About the Cornwall Geoconservation Group

Cornwall Geoconservation Group on Facebook.

The Cornwall Geoconservation Group (formerly the Cornwall RIGS Group) was founded at a public meeting in 1991. The Group is the geological arm of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and is concerned with the county's geology and geomorphology.

The Cornwall Geoconservation Group is a voluntary body which aims to do three things:

• identify

• conserve

• raise awareness

of the rich and diverse geological and geomorphological heritage of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The Group acts to inform and advise the Cornwall Wildlife Trust (the Trust) on geological and geomorphological matters and to ensure that geoconservation is fully integrated into the work of the Wildlife Trust. The Group is a member of GeoConservationUK, the national umbrella organisation for geological and geomorphological conservation. The Group is open to all and welcomes information and comments on any aspect relevant to the conservation of geology and geomorphology in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Who are we?

Within the Group there is an Advisory Panel with around 20 members drawn from Cornwall Wildlife Trust staff, statutory agency partners (Natural England and Cornwall Council) and those representing all aspects of the professional and amateur geological community. These include education, consultants, representatives from geological societies e.g. Geological Society South-West Group, Ussher Society, Russell Society, and Royal Geological Society of Cornwall. Others are co-opted as required. The Advisory Panel elects its own Chair and Secretary. A representative sits on the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Strategy Committee. The Group aims to have as wide a range of professional expertise available as possible – from granites to soils.

To cover the area effectively there is a Group 'Correspondent' for each of the old council districts and for the Isles of Scilly. Cornwall Wildlife Trust currently provides the secretariat for the Group.

The Group raises awareness of geological site conservation issues through countywide links with Natural England, the National Trust and Cornwall Council. The Group is also a member of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site Consultative Forum .... other stake holders include Cornwall AONB.

Written in stone

The Group’s logo, the Cheesewring granite tor, symbolises the unique geology of Cornwall. It also highlights a long history of geoconservation in the county. In the 19^th century there was an outcry when the adjacent quarry threatened to engulf the Cheesewring on Stowe's Hill. As a result the landowners, the Duchy of Cornwall, restricted quarrying of the top of the hill by means of the leases for the area. The boundaries of the restricted area were marked on the ground in 1865 by 17 fleur-de-lis cut into the granite and painted white. The tor and conservation symbol remain for all to see today. And 13 of those fleur-de-lis have been located.