Conservation Snowdonia Project

News update 9 july 2010:

Your Project Officer Bea will be out of the office until week commencing Monday 26th July, on Welsh summer school, followed by our attendance at the Celtic Summer Fair in Betws y Coed, then the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells. Please contact the office on 01690 720287 if you have any questions about the workdays in the meantime, or come along and see us at the Fairs.

Still to come from your July workday invite:

Volunteering opportunities July 2010

Saturday 10 July 2010 – Tanygrisiau Carnival

We will be promoting our Conservation Volunteer and Community Engagement Project strands at this local summer event, please come along and visit, or if you could offer help with meeting and greeting people and publicising the Snowdonia Society in general, you would be very welcome – Contact Bea.

Tuesday 13 July 2010 - Himalayan Balsam clearance – Bala Lake (follow up visit)

Dates to try and make a good impact on this invasive plant species, around the edges of Bala Lake. During the workday we will be assisted by the Snowdonia National Park Wardens.  We will be clearing Himalayan Balsam from the edge of the lake, to prevent further seed distribution by this very invasive non-native species. We will be removing the plants by hand at the optimum time, as this is the best method to prevent re colonisation, and to reduce the need for chemical controls.
Meet: 10am at the Lake Warden’s office in Bala. GR: SH 355 922. The office is on the A494 on the lake edge, proceeding southwest out of Bala town.
Bring: Packed lunch, tea/coffee, waterproofs, warm clothing layers, sturdy boots. Tools and gloves will be provided.

Saturday 17 July & Sunday 18 July 2010 – Celtic Summer Fayre, Betws y Coed
9:30 – 5:30 Food and Craft Stalls … £1 admission
This fayre is running between Saturday 17th July to Wednesday 21st July, but the Conservation Snowdonia Project will be demonstrating the ‘Turn it Down’ initiative only over the weekend ( as we are at the Royal Welsh show for the rest of the week, see below).
Volunteers needed to help set this up on Friday 16th July and to man the stall Saturday – Sunday, anything from an hour or so, to the whole weekend would be very welcome… please contact Bea soonest!

Monday 19th July – Thursday 22nd July 2010 – Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells

The Conservation Snowdonia Project has just confirmed with organisers Keep Wales Tidy that we will take a place as one of the 4 partners in the 'Environment Charities Wales' marquee, for the Royal Welsh Show (19th - 22nd July 2010), this will give us a quarter of the available 15m x 6m space, allowing us a huge opportunity for increased publicity for the Snowdonia Society.
 
I plan to run 'Turn it Down' workshops throughout the week, so need as many willing volunteers as possible, to help set up and deliver these, and also others to recruit new members and talk to members of the public to increase our exposure.
Please if you have any other ideas for the week, get in touch, as we will hopefully be able to get our activities onto the events programme, again increasing our exposure.
This will not be cheap, but well worth it if we make the most of the opportunity!

Saturday 24 July 2010 - St Julita Church clear up of grounds, Capel Curig

We will be clearing vegetation around the graves, tackling brambles, and undertaking general maintenance to ensure that this beautiful church looks its best

Meet: 10am in the main Snowdonia National Park Authority car park behind the Pinnacles stores / cafe in Capel Curig on the A5, GRSH721582.  St Julita Church is a short walk from the car park.
Bring: Packed lunch, tea/coffee, waterproofs, warm clothing layers, Wellingtons or sturdy boots are recommended (steel toecaps are recommended). Tools and gloves will be provided.

Wednesday 28 July 2010 – Ditching in Dyffryn Mymbyr
Check back for further details nearer the time, we will be joining up with the National Trust Wardens and volunteers for this event hopefully.

Tuesday 3 August 2010 - Llangelynnin church – bracken clearance (follow up visit)
We will attend this beautiful church in a delightfully remote spot to clear the grounds of bracken again this year, starting at 10am at the church.
Meet: 10am.  SH750738, From B5106 heading out of Conwy, in area of Henryd turn right and aim for Garnedd-wen, the church is signposted from here. It’s a narrow and in places steep road, so take care.
Bring: Packed lunch, tea/coffee, waterproofs, warm clothing layers, sturdy boots. Tools and gloves will be provided.

New workday notifications for August 2010:

Wednesday 4  August 2010 – Groundworks at Plas Tan Y Bwlch
Following last months visit, we have been asked back to help head gardener Chris Marshall to clear and plant up a sunny border near to the Conservatory in the grounds of Plas Tan y Bwlch on this workday.
Meet: 10 am in the main Snowdonia National Park Authority car park off the drive. SH655408, off the A487 situated between Penrhyndeudraeth and Maentwrog.
Plas Tan y Bwlch, Maentwrog, Blaenau Ffestiniog, LL41 3YU
Tel: 01766 772600
Bring: waterproofs, warm clothing layers, Wellingtons or sturdy boots are recommended (steel toecaps are recommended). Tools and gloves will be provided. Packed lunch and warm drink

Sunday 15 August 2010 – Rockpool Ramble followed by a Beach clean – Criccieth

We will be working alongside Dafydd Jones, the Pen Llyn a’r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation Officer, on the Turning Tide / Troi Llanw project, for this workday. We will start with a Rockpool Ramble, looking for some of the species to be found along our coastline, then after lunch we will do a much needed Beach clean, if any of you have travelled on the train from Pwllheli station recently you will know exactly why!!  It is a huge eyesore, with a massive amount of rubbish building up along the beach near to the railway fencing – Dafydd recently took a group of school children to make a start on this litter, and the 30 collected bags made no impact on the overall impression!
Meet: If we meet at 10am  on the Eastern edge of the promenade in Criccieth, by Café Moranedd SH511384 (the café is a CADW: Welsh Historic Monument in itself) Moranedd Cafe 9 Hole & Putt Green, Criccieth LL52 0HU. Tel 01766 522773.
Bring: you may need waterproofs and wellies if you are enthusiastic about the Rockpool Ramble. Packed lunch, waterproofs, warm clothing layers, sturdy boots. Tools and gloves will be provided.

Please Confirm:
I would be grateful if you could confirm whether you will be attending any of the above, by contacting the office on 01690 720287 or by e-mailing Bea Kelsall (volunteer@snowdonia-society.org.uk).

Thank you everyone
Bea