Post 497 - More Power to the Young People - Young Forces of Nature

Hey everyone, as i mentioned in my last post I said I'd post up the content of an article I wrote for New Nature a little while ago now just outlining some of the ways you can help nature when you're not old enough to vote, so here it is...

Young Forces of Nature - New Nature - Issue 19 - June 2018

Nature is incredible and needs our help!

 Do you sometimes sit at school frustrated by others in the class trying to make fun of your love of nature? Ever heard the argument that young people are only interested in celebrities, computer games or social media? Do all the reports of wildlife declines and habitat disappearing concern you?

So what do you do when you have to be in school, you’re not old enough to vote or to work, but you’re passionate about our natural world? How can we change perceptions of young people? How can young people help wildlife?

Sometimes it takes a little help but I’ve found there are lots of ways that people my age can get involved and make a difference. All of the things I’ll talk about here I’ve done since I was about ten, and I only turned fourteen (fifteen now!) this spring. I think anyone with a passion for nature could do similar things, and for the sake of our natural world I’d say that they should.

So what sort of things am I on about?

Technology. 

Well let’s start with technology. Yes, it’s true. Young people like computers and computer games. Me too. It’s very hard to escape them unless you’re a hermit. Whilst I like the weeks when I go on holiday and get away from technology for a while, we have to use it. It is such a powerful tool. I wouldn’t be communicating with you right now without it. For me tools such as blogging and twitter opened up contact with a big range of nature loving people and organisations, just simply through sharing my passion and the things I would see on my walks. So a really easy thing to do is to use technology to tell other people all about your passion, share information about the places and species that you love. The mainstream media is so full of dull, miserable or worrying news that I found people really liked simple positive stories about someone young exploring the world. Sharing your stories on social media may help to inspire your friends too – The Wildlife Trust’s 30 days Wild is a perfect way to start this type of thing as they suggest lots of easy ways to get out and connect with nature.

Taken on a phone - well, I didn't have much choice!

To make the most of blogging and twitter you probably want to do a bit of photography too. You don’t need lots of expensive gear unless you really get into it. Phones on cameras work well for lots of things. I’ve had some really nice sunset shots from my phone. Flowers and insects are good subjects for phone cameras too. You can get clip on lenses too which are quite cheap and can give great macro shots. Photos really help to get nature in front of people and encourage them to appreciate and protect it.

Citizen Science

This is a big thing now. It’s important, simple to do and again most of the time a smart phone is all that you need to use. You can download apps to take part in projects like the Great British Bee Count and help scientists understand what is happening to our bee populations. You just use the app to identify bees and record where you saw them. Froglife have a Dragonfinder app to record all things reptilian and Butterfly Conservation have one for their Big Butterfly Count.  Apps like iRecord will let you log anything you find too. Contributing to projects like these will help us to know what needs most help.

Litter picks are one way to volunteer

Volunteering

If you like this sort of thing there are probably projects near you that you can volunteer to help with more surveying. I’m involved with one near me called The Wild Watch which is surveying 50 species across the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They’ve laid on training sessions for volunteers too so that we know what to look out for, where and when. I’m doing reptile, riverside and invertebrate surveys this year.

And lots of reserves welcome your help

Volunteering is a great way to get involved with lots of nature based projects and I’ve seen lots of places where young people are welcomed from Local Nature Reserves through to projects and opportunities run by the Wildlife Trusts. I’ve seen people my age helping out at RSPB Reserves telling visitors what’s been seen and about the site. There are all sorts of ways to help, and you learn a lot in the process. I’ve helped clear grass and saplings from reserves (and got to   (The film is linked on the side bar of my blog ----> ) 
feed a massive bonfire at the end of the year), sown wild plants in meadows, helped with moth trapping events and lots more. All sorts of opportunities can present themselves. Last year I was asked to be youth patron for the Wild Watch and through that I got to make a film encouraging the children of Nidderdale to get involved in an Owl survey.

