Community Volunteers Hit the Hedgehog Trail in Hull

Scientists from the OPAL (Open Air Laboratories) project at the University of York are seeking the help of Hull residents to assess how hedgehogs are using green spaces such as parks and gardens across the city.
 
They want local people to get involved in a radio tracking study of hedgehogs that enables scientists and volunteers to determine which habitats the hedgehogs are using at night. Hedgehog populations have been declining in rural and urban areas over the past few decades so it is vitally important to understand more about the habits of these nocturnal creatures.
 
OPAL is a nation-wide project which aims to inspire people about the natural world around them. It has received a grant of £11.75m from Big Lottery Fund under the "Changing Spaces" programme, to inspire the next generation of nature enthusiasts. Scientists from the Environment Department and the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York are delivering a number of OPAL projects in Yorkshire.
 
This radio tracking project in the Hull area will continue until October 2010, and the scientists are hoping to recruit a small and enthusiastic group of local volunteers to assist in the vital work of data collection. Teams will be working on Wednesday and Thursday nights from now until October 2010 in the Kingswood area of Hull. Since hedgehogs are active at night, the surveys will take place from 20.30 to 03.00. Volunteers can come out for a whole night, or just a few hours, depending on their preference.
 
OPAL PhD student Sal Hobbs, who is running the project, said that volunteers would receive all the training needed to carry out the radio-tracking and would work in teams.
 
“We’d like anyone who might be interested in helping with this project to get in touch with us – you don’t need to have had any previous experience of this kind of work as we will provide full training on how to use the radio-tracking equipment.
 
“There are loads of ways in which local people could get involved. They can help with the night-time tracking studies, or I can visit groups and run educational sessions about hedgehogs at more sociable times of day! If you are involved with youth or adult community groups and would like to learn more about hedgehogs and this project then please get in touch.”
 
Potential volunteers can find out more by visiting http://www.opalexplorenature.org/  or by contacting Sal Hobbs: 
E sjh519 [at] york [dot] ac [dot] uk
T 07581 832982