Event Details

The Dorset Wildlife Trust manage Kingcombe Meadows Nature Reserve and Powerstock Common with their own herds of cattle and sheep as part of the conservation management plan.

This course offers a unique opportunity to learn about how this is achieved, directly from our team, on a variety of SSSI habitats including heathland, meadows, grassland and woodland.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to visit offsite habitats and learn about the benefits and challenges with this approach. During the course we will look at habitat management, stockmanship, animal welfare, issues with public access and managing remote sites.

We plan to visit the following sites to demonstrate a range of habitats:

• Kingcombe Meadows Nature Reserve – 180 hectares of grassland, including chalk, acid and neutral meadow.

• Powerstock Common Nature Reserve – 112 hectares of ancient woodland, acid grassland and rush pasture.

• Heathland reserves managed with ponies and cattle and SSSI wet woodland managed with cattle.

• The Isle of Portland - goat grazing landscape partnership project to clear scrub on inaccessible sites. 

Price:                   

Resident: £219 pp includes 1 night sole occupancy accommodation, full board including a home cooked breakfast, tea/cake, lunch and 3 course dinner, all tuition/activities.

Non- Residential: £179 pp includes all of the above except accommodation and breakfast.

Times:   

The course will start at 10 am on Tuesday with morning tea, followed by the first morning session. The course will finish at approximately 4pm on Wednesday with afternoon tea.

What to bring: 

Please bring; suitable clothing for being outdoors and walking, notepad and pen/pencil. Note: There will be a fair amount of walking over rough terrain most days. Please be prepared for this and for some standing as you listen to discussion points.