During the month of August the Ranger Service will be hosting biodiversity themed sessions as part of our conservation efforts for Biodiversity Month.
For this session we will be undertaking tasks in Calderwood near Mid Calder. Calderwood is part of Almondell and Calderwood Country Park and is the largest recorded ancient woodland site in West Lothian. The Ranger Service are responsible for the on-going management of the site, and need the help of volunteers to help maintain this Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Our task will be to reduce areas of bracken found on the plateau in the central area of the woodland. This will help control the spread of bracken and allow diverse ground flower to grow through.
To complete this task we will be using scythes, as well as using loppers and hand saws to tackle any non-native saplings we find. All tools and a full tool safety talk will be provided by the Ranger. If you have some, please bring along a pair of gloves with you, and wear appopriate clothing for the weather. Long sleeved tops and full-legged trousers are a must to best protect from the risk of tics. Good sturdy footwear is also advised. Please bring along any snacks and drinks you require. No prior experience is necessary to take part in the sessions, new volunteers are always welcome.
The session will run for two hours starting at 10:30am - the meeting point is at Gasworks Brae in Mid Calder. The What3Words location is at swatting.spenders.unclaimed. There is space for a small number of vehicles to park at the small car park off of Bank Street, as well as on street parking. The working area is rougly a 10 minute walk, What3Words location gobbles.special.baseballs.
