The exciting new “Life on the Verge” project is asking for volunteers to help survey 2000km of roadside verge in south-west Lincolnshire and north-east Rutland. Project Officer, Mark Schofield said: "We need as many volunteers as possible this summer to help us survey roadside verges. You don’t need previous experience and beginners are welcome. A wild flower identification booklet, a high visibility vest and wild flower identification classes will be provided to all volunteers for free."
You can get all you need to get involved from the Project Officer or by visiting lifeontheverge.org.uk On the website, you can see all the roadside verges in the project area and claim the section you would like to survey. You can also download all the documents you will need to get surveying including survey guidelines, a survey form, maps and aerial photographs.
The wild flower identification training days will involve both an indoor and outdoor session to familiarize beginners with the wild flowers they can expect to discover for themselves on the road verges. You don’t have to join training days to take part in the surveys.
Wild Flower Training Days
- Saturday 13 June 10am-1pm at Ancaster Village Hall and Ancaster Valley nature reserve
- Sunday 14 June 3-5pm at Ancaster Village Hall and Ancaster Valley nature reserve
- Tuesday 16 June 10am-1pm at Grimsthorpe Conference Centre & Estate Grounds
- Sunday 21 June 10am-1pm at Grimsthorpe Conference Centre and Estate Grounds
- Saturday 27 June 10am-1pm at Rutland Water Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre followed by a field trip to Bloody Oaks Quarry Nature Reserve and nearby roadside verges
- Sunday 28 June 10am-1pm at Grimsthorpe Conference Centre and Estate Grounds
Places on the training days must be booked in advance by contacting Mark Schofield on email: mschofield@lincstrust.co.uk, mobile: 07825 970930, switchboard: 01507 526667.
Mark Schofield explained why it was so important to identify the flower rich roadside verges: "The project area lies in an area that at one time had some of the richest grasslands in the country. These limestone grasslands are highly diverse with many different flower species growing in them but they are an endangered and fragmented habitat. The survival of the grasslands, and the species which live within them, depends upon connecting the areas that still remain. Road verges that cross the landscape between nature reserves can make these connections. If the road verges have a diversity of plant life themselves, they will act as vital green corridors enabling the many threatened species associated with this diverse and attractive habitat to move and adapt in response to disturbance and climate change."
“Life on the Verge” is a Living Landscape scheme managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust on behalf of project partners the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust, Natural England and Lincolnshire County Council. The project has received £115k from Natural England’s Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund, £89k from the SITA Trust and a further £5k from Ringway Infrastructure Services. | 
