Shotover Wildlife the organisation

About the organisation

Welcome to Shotover Wildlife.

The organisation has an active membership covering a wide range of ages, including a high proportion of young adults. There are many different activities and opportunities to contribute to our wildlife work at Shotover SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) whether beginner or expert.

Our Purpose

Shotover Wildlife Vision

Organisational Structure

Community Work and Awards

Links with other Organisations

Our Purpose

Shotover Wildlife:

is devoted to helping and encouraging members of the community, including students, to increase their knowledge of wildlife
provides a framework of help and guidance: with in-house skills, books, equipment and links to other specialists
strives to produce accurate species records, and submit them to the relevant recording schemes
accumulates species records, and supplies and interprets them for the purposes of wildlife conservation
was founded in 1999 to research and communicate the importance of Shotover Hill for wildlife

Shotover Wildlife was formed at a time when there was little up-to-date knowledge of Shotover's ecology, and some habitats were in decline. A partnership was also developing with the local comprehensive school (Wheatley Park), providing conservation opportunities for students. Over the subsequent years, the organisation has gathered together like-minded naturalists and learners who all contribute their specialities towards a more global understanding of wildlife of the area.

Shotover Wildlife provides up-to-date wildlife information for visitors to Shotover and local organisations. This has been maintained through talks, public events, newsletter articles, a growing series of factual leaflets on various wildlife topics, a book and a number of reports (see publications)).

Our main field activity is species identification and giving support to individual members in their desire to learn and/or increase their field skills (many graduate students have gained valuable field experience from their membership). The results from our work are used to support informed conservation work wherever possible and for the benefit of the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) and national species recording schemes. In past years most work has focussed on Brasenose Wood and Shotover Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI): in more recent years our study has extended to private and/or listed reserves around the county.

Shotover Wildlife Vision

Organisational Structure

Shotover Wildlife is a non-profit making charitable organisation. The organisation has a constitution, holds an Annual General Meeting and is directed by an honorary committee.

Membership is available to anyone who supports the aims of the organisation: there is a small annual subscription.

Members receive a bi-monthly bulletin.

Community Work and Awards

Shotover Wildlife has developed a strong partnership with Wheatley Park, the local comprehensive school (see School Projects), and for several years has supervised students for the 'Service' section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Over 70 students have gained awards through our community work, and in return, habitats at Shotover SSSI have benefited from hundreds of hours of voluntary conservation work.

Student and community volunteer work has been a key catalyst for attracting significant funding and the receipt of prestigious awards. Shotover Wildlife has won two Oxfordshire Special Conservation Awards (OSCAs). The first was awarded in 1999 for wetland research, reporting and restoration, and the second in 2001 for heathland restoration work on Shotover and research into the propagation of heather.

Through a partnership with the Elder Stubbs Garden Group (RESTORE) Shotover Wildlife has been able to help others in the community by providing opportunities for people with disabilities to work in the countryside. Shotover Wildlife has also helped local schools by providing conservation work for students with challenging behaviour.

Throughout its existence, Shotover Wildlife has been supported and encouraged by many professional and amateur naturalists, and now has a comprehensive network of contacts to complement our own wide-rangeing in-house expertise.

Links with other organisations

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