Durham Limestone Landscapes, ‘Village Atlas for Hetton’ and the Tyne & Wear and Northumberland Community Foundation funded ‘LEAF’ project, ‘Hetton-Le-Hole Naturally’

Species identification with local schools and residents

Both these projects ran simultaneously throughout 2013-2014, with equipment and hydrology analysis costs being provided through a grant from LEAF, (which better enabled species detection, and displays highlighting litter issues), while an ecologist, some transport costs, and resources for field trips for some schools were funded by the Durham Limestone Landscapes ‘Heritage Lottery Fund’ project, for the natural history section of the ‘Village Atlas for Hetton’ book.

The projects involved walks and field trips, involving residents and pupils from local schools; Hetton School, Hetton Lyons Primary School, Eppleton Academy Primary School, and Hetton Primary School, to identify as many species as possible at each of the conservation sites of Hetton. The data collected now forms a base-line database of species, held with the Society, for each of Hetton’s conservation sites and which will be added to on future field trip projects.

Photographs from field trips/walks

Sunderland City Council’s Strategic Initiatives Board funded ‘Naturally in your Neighbourhood’ project.

While the LEAF project ended early in 2014, the ‘village atlas’ work continued to the end of 2014 and the full list of recorded species is included within the book itself. However, species identification has continued, through further funded field trips for schools, from a grant provided by Sunderland City Council’s; Strategic Initiative Budget’, where the Society’s aim is a continuous and more expansive raising of further awareness to more school pupils, (and local residents, where possible) of our unique Magnesian Limestone landscape and its inherent species, as well as addressing pollution/ litter issues.

This project is currently ongoing, and has enabled Society members to identify more species not previously recorded on the database, while involving more young people and residents as well as looking at habitat/ pollution issues, enabling a broader knowledge and awareness of local wildlife and nature sites, as well as landscape and historical evolvement of sites.

Photographs showing schools involved in species I.D work/landscape/worksheets/anti-litter display

Any new species, identified in the future, will be shown on this website, and recorded on the ‘Wild watch’ website, which will subsequently also be recorded at the ‘Environmental Records Information Centre for the North-East’, (ERIC). Importantly, ‘ERIC’, produces information on species recorded right across the North East, which can be very indicative of species in decline, increasing, or rare to the area.

Recent Society findings, during field trips, proved the importance of conducting such identification and recording:

Species identified and recorded on the Society’s Database and included in the ‘Village Atlas of Hetton’.

 Abbreviations:     SSSI: Special Site of Scientific Interest.  LWS: Local Wildlife Site.

                                  LNR: Local Nature Reserve.

Shown below are photographs of other pond/lake species discovered at conservation sites:

 Hetton Bogs, SSSI, Rainton Meadows, Hetton Lyons Country Park, LWS.

Photographs of moths/damselflies/dragonflies discovered at Hetton Bogs SSSI, Hetton Lyons Country Park LWS, High Moorsley SSSI, Rainton Meadows LWS, and Joe’s Pond SSSI.

 Moths, damselflies and dragonly pictures

Photographs of Bird species from: Hetton Park LNR, Hetton Bogs West LWS, Rough Dene LWS, Rainton Meadows LWS.

Photographs of Trees/ Bushes from: Hetton Houses Woods, Eppleton Track, Robin House Wood, Low Moorsley, Rough Dene.

Photographs of plants discovered at:

Hetton Bogs SSSI, Low Moorsley LWS, High Moorsley SSSI, Rough Dene LWS, Rainton Meadows LWS, Eppleton old railway track, Elemore Golf Course LWS, Hetton Lyons Country Park.

Natural History Lead Officer: Pat Robson, e-mail, patsyrob@hotmail.co.uk

Hetton Local and Natural History Society, Secretary: Alan Jackson, e-mail; alan.t.jackson@talktalk.net

 Lead Database Officer: David Wallace, e-mail; dwallace967@btinternet.com