Minutes of Scientific Subcommittee
25th April 2025
Present: Ian Harper, Heather, Richard Paul, Willie McGhee
a) We discussed membership and meeting frequency. Fred to be encouraged to participate, and Kieth Myers to be asked to join. Meetings will be brief, to review progress, and will be held four times a year (as far as possible during working hours)
TO DO (IAN): Ask Fred to participate, and invite Keith to attend
TO DO (IAN): Set up quarterly meetings
b) We reviewed the research section of the scientific plan, and prioritised the to do list:
i) We discussed the existing scientific and other data that we already have, and what to do with it.
TO DO (IAN & HEATHER): To meet and categorise / sort existing data, so it can be made available for further review
ii) We reviewed the 2023 Vegetation survey undertaken by Ben Averis. There had been a twenty-year gap between the initial survey and this one. We discussed how often we should revisit this.
Willie has been colouring in the map, to highlight the target habitats.
TO DO (WILLIE): Finish in the colouring of the map and circulate to committee
To clarify the focus for further study, we should ask Ben Averis for his opinion.
TO DO (WILLIE): Ask Ben Averis where we should undertake further survey work. When this should be done, and if he is willing to undertake this how much will it cost?
In the meantime, we should continue to clear the Pig’s Back of encroaching trees and heather.
TO DO (HEATHER): To add this to the volunteer task list
iii) Richard described the work that he has been undertaking for the comparative transect surveys, comparing JMT land and a site on HPCLT land
TO DO (RICHARD): To circulate the protocols for this, and continue the lead role on the surveying, (and involving other volunteers as necessary)
iv) Other ongoing wildlife and monitoring. As a general principle, it was agreed that this should be in the spirit of citizen science, which fits with the ethos of HPCLT.
TO DO (IAN, RICHARD): Undertake the BTO bird surveys this year, and invite our apprentices to participate
TO DO (FRED, IAN, RICHARD, HEATHER): Prioritise what survey’s we should undertake and buy appropriate kit (e.g. Bat monitors etc.)
c) Beavers. We briefly discussed the beaver effected area and how to take research into this forward. It was decided to not actively research this ourselves, but to track impact.
TO DO (HEATHER): With the apprentices, take some drone footage of the effected area.
TO DO (IAN): Continue communication with Nichola Rae from Forest Research as they decide what they want to do.
d) The Bioblitz. To go ahead on June 21st.
TO DO (HEATHER): Advertise through the usual channels
e) Finally, we discussed how to write up what we already have into narratives that capture our aims and objectives. These should in principle be short and focused. This will need further coordination with the communicationsubcommittee.
TO DO (IAN & RICHARD): Write up the bird surveys into a blog piece / article