False stories about false widow spiders by Kent Wildlife Trust

News stories about false widow spiders are an annual occurrence, but this year the coverage has been far more persistent, with more sensationalised, unsubstantiated and downright nonsense stories than usual. With over 650 species of spider in the country but very limited public awareness there is little appreciation of the diversity of spiders, and any spiders vaguely resembling false widows (and some spiders looking nothing like false widows), are being identified as such by the press and subsequently members of the public, and vice versa since it seems fact-checking by journalists is rare. Having said that, false widows are fairly common and widespread in the South, and have been around for some time.

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Bumper migration of wading birds at Oare Marshes

Late summer and early autumn at Oare Marshes have seen huge numbers of wading birds passing through on their annual migration to over-wintering locations.

During August and September counts in excess of 2,000 black-tailed godwit, 750 redshank, 150 dunlin,100 ringed plover, 200 golden plover and 50 curlew sandpipers have been recorded – the highest count of the latter for many years.

Rochester Airport

Residents and businesses are being reminded that they have until September 20th to comment on the plans for the future of Rochester Airport. The draft proposals could create 1,000 new jobs and improve facilities that would increase the airport’s heritage tourism potential.

Ofsted report on Looked After Children services

Medway Council has pledged to continue the very important improvements it is bringing in to its services that look after children in care. The council has vowed to do this after Ofsted inspectors graded Medway’s Looked After Children Services as inadequate.

Free family holiday fun to celebrate Kent’s wildlife

Festival of Wildlife 2013 – Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th August, 10am – 4pm

This free family event, now in its 6th year, is the only annual event in Kent to celebrate the wonderful world of wildlife. Organised by Kent Wildlife Trust and centred in and around a splendid woodland and lakeside setting – the packed programme features bug hunting, guided walks and angling demonstrations. The ‘Best of Kent’ stalls will offer all manner of arts and crafts and tasty locally-sourced food products.

Stay safe in the sun this summer urges NHS Medway Clinical Commissioning Group

Summer months are a busy time for the NHS, with soaring temperatures leading to increased numbers of patients suffering heat exhaustion, sunburn and allergic reactions from insect bites.

Oaken Wood decision: ‘bitter disappointment’

Dormouse copyright Ian Rickards

Kent Wildlife Trust is dismayed that, once again, the government has ignored its own policies meant to protect the natural environment, and has given permission for the destruction of 31 hectares of ancient woodland in order to extend Gallagher Aggregates’ Hermitage Lane quarry near Maidstone.

This irreplaceable habitat is known to support many rare and threatened species including dormice, six species of bat, birds and insects.

Next Step Fostering

Celebrating 25 Years of Fostering and the Launch of New Offices in Chatham

At our snug little office here at PT we are cocooned from some of the harsh realities that face many others in the world. The sun shines through the windows and nice people call us up to sell their sofa or advertise their skills as a fully apprenticed treacle sculptor.

But even in and around some of the quiet rural and urban roads and cul-de-sacs that we take for granted, there are children facing some real challenges in their young lives. We attended the opening of the new office of Next Step Fostering in Chatham and discovered a large number of people there ready and waiting to do all they could to remove this type of burden from young shoulders.

‘Theatre of the Pond’ and Discovery Days

Kent Wildlife Trust is hosting an exciting series of family ‘Discovery Day’ events this May half-term at its Tyland Barn Visitor Centre, Sandling near Maidstone.

The Trust’s Community Education Officer, Mary Blackwell, said: “On Friday 31st May
from 10am – 12 noon and 1.30 – 3.30pm, our brand new Theatre of the Pond event will see trained actress and artist, Victoria Wainwright, helping intrepid budding performers to explore the wildlife in a pond before unleashing their creativity and creating a pond-life play!

Fundraising Evening for Anim-Mates

Animates are looking for a little help and getting fed in aid of charity sounds good to me.

NEW WILDLIFE PROTECTION FOR HOO PENINSULA SITE

Adder (c) Jason Steel

Kent Wildlife Trust welcomes the recognition of Lodge Hill – earmarked as a 5,000 home development site – as a nationally important site for wildlife by Natural England, the Government’s advisor on the natural environment.

On 13th March Natural England, the Government’s advisor on the natural environment, notified Chattenden Woods and Lodge Hill on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

SSSIs comprise some of the country’s best wildlife sites, including our most spectacular, important and beautiful habitats, and Natural England has a duty to designate such areas under national legislation that protects them for future generations.

Chattenden Woods, a large area of ancient woodland and grassland, was originally designated as a SSSI in 1984 under the Wildlife & Countryside Act. More recently, investigations into the adjacent Lodge Hill site as part of proposals for a significant housing development, have highlighted that this area is also very important for the same reasons.

The site supports communities of bats (six species), lizards, grass snakes, adders, slow worms, newts, frogs, toads, badgers and rare insects such as the shrill carder-bee.

It has a significant breeding bird population, most notably nightingales, which were found to be widespread across the proposed development site, and the new SSSI supports at least 1.3% of the national population of this declining species. The new SSSI encompasses the old SSSI and the important areas of Lodge Hill.

Environment Agency launches flood awareness campaign

The Environment Agency launching a four-week campaign (Monday October 15, 2012) aimed at raising public awareness of flood risk. Five years on from the summer floods of 2007, events will be held across the south east – from flood fairs to open days – to encourage individuals and communities to be prepared for potential flooding.

WhaleFest 2012: A Whale of a Time!

Hilton Brighton Metropole, 27-28 October 2012

WhaleFest returns to Brighton this month with a wild weekend of whale and dolphin inspired activities from 27-28 October.

Following the huge success of last year’s event which was attended by over 2,500 people, WhaleFest 2012 will be the largest celebration of wild whales and dolphins in the world and this year’s event will be spectacular.

NO ESTUARY AIRPORT

Click on the image above to be taken through to the Friends of North Kent Marshes, from there you can easily find your way to letter and email templates that can be sent to your local M.P, George Osbourne and others. It is possible that the soon to be delivered budget will put the plans into consultation, if you act now it may still be possible to stop that happening.

Campaign launched to tackle illegal tobacco

A major new campaign to tackle the serious impact of illegal tobacco in Medway will be launched next month (September).

Safeguarding adults awareness week

Preventing the neglect and abuse of vulnerable adults will be top of the agenda in Medway next week as Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week takes place from Monday, 13 to Friday, 17 June.