There is a wealth of opportunity for enthusiasts in Natural History at Ford & Etal. In its 16,500 acres, a huge diversity of landscapes and habitats exist, and because of the award-winning conservation approaches taken by the estate over many years, the area is rich with wildlife and flora and fauna. Woodland management and management of the landscape in general has always been a mixture of commercial and environmental elements, none more so than with the wood reserves put aside for one f the last Red Squirrel populations in England.
SSSI’s.
The Estate has two specific Sites of Specific Scientific Interest – on the River Till where conservation work on the banks and consequently as part of an otter conservation project ahs proven incredibly successful; and also at Ford Moss, a rare example of a peat bog containing several very rare species of plants and moss, not to mention butterflies, and other insects and birds.
English Nature and Northumberland Wildlife Trust
To help with expertise and management of these and other sites and themes around the Estate, partnerships and associations have been formed with both organisations above. Again this has proved to be very successful and also opens up areas for conservation work by volunteers, and also gives the public insight through walks and talks across the calendar year. This is also a particularly popular venue with school children as a consequence, and with an NWT officer currently based at the Fenton Centre, the Estate is indeed lucky to have such expertise locally.
There are ranger-led walks and a variety of opportunities for visitors in natural history throughout the year; please check the events section for information.
