National park joins nature-spotting drive (From Craven Herald)

National park joins nature-spotting drive

4:14pm Wednesday 17th March 2010 in

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Visitors to the Yorkshire Dales National Park this weekend who spot an animal or plant they don’t recognise can send a photograph to a national website for clarification.

The nature-spotting drive is a project being run through the British Science Association. It is urging people to get involved in a national drive to increase awareness of their natural surroundings.

The “What on Earth” project fits in with National Science and Engineering Week, which concludes on Sunday.

Its website at whatonearth.org.uk contains a “star species” section of animals that are either at risk of extinction or are making a comeback.

Andrew Colley, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority member champion for conservation of the natural environment, said: “The Yorkshire Dales National Park is renowned for its rich and diverse wildlife. Some of the species are well known, like red squirrels and bluebells, but others are extremely rare.

“This is a chance for anyone who sees something that they don’t recognise to find out what it is.”

People sending in photographs will receive a free pack of seeds designed to encourage more creatures to inhabit the area and a biodiversity information and activity pack.