The Friends of Hull General Cemetery has a new Wildlife Liason Officer, this is a short introductory message from Karen…
“Hello, my name is Karen Towner and I was recently persuaded to take on the vacant role of Wildlife Liaison Officer for Friends of Hull General Cemetery. We see my role as engaging with various wildlife groups and organisations to get the best support and advice so that the Friends of Hull General Cemetery (FoHGC) can deliver the dual task of preserving the valuable historical monuments for future generations and encouraging a diverse wildlife within it.
In August last year (2019), with the help of East Yorkshire Bat Group, we established that we had at least two Pipistrelle bats hunting in the cemetery. We look advice from experts on how we can best support these small mammals and subsequently erected a set of three bat boxes in the autumn. Later in the spring we hope to arrange an evening ‘bat walk’.
I have organised for volunteers from Tophill Low Nature Reserve to undertake a survey of bird species in early March (2020). By that time we will have erected 30 bird nest boxes as well as adding more bat boxes which have kindly been made by some of FoHGC volunteers. There will also be an invitation to Friends and supporters to join the Dawn Chorus walk on Sunday 3 May at 6.30am.
In the summer another volunteer from Tophill Nature Reserve, who lives locally, will assist in identifying and photographing insects and other invertebrates which inhabit Hull General Cemetery (HGC). He has kindly agreed to share his findings and photos with us.
Finally, I am in the process of liaising with other organisations with a view to establishing the best way to maintain and improve the cemetery and flora and fauna within it. I will post regular updates here and on our Facebook page to keep you all informed.”