Getting political.

Here’s a couple of things I was surprised you can do. The government has a website where you can start petitions. I was able to set one up asking the government to keep or improve the laws we have now as part of Europe when we exit the EU. I was amazed I could do this. All I needed was an email address and not to be campaigning about something that there was already a petition about. I got over 7000 signatures which wasn’t enough to get a response from the Government, but I was pleased with it for a first attempt and I got lots of people thinking about the same issue.

It is also quite easy to write to your MP. I’ve written to mine now a few times, enough that he knows me now and I got a letter from him congratulating me on an award I had won which he read about in the local paper. I’ve asked him about issues like subsidies for Grouse Moors and recently as there is a big housing development quite near me I asked him about building in wildlife friendly features into new houses and including wildlife corridors in the developments. It wasn’t something he could answer but he sent my letter to the right Minister and I got a response from them. It only pointed me at a load of legislation that I need to read and try to understand, which I will try to do and write back, but at least they know that people care about these issues. The more of us that do this the more likely we are to get improvements for nature.

Speaking up for young people and starting your own projects

At the YNU 2017 conference

It’s great to see a lot of projects for young people but there are a lot of societies that are more focused on adults. Some want to change and know that it is important that they make themselves appealing to young people. I was invited to the Yorkshire Naturalists Union Annual Conference in 2017 to have a stand and talk about my blog and photography. I met loads of great people who were really interested in what I was doing. I also got to take part in several discussions about getting more young people more involved. One comment I made that seems to have stuck when they were asking what we thought young people want from a society like this was – “Have you tried asking young people”. I wrote up an article for their magazine about the conference and got some nice emails back from some of the senior ‘Grey beards’. I was the only person there my age, but I think it made a difference.

At Haggewoods Eco-explorers project

Start your own projects

Something that did happen as a ripple out of the article about the YNU conference was I was asked to come and discuss my ideas about engaging young people in nature through technology and film making. The Hagges Woods Trust is a great project near me which has turned an old barley field into a very young wood meadow. It may be young but in a few years the difference in bio-diversity is amazing. Talking to them they knew a film maker and have the space to run a project so we talked it over and they then made an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund. They got the money! Sometime this June and July different groups of young people (primary, secondary, scouts and guides) will be coming to the meadow and will be learning about wildlife and making films about it. As I said at the start sometimes you need a little help from people but you can still be quite young yet make a big difference.

Fundraising

Catching up with Lindsay at Potteric Carr after the
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust AGM with my 2018 calendar

I wanted to leave this till last as lots of people do fundraising for lots of causes so it’s not always easy to do. People can get a bit tired of other people asking them for money. So I’ve tried a couple of different things. For the last two years I’ve sold calendars and I’ve split the proceeds with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. I like doing this for a few reasons. I get to promote my photography, I get to repay some of the kindness and support the YWT has offered me, people get something nice for their money and I use the money I make to invest in more photography equipment. I’ve seen others make and sell bird boxes and other things to raise money.

My 2018 Calendar.

There is always the direct approach too. I’ve done a sponsored walk before for a local animal rescue centre but that was quite a while ago. This year not only is The Wild Watch having a year of the Owl but so is the BTO. Well as the BTO is another charity that has been very supportive and helpful to me, and since Owls are a family favourite, I thought I’d have another go. This summer I’m walking the 52 mile Nidderdale way. I’ve set an ambitious target of raising £2,000. I’ve not pushed this hard yet but at the time of writing I’m up to £300. 

I don’t think I’ve ever written an article this long, but I’ve sat watching and listening to a lot of people this year that don’t care much about nature, our planet and its future. I was glad when New Nature liked the idea of the article so that I could try and inspire other young naturalists out there to do more, to let them know that there are lots of things they can do to help. I think it is so important and think what a force for nature we’d all be if everyone who read this did just one or two of the things I’ve written about.    

We’re young, but we do have a voice and we can make a difference.

Thanks,

Zach