Welcome to the first of our weekly newsletter during lockdown. The days are short, but that doesn't mean that we can't find time to enjoy nature and get involved in sustainability.
Each week, we'll round up online activities and webinars not only provided by our team and the university, but also from around the world.
Make sure to follow us on Twitter for our daily #photoinnature & feel free to join in by tagging us in your own.
Webinar - Wildlife & Hedgehog Friendly Campus
Friday 13th November 15:00-16:00
Fancy finding out about our local wildlife? If you missed our first webinar last month, join us for a chat on Wildlife at Lincoln and Hedgehog Friendly Campus!
Alex Foxley-Johnson is the lead for #Hogfriendly at Lincoln and is passionate about all wildlife on campus. You'll be surprised to find out who lives on our campuses!
Email environment@lincoln.ac.uk for an invite.
This event is free and will be hosted on Microsoft teams.
Lockdown 2.0 Spotting wildlife in the cold!
We totally understand the challenges lockdown 2.0 has in motivating you to leave the house; but it’s worth it, especially when you spot the glistening winter berries, the cheery robins, the remaining autumn leaves and even the crisp frost sparkling on the trees.
Here are Tracey's top tips for getting you out the house:
• Schedule in a proper lunch break and enjoy the midday sunshine;
• Invest in some sturdy walking boots/shoes;
• Buy a rain jacket – they’re a lot warmer than most coats and you're covered if it starts raining;
• Visit your nearest park – the pic to the right is of Boultham Park at the start of November;
• Take part in our Autumn Walking Challenge below!
• Join the midday walking club – check out HomeHub for more info.
If you do head out, we’d love to see any photos you take. Make sure to tag us in them on social media:
The importance of rewilding
Rewilding: to return land to a more natural state.
During lockdown, one thing has been clear - we have a lot of wildlife in our city. Whether its our water birds such as swans on the Brayford, our native hedgehogs snuffling about, or even our otters in the Witham, Lincoln is home to a great variety of biodiversity.
Rewilding areas is essential in ensuring that we are protecting our wildlife. Whether at home or at work, in community gardens or on the edge of a balcony, providing plants or leaf piles can truly have a positive impact on local pollinators, birds and mammals.
So how can you rewild an area?
Read some ideas below for how you can take action to benefit your local wildlife:
- Set up a log pile/"hogitat"- these are great for insects and small mammals (such as hedgehogs!)
- Plant a wildflower area/leave the grass to go wild - provide food for pollinators and birds, and respite for other wildlife.
- Create a leaf pile - in a corner of your garden, leave the leaves.
- #PlantForPollinators - if you haven't got much in the way of a garden, a couple of pots full of wildflowers/ivy (which vitally flowers at during the colder months) will do so much for your neighbourhood pollinators.
What does rewilding look like?
We rewilded some areas on our Brayford Campus this year, if you spot anything interesting ambling about in them, please do let us know! Below are some photographs of our rewilded areas and hogitats.
Get involved in our Hedgehog Bake Off
14th & 15th November 2020
Looking for something to do this weekend? Enter our hedgehog bake off & be in for a chance to win a £15 Waterstones voucher.
We're looking for your best prickly pal in cake form - whether that's cupcakes, biscuits, bread or sponge.
To enter, take a photo during your baking and of your final bake & tag @uolhedgie on Twitter or @uolestates on Instagram. The final deadline for entries is midnight on Monday 16th November 2020.
Our Environment team will vote on the winner on Wednesday 18th November.
And if you're unable to take part but would still like to support, please consider making a donation to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society who fund the Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign.
On this week:
- Lunchtime walking group - every Wednesday at midday. Check out the Homehub for more information
- Nature Live - the Natural History Museum has a schedule of free events inc. talks this week on Life under the Ice and How Did A Walrus End Up in a London Graveyard?
- Sustainable Innovation Forum - ahead of COP26 in 2021, Climate Action has curated a programme aligned to the key trends and challenges we face in our collective fight against climate change. Each day will focus on a different climate challenge. The event runs from 16-20 November 2020.
- Boultham Park Photography Competition - Boultham Park Lake Restoration Project team has launched a photography competition to encourage people in the area to enjoy the great outdoors. The competition runs from 9th November - 6th December 2020.
Coming soon...
The Secret Life of series - a series of webinars dedicated to the secret life of hedgehogs, plants, honeybees & much more.
Bringing out the bees - a digital exhibition of all things honeybees on the Brayford campus, including photography, activities and information on how you can help pollinators in Lincolnshire.
Our sustainability campaign for this month is #energysaving. With this in mind we've come up with our top tips to save energy:
- Fill a flask at the start of the day and use the hot water from it to make your tea/coffee/bovrill!
- Turn your heating down one degree, then wear slippers and an extra layer
- Take on the two song shower challenge
- Batch cook and freeze meals
- Turn the electrical devices off and read or play a board game
- Switch things off instead of leaving them on stand-by
- Wash your clothes at a lower temperature
Enjoyed this newsletter? Please tap appreciate below!
Credits:
Images by Alex Foxley-Johnson & Tracey Turton