LANSS recently had the great pleasure of visiting the Wild Garsdale Pike project, meeting the founder of the project Rosey Grandage and some of the Youth Steering Group who were staying on the site for the weekend.
The project is based on 200 acres of high pasture, hill land, and peat bog in Garsdale. They are well set up to host groups of up to 15 from schools, youth groups, community groups, or charities, providing an opportunity for young people to get involved in conservation work and small-scale projects, all aimed at enhancing the ecosystem and biodiversity of the land.
The Youth Steering group currently has about 25 members aged 13 – 25, who working with the trustees, have ownership over the project, the decision making and practical implementation process.
Most of the steering group members we met are studying at levels ranging from GCSE to Technical Diploma to Masters, in subjects relevant to land and nature, and are benefitting from time spent at Wild Garsdale by increasing their knowledge and skill set. Also present was a young person who has an established career but is keen to transition to working outdoors and is using volunteering at Wild Garsdale Pike as a stepping stone to this. They were universally enthusiastic about the project and the opportunity it presents to play their part in regenerating the natural world, whilst enhancing their future career prospects.
We spent the day carrying out survey and monitoring work, checking birdboxes, moth traps and footprint tunnels. We also identified suitable locations for audio moths and fixed-point photography. We looked at the impact that conservation grazing has had on the land and noted that the Galloway cattle with their big hooves breaking up the ground seems to slow the flow of water down the hill. We also checked the ponds that had been dug and how the trees and hedges that had been planted previously were doing.
We heard about the sessions they run for visiting school and youth groups. As well as offering the chance to get involved in practical tasks, they have a bank of experts they bring in to do sessions on all sorts of nature, environmental, wildlife and archaeological topics. The topography of the land includes an extensive peat bog which means that there is much to learn about how peat develops and the importance of sphagnum moss. This can link into a great session on the importance of peat bogs for carbon capture.
A part time Outdoor Learning Lead funded by the Ernest Cook Trust has recently been recruited to the project, so watch this space for even more exciting developments.
How you can get in involved
1. Join the Youth Steering Group
2. Encourage your school to arrange a site visit linking to the curriculum.
3. Encourage your community or youth group to join the project on a one off or regular basis and get involved in the aspect of the land and nature that interests you the most.
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