Embracing Minehead’s Nature and Wildlife
In 2023, we partnered with Somerset Wildlife Trust, Exmoor National Park and the National Trust to plan a series of events that celebrate our local wildlife and natural spaces in Minehead. The first event was held on Minehead Seafront in March 2023. The aim was to teach skills that enable the community to identify and record wildlife using the iNaturalist app and encourage people to connect with and protect their natural surroundings. Since that first event, a further 5 events have been held in various places around Minehead, including Blenheim Gardens, North Hill and Horner Woods.
Celebrating the Seashore
The first event in March 2023 focused on the seashore and included free activities for the community to get involved in, such as:
Exploring Plants and Insects
The second event in June 2023 focused on the seasonal theme of plants and insects. Over 100 people attended the events and took part in:
Fantastic Fungi and Lichens
In October 2024, we delved into the mysterious world of fungi and lichens with an event held on Minehead’s North Hill. Attendees were able to enjoy:
2024 Events
Blossom Watch
Celebrating beautiful blossoms with the National Trust, with an event in Blenheim Gardens in April 2024. The event included a pollinator trail by local writer Chris Jelley, poetry readings from the Minehead Poetry Competition winners and arts and crafts.
World Ocean Day
We celebrated World Ocean Day on Minehead’s seafront on 8th June 2024. We celebrated with seashore safaris, seashore surveys, a beach clean and even had youngsters from Stacked Wonky’s Down to Zero, taking plastic-free pledges from the community!
Fungi and Lichens
Due to the popularity of the 2023 event, we revisited the world of fungi and lichens in October 2024 with an event at Horner Farm. This included foraging walks and activities with Alison from Forest Catkins, fungi and lichen walks with experts and nature rapping with Martin Sheills.
Aspirations and Objectives
Minehead is located on the Severn Estuary, which is recognised as an internationally important wetland habitat for countless species of fish, plants, insects, and birds. However, climate change, coastal development and tourism all pose threats to the coastal and marine ecosystems.
Somerset Wildlife Trust and the Somerset Environmental Records Centre recently acknowledged that there are large gaps in the data they hold about key wildlife species in Somerset, which presents challenges when making important decisions regarding conservation work.
Ecological data is required in order to monitor and understand the changes in the diversity species we have in Somerset, as well as the abundance and quantity of those species. This data enables organisations like the Wildlife Trust to track the health of the ecosystems that exist and make informed decisions to support them!
If declines in wildlife are not noticed and managed, we risk losing certain species for good.
Why a BioBlitz?
Increase Wildlife Records
Teaching people to use iNaturalist to record wildlife will increase the number of wildlife records. This helps conservation organisations to understand more about habitats and ecosystems and to be better equipped to protect them.
Inspire Connection to Nature
These events appeal to people from all ages and backgrounds, but we are especially keen to inspire the younger generation, by feeling inspired and connected to their local natural environment, inspiring a love of nature from a young age.
Improve Wildlife Knowledge
Improving knowledge of wildlife empowers people to submit accurate ecological observations to apps such as iNaturalist. We also hope that people will pass on their knowledge and enthusiams to others, inspiring more action for nature.
What’s Next?
Over 300 people attended these nature events over two years, exploring beautiful natural spaces in Minehead and learning more about the unique wildlife that calls Minehead home. We’ve seen an increase in the number of iNaturalist records that have been submitted, showing that more people in Minehead and the surrounding areas are using the iNaturalist app to record species and wildlife that they have seen during their day-to-day activities. In 2025, we’ll be bringing the beautiful natural spaces and wildlife in and around Minehead to life in the flags of nature project. Find out more about this project now!