18 October 2012

Dragon Finder Develops in Scotland

The development phase of Froglife’s Scottish Dragon Finder has now started, supported by a development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Scottish Dragon Finder will work across the whole of Scotland and during the development phase we will be contacting community and wildlife organisations, schools and visitor attractions as potential partners of the project.

“This is a really innovative and interactive project that will work across Scotland,” explains Development Officer Anna Muir.  “The aim is to take people on a reptile and amphibian wildlife journey, where Froglife acts as a guide providing opportunities for beginners and experts alike to build up their knowledge.”

Building on from Froglife’s London based project, which has also started this month, Scottish Dragon Finder has been designed to suit local audiences and reflects the cultural diversity found in the country today. It particularly aims to address the lack of species records within Scotland, which is vitally needed to guide future conservation work.

Scottish Dragon Finder will promote the benefits of getting involved in conservation work to a range of local communities, and activities will include:
  • on the ground habitat work
  • species surveying
  • wildlife gardening sessions
  • memory sharing and collecting
  • A Dragons on the Move road show
  • Dragons in the Hills activities encouraging walkers and climbers to spot amphibians and reptiles
  • Training to enable people to provide valuable species data to Scottish record centres.
“We have eight months to develop this project and hope to have a full application submitted to Heritage Lottery Fund by June 2013,” adds Anna.  “If we bring it all together successfully, the main project will be ready to start in October 2013.  I would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved in the project, whether it’s to suggest sites for habitat work, venues that could host training or events, or schools and other community groups who would like to learn more about their local wildlife.”

If you would like to any more information about the project or how to get involved, please contact Anna Muir, Scottish Dragon Finder Project Development Officer: anna.muir@froglife.org

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