Monmouthshire Biodiversity Partnership - Biodiversity Action Plan

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Go nuts for Dormice!
	The South Wales Dormouse Survey is looking for volunteers willing to go nuts this autumn looking for signs of one of Wales’ rare and elusive mammals. Dormice are quite small creatures, weighing about the same as two £1 coins. They are bright golden in colour, with a thick furry tail and large black eyes. Dormice are easily distinguished from other mammals, but they are nocturnal so you are very unlikely to come across them on a stroll in the countryside.
Our knowledge of dormouse distribution at a local level in South Wales is still quite poor and we need volunteers and community groups to help out with a bit of detective work. We want people to go out looking for discarded hazelnut shells in their local woodlands and along hedgerows. Like many other small mammals, dormice eat hazelnuts, which they open in their own particular way leaving the shell with very distinctive marks. With a little bit of practice volunteers can learn to identify which nuts have been opened by dormice.The South Wales Dormouse Survey is a joint project between 14 local authorities in South Wales, Gwent Wildlife Trust, the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and the Countryside Council for Wales. Bridgend County Borough Council has produced a Dormouse Survey information pack which provides volunteers with all the information required to take part in the survey. A second survey pack has also been produced which gives tips on how to organise a nut hunt as part of a school or community group event. In addition, a number of training events are being held across the area. To help minimise postage costs, volunteers with access to the internet are encouraged to download the survey pack from this website.
Survey information for the General Public
Survey information for Community Groups / Schools
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Details of all training events in the South Wales area will also be posted on the Wales Biodiversity Partnership website http://www.biodiversitywales.org.uk/English/GetInvolved/default.aspx?pid=6. Get out there and enjoy nutting!
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