Coetir Anian - Cambrian Wildwood

Staff & New Roles

This quarter saw the start of our new Project Officer, Freya Canham, and an intern, Hazel McDonald, both joining in June. Freya’s role supports our education and restoration programmes, while Hazel came on board as a 6-week intern. Hazel helped with everything from school group activities and setting up wildlife cameras to desk-based research and writing articles for our newsletter. Hazel shared that her internship has been a truly collaborative and valuable experience, giving her real insight into the impact and uniqueness of conservation work at Bwlch Corog. She reflected on the warmth and expertise of the team, the diversity of the day-to-day work, and the sense of purpose that comes from supporting both the community and natural heritage. Our growing team has helped us respond to everything from heatwaves to community events.

Habitats & Restoration

We concluded the winter tree planting season in April, having planted 926 trees this planting season. Bramble and bracken clearing has continued, especially in our tree regeneration area, with major contributions from volunteers and a successful corporate volunteering day with local company Aber Instruments, where about 6 hectares were cleared in one day!

Amid a challenging summer heatwave, our adaptive approach to grazing saw careful management of both ponies and cattle. Precision ‘NoFence’ collars and grazing plans enabled targeted grazing, benefiting upland habitats and reducing dominance of Molinia. However, as temperatures soared and water became scarce on the uplands, cattle had to be moved between emergency water pastures and woodland for shelter. These rapid adjustments minimized habitat damage and stress on our herd and highlighted ongoing challenges: water scarcity, shade provision, and pressure on certain pools and habitat features.

Our continued peatland restoration has included regular dipwell monitoring and vegetation checks, with 20 dipwells manually surveyed each month and first-ever data from automated dipwells downloaded in July. Watch this space to find out what the results say.

Wildlife Monitoring & Surveys

A major focus of the summer months has been biodiversity monitoring with an increased number of camera traps (now up to 10 on site) providing photographic records of species, including badgers, pine martens, sparrowhawks, tawny owls, grey herons, polecats, and more. Bird, moth, and butterfly surveys were conducted, with 96 moth species recorded in June alone, including 13 new ones. Community participation in science has been a highlight, especially during the July Nature Nerds BioBlitz, where 87 species were identified and added to national records.

Water vole work also ramped up – collaboration with Wild Cymru and ongoing conversations with RSPB are supporting mink management trials, and burrow cameras and surveys are monitoring for vole populations.

Community Activities & Education

Our education and community engagement remains vibrant. Open days in June and the Nature Nerds BioBlitz in July attracted local families, county councillors, and curious naturalists, mixing wildlife walks, hands-on volunteering, and folk storytelling around a fire. New school partnerships offered creative nature art projects – mask-making and sculpture – designed to anchor local wildlife knowledge and empathy among young people. Evaluation shows clear learning gains, with many children recognising local species for the first time.

Corporate and traditional volunteer days provided further routes for involvement, with energy and effort from volunteers shaping the land, clearing paths, and preparing for summer residential camps.

Nature Tots and Wild Days Out events kept families connected to the land, whilst our mailing lists, social media, and newsletters continue to reach hundreds, sharing key moments and open invitations.

Facilities & Infrastructure

This period included infrastructure repairs to our track and footpaths, maintaining safe and welcoming access for all, as well as discussions on futureproofing against heat and drought, critical in such an eventful, warm period.

Looking Ahead

We move into late summer and autumn with committed aims: continuing habitat restoration, planning for a wildfire response, completing seasonal ecological surveys, adapting water infrastructure for livestock and wildlife, and maintaining a lively programme of events and volunteering. We’re piloting ways for more people to connect with nature, via new roles, activities suited to all abilities, and creative learning.

Thank You

Your support underpins everything we achieve – volunteers planting, children learning, habitats thriving, and new species being found. We look forward to what we can accomplish together next.