Over the next 12 months I will also be increasing community engagement through volunteering, an events programme and by collaborating with schools.  The focus is to help us share and gain knowledge about the site and promote a wider understanding of the ecosystem services that uplands can provide.  I plan to make Cuthbert’s Moor central in conversations about upland habitat management and restoration and let everyone know about the wider societal benefits of protecting and restoring this area.  If you see me on site or delivering a session in your local area, please come and say hello and ask about this amazing project!

Introduction to Cuthbert's Moor

In case you aren’t aware, Cuthbert’s Moor was acquired by Durham Wildlife Trust last year and was our 50^th nature reserve.  Set on the edge of the north Pennines with stunning views across east Durham and Teesdale, it is a 121ha upland moor and forms part of the Teesdale Allotments Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).  This designation and protection is primarily for the variety of breeding birds present, and when some of the Durham Wildlife Trust team recently visited, we were lucky enough to spot curlews, lapwing, snipe, black grouse, golden plover and a short-eared owl. We have also seen adder and common lizard on the site too! 

Amongst the vegetation there are many different types of moss including areas of sphagnum moss. There are many species of sphagnum which form multicoloured carpets across the landscape and act like a big sponge, holding huge amounts of water. Did you know, sphagnum mosses can soak up more than eight times their own weight in water!?  As sphagnum and other flora accumulate in waterlogged and oxygen poor conditions, they slowly form peat, which is essentially just partially decomposed vegetation.  This is a key component for carbon storage in the UK and worldwide. Peat forms at an incredibly slow rate, accumulating on average only 1mm a year - that means it takes 1,000 years for one metre of peat to form!

Draining and removing vegetation can expose and damage peat, meaning it will stop removing carbon from the atmosphere and, even worse, can actually start emitting carbon too.  We must act now to protect precious peatlands such as Cuthbert's Moor.  Our citizen science monitoring will have a focus on assessing the condition of the peat and sphagnum to guide future restoration plans.

Citizen Scientists: We need YOU!

It's very hard to protect wildlife on a site if we don’t know much about it.

This is where we need help of citizen sciences to gather important information about the site including data on the peat condition, plants, insects, birds and mammals that are found here.  It is also key that we find and measure any drains and gullies in the landscape which are continuing to dry the land.  

We would specifically like to encourage those within the local area to get involved and would love to hear from you.  Drop me a line to say hello if you would like to be kept updated on the project and if you have ideas for events or can help put us in touch with local community groups, please do let me know. 

Email Rebecca

Equally, if you are interested in joining us by becoming a volunteer or one of our citizen scientists, please get in touch.  This is a great way for you to learn more about our wonderful wildlife at the same time as helping protect it.

Finally, we will be running some fantastic interactive, educational sessions and events over the summer. Keep your eyes peeled on our events page for more details. We hope to see you there!

Contact Rebecca by phone: 0191 584 3112