The Coxley Conservation Group is a group of local volunteers who formed earlier this year to help care for the woodland in the Coxley valley. For many years the area has been highly prized as a local beauty spot and it has many footpaths along which people can enjoy the wildlife or just escape the stresses and strains of everyday life. Although once managed for timber production by Earnshaws, a lot of the woodland is now owned by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve. The Coxley Conservation group has been working closely under the guidance of the YWT to help manage the area known as Stoneycliffe wood as a nature reserve.
If you would like to become involved in supporting the work of the Coxley Conservation Group in any way please get in touch with me at janetbaker20045@yahoo.com
What do we do?
The group meets regularly (usually monthly) to update members on training opportunities and events, YWT workdays, any press coverage, discuss estate management needs (such as boundary repairs and the need for signs), report wildlife seen and any concerns about vandalism.
We also meet informally on Sunday afternoons at the Cemetery entrance at 2pm for a patrol of the woods.During which we inform people on what wildlife to look out for that is of interest and inform people on the rights of way in the woods. There is currently no bike or horse access through Stoneycliffe wood.
In the short term we plan to maintain better boundaries/signs, reduce vandalism and litter report motorbikes to local Police and provide information on the woodland to local people. In the long term we are hoping to increase the number of habitats for wildlife by re-establishing the natural undergrowth and reducing invasive species such as Sycamore and Himalayan Balsam. We hope to raise money/secure funding through grants to improve footpaths, drainage and seating and boundaries. We are also hoping to increase the use of the woodland by local schools/interest groups in activities such as health/wildlife walks, habitat surveys, treasure hunts, fungus forays, local history talks and creative activities such as green wood turning, wildlife photography and landscape painting.
Coxley is a great resource on our doorstep. Use it, don’t abuse it! Let’s improve it for our future community.
If you would like to contribute your expertise, funds or concerns to our group please contact us on the above e-mail address or contact YWT at info@yorkshirewt.cix.co.uk
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