Mark Musgrave, Ranger for the National Trust at their Scotney Castle and Sprivers Estates and at Nap Wood, has teamed up with our Lewes based ecologists, to assist with survey work.
In his day job Mark carries out a wide range of countryside management tasks for the Trust including ecology survey work. He contacted us earlier this year, to see if he could shadow us on surveys, and we were delighted to help him out.
So far he has helped us with great crested newt, reptile and dormouse surveys at some of our East Sussex sites.
Mark is particularly interested in dormice and is training towards his handling licence. Dormice are already confirmed as being present on the Scotney Castle Estate where, with the help of our licenced ecologist Rosie Marston, he keeps a watchful eye on the local population as part of the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme. He is hoping to be signed off on his licence by the end of the year, at which point he’ll be able to continue his monitoring work and expand his survey effort over the 300 hectare estate!
Mark said “I have enjoyed working with ecologists and look forward to putting the experience into practice”. We hope he will use his newfound experience and knowledge to continue the conservation of wildlife on the National Trust estates.
The Ecology Consultancy is looking forward to building on our working relationship with the National Trust in 2015.
To keep up to date with Mark’s on-going work at Scotney see http://scotneycastlent.wordpress.com/
