BioBlitz Event Celebrates Minehead’s Wildlife and Coast

Saturday 25th March saw the very first Minehead BioBlitz, a wildlife mapping event that celebrated Minehead’s natural environment and coastline. Having secured funding from Wessex Water, we partnered with Somerset Wildlife Trust, Exmoor National Park and the National Trust to deliver a huge range of free activities for all ages on Minehead’s seafront.

We hoped event would inspire the local community to connect with our beautiful natural environment here in Minehead, and encourage people to engage with nature and protect it.

The Somerset Wildlife Trust ran three wildlife surveys along Minehead’s coastline and beach throughout the day, which saw members of the local community involved in citizen science activities using the free iNaturalist app to identify and record all wildlife spotted. Over 25 different species were documented on the day, with data being submitted to Somerset Environmental Records Centre to help inform local decision making and conservation efforts.

In addition to the wildlife surveys, a variety of free nature-based activities were held
throughout the day, including seashore safaris run by Rangers from Exmoor National Park, arts and craft activities and beach sketching workshops delivered by local artists, as well as a guided bird watching walk and a virtual reality tour of the beaver enclosure on the Holnicote Estate.

As part of the event, Plastic Free Minehead and Exmoor ran a full-day litter pick, collecting six sacks of rubbish from around the town, and a photography exhibition was held in the Beach Hotel, showcasing nature-based artwork and photography from students at West Somerset College.

Our Project Coordinator, Zara Aitken, said “We were delighted to see people of all ages getting involved in the various activities and feeling excited about wildlife in Minehead, with one family even travelling all the way from Bristol for the event. Now more than ever, it is vital that we protect and celebrate our beautiful natural environment, conserving it for future generations and ensuring nature prospers in West  Somerset. We are planning two more BioBlitz events this year, centred around seasonal themes. A summer BioBlitz will be held on 17 th June focusing on a plants and insects, while an autumn event, being held on 28 th October, will focus on fungi and lichens, so there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.”

​For more information on upcoming events and how you can get involved, follow us on Facebook or Instagram.