim 5m of hedge
- £30 would help 2m of hedge to be laid
- £50 would cover the cost of 4m of new hedge to be planted
- £100 would pay for a day of outreach and volunteering work
Over the next few months DWT is planning to:
With your help, we can engage, inspire and work with more young people across the region, enabling them to discover and explore our beautiful county and rich, diverse wildlife. With your help, we can focus on the youth of Dorset and the future of wildlife across the region.
The future of wildlife in Dorset is also in the hands of the next generation and we believe that by working with schools and young people we are promoting and enabling a better world for all, encouraging people out of their houses and into the world.
As part of our education and outreach programme, Dorset Wildlife Trust aims to give young people a greater understanding of the importance of hedgerows for wildlife; for shelter, food and transport corridors across Dorset. We would like to do this by involving people in looking after hedgerows in their own area.
This campaign will also enable us to:
- Provide hedge laying training events for volunteers.
- Create hedge laying days with targeted groups (including Drug and Alcohol and Special Needs groups and young people) – 5 days, getting people out, working together and having fun alongside learning.
- Lay 1,060m of hedgerow, spread over six nature reserves.
- Volunteer days for young people focusing on hedgerow and related woodland management – 10 days.
- Plant two new 150m hedges
- Trim 3,200m of hedgerow, at seven of our nature reserves.
- Replace or install 1,300m of hedge fencing over 2 reserves.
- Dormouse surveys with guide and scout groups and local communities to check on how this vital hedgerow species is fairing – 4 days.
Rewards
We are offering a variety of rewards to put you at the heart of this project. They range from:
- Adopting a Dormouse with a £50 pledge - a great way to help us with this important work.
- For a £100 pledge we’ll take you on a guided walk to see where these creatures live on our reserves.
- Plus five lucky winners of our free prize draw will be invited to join conservation officers on a dormouse survey at one of our reserves. Everyone who pledges will be entered into this exciting prize draw
Please help us to give dormice a chance by donating today. Thank you.
Video, second, third and fifth Dormouse image © James Hitchen
First and forth Dormouse image © Heather Radice
This project successfully funded on 5th December 2016