NATURE INFORMATION POINT

The Heritage Lottery fund awarded us £80,000 to create a place where people can come and find out about nature and nature on the Isle of Wight.

This is the culmination of a ten year plan. We have built a pavilion for indoor learning. Introduce a huge amount of interpretation that has been positioned around the nature reserve.

Our Report can be found here

Connecting with Dragonflies

Awards for All have granted Naturezones £9,300 to develop a Dragonfly discovery centre

Volunteers will build a wooden pergola that will house masses of information about these amazing insects. Fossils show that they are one of the oldest and largest insects to have lived on this planet some 300 million years ago. A local primary schools will be creating a frieze of terracotta tiles depicting dragon flies and another primary school will be creating cement blocks to be inserted into the concrete floor again with images of dragonflies. We will also be running a competition "Making a Dragonfly from Recycled Materials". Rainwater will be gathered from the roof of the pergola and directed along a rill to the bog area and pond.

Come along and watch our progress and even get involved. Make a willow dragon fly, take some photographs. Pond dip and count the number of dragonfly and damselfly nymphs.

Plant Native web site COMPLETE

Brush with Nature - completed

This project has been funded by the Big Lottery Fund. The aim of the project is to inspire an interest in nature and nature conservation through the medium of art. Over the next 12 months we will be running 40 workshops at various places around the island including Newtown Nature reserve, the Dinosaur Museum at Sandown and Wroxall Community Centre. 4 island schools will also benefit from in-school workshops. A Brush with Nature arose through our Meadow Makers project when we noticed that children became most engaged when they were creating something, sculptures, collage, drawings and prints.

Young Meadow Makers - completed

The aim of the project is to involve people of all ages to help create seven different wild flower meadows with different plantings and management schemes. Each meadow will be regularly monitored by volunteer groups, school and college groups and community groups to asses the type and numbers if wild life each meadow attracts and supports. Volunteers will learn about wild life habitats, bio-diversity, working with groups, surveying skills, propagating plants in the right soil conditions. They will also learn to identify a range of wildlife and wild life support systems. The end of the season will culminate in a hay making party.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. We are an access point for voluntary work and conservation skills for bronze, silver and gold awards.

Local primary schools (years 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 will have opportunity to visit Naturezones. Activities will be themed to the national curriculum incorporating science, math, English, art and craft as well as practical conservation skills.

NatureWORKS

A Saturday volunteer pilot project to commence September 2009 for people 14years+

There will be three strands to the project and it's main aim is to introduce participants to a wider wildlife world than that of the Isle of Wight. Check DofE page for work dates

Strand 1 - Conservation work at Naturezones in the meadows and woodland and at other venues around the Island

Strand 2 - Educational days where an expert in an aspect of nature conservation will share their knowledge with you

Strand 3 - Expeditions to other areas of nature conservation both on the Island and on the mainland - partly subsidised - small contribution to travel costs involved in this section

Those participants aged 16 - 24 years will be eligible to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme in the Environment and Volunteering sections.

This nationally recognised award is for anyone, creative or not. You should be aged between 11 and 25 years and willing to give art a go. It can be in any form. Painting, singing, drama, pottery, sculpture, woodcraft, willow work, collage, poetry, music, cartoons, film, carnival, fashion.

There are three awards - bronze, silver and gold. The cost is £3.00 per week. This cost will cover instruction booklet and moderation fees at the end of your project. You must complete a minimum of 10 weeks.

BRONZE AWARD - (LEVEL1) There are four elements to the Bronze Award. 1) Create something or achieve something  2) Study another artist (local or famous) who has inspired you or your work 3) take in an event (i.e an exhibItion or show 4) Show some people what you have achieved or asist anarts leader in running a work shop. You also need to make a portfolio of your work as evidence of what you have created

ARTS AWARD IS ALSO OPEN TO VERY KEEN ARTISTS

SILVER AWARD - (LEVEL2) 1a) Identify and agree an arts challenge and make, implement and review an action plan. 1b) Review an arts event and learn about an artist or organisation through participation. 2a) Arts leadership, plan and carry out an arts project or lead regular arts sessions. Organise an arts event as part of a team, running clubs, workshops or rehearsals or work on a one to one basis. 2b) Deliver the project through leadership, working with others, 2c) Review the project

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR INTEREST IN BEING INVOLVED IN ANY OF THESE PROJECTS

If you would like to be involved in these projects please email your interest to naturezones@btconnect.com.