Residents asked to help update Teesdale's natural history

A CONSERVATION organisation is reaching out to people in Teesdale to help update a renowned book about the natural history of Teesdale.

Durham Wildlife Trust has been awarded £9,700 by the Heritage Lottery Fund to support a project that aims to provide up-to-date information to residents and visitors.

The money will fund a new edition of the authoritative book, The Natural History of Upper Teesdale by Dr Margaret Bradshaw, of Eggleston.

People are being asked to help out. Steve Gater, from Durham Wildlife Trust, said: “We’re trying to engage the community to help with the re-writing of the book by bringing their information about different aspects of the dale’s natural history together.”

Mr Gater was at Langdon Beck Show last month to speak to the community on everything from farming to the weather. Visits are also planned to Barnard Castle and Dr Bradshaw is getting extra information from her botany group. Mr Gater said: “We want to capture local knowledge and the best way of doing that is talking to people.”

For example, Ian Findlay, of Forest in Teesdale, has years worth of data about the changing climate of the upper dale and this will be included in the re-worked book, which was published more than 50 years ago. Topics include geology, botany and farming. More chapters are planned along with colour photos.

“Nature conservation is in flux because of the changes with Britain leaving the EU. We need to understand what we expect from hill farms, the communities and wildlife itself,” Mr Gater said.

To take part or to provide snippets of information, email teesdale@durhamwt.co.uk or call Mr Gater on 07823 384083.