On the evening of 6th February, volunteers, conservationists, and local nature enthusiasts gathered at The Sele School for the sixth annual Nature of Panshanger Park conference. Hosted by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT) and supported by Tarmac, the event featured a range of insightful talks highlighting the park’s rich biodiversity, ongoing conservation projects, and opportunities for public involvement. Michelle, a dedicated Panshanger Park volunteer, shares key takeaways from the evening, including updates on habitat restoration, species monitoring, and the vital role of volunteers in protecting this unique landscape.
Tim Hill from Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust opened the sixth Nature of Panshanger Park conference, describing the diverse landscape of the Park as “Hertfordshire in Microcosm”, and noting its national importance, both in terms of its biodiversity and status as a Grade II listed site.
Tim was followed by Alexandra Waechter from HMWT who talked about the significance of the data supplied to the Centre by volunteer recorders. More than 3,000 species have been recorded at Panshanger Park, which is around half of the total number of species recorded across the whole of Hertfordshire. The number of species recorded at the park has doubled since 2016 and has continued to increase every year. Alex spoke of the importance of these records in helping the Panshanger team to develop management plans and to evaluate their impact.
For anyone interested in contributing to the records held about Panshanger, Alex had some top tips:
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Include as much detail as possible, for example, any behaviours you observe
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Provide as accurate location as you can – the Park is divided into “compartments” and it would be very useful to know in which one the species was found
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Pictures are always very welcome
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Free apps are available to help with identification and submission of sightings
Every record submitted can help build a picture of the Park and how its inhabitants are doing. Alex also noted that it can take just a few years for species once considered wide spread to become threatened, so common species need recording as well as the rare ones.
Heidi Mansell from HMWT discussed her new role as the Chalk Rivers and Farm Advisory Officer, and the project she is undertaking around the Mimram. Between 2024 and 2027 Heidi is working with local landowners to help protect and enhance the river and the surrounding landscape. In addition to the Mimram itself, the project will cover much of the land between Welwyn Garden City, Oaklands, Hertford and Lilley, all of which can impact on the health of the river. Currently the healthiest stretch is believed to be within Panshanger Park.
There will be plenty of opportunities for local people to get involved with the project, including:
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becoming local volunteer wildlife surveyors, gathering data about the various sites
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assisting with citizen science surveys, for example Muspotter and tracking of water vole
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taking part in the Chalk Stream Challenge in June 2025
Christopher Benton introduced us to the vast array of arachnids that live within Panshanger Park, including house spiders, jumping spiders, nursery web spiders, candy stripe spiders, funnel web spiders, wolf spiders, long grass spiders and wasp spiders. These little creatures can make their home in some unusual places, such as empty bird boxes, wooden fencing, and rolled-up nettle leaves, and their webs can be a variety of unusual shapes, including funnels and zig zags.
Chris’ beautiful photos gave us a close-up look at the intricate and diverse patterns on all of these spiders. His talk also included anecdotes about spider dating, which often involves dancing and a meal, but contrary to popular belief the boys don’t always end up as dessert…
Tarmac’s Michael Charlton highlighted the long history of Panshanger and the wide range of organisations who are involved in helping to maintain it today. He also gave an update on progress with the 2023 management plan, including:
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Allowing the longhorn cattle access to graze and help manage the landscape in a natural way
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Planting new trees and caring for the saplings, in order to create new woodland habitats
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Preserving the Park’s veteran trees, clearing encroaching foliage and keeping them well hydrated with mulch
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Clearing the laurel, originally planted to support game birds, and carrying out hedge laying to ensure the hedgerow can support more species
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Adding deadwood to the river to help break up the flow and increase new areas of habitation – as a result there has been a 65% increase in the trout population over the past year
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Developing the 40 Acres area, including planting of wildflowers and using the Park’s new resident pigs to create “muddy margins”, a great habitat for birds such as lapwings
Finally, the park’s new Community Ranger, Dan Hamley, spoke about his own history of volunteering with the park, and invited some of the volunteers present to share their own reasons for doing so. These include getting outside in the fresh air and keeping fit, getting to work with young people at events and as part of the Nature Explorers group, and the chance to contribute to the recovery of nature and the fantastic work going on at Panshanger.
Tim Hill then closed the evening by thanking Tarmac for funding another fascinating evening of talks, and also the Sele School for hosting the conference and providing all the refreshments for those attending.
There are many roles you can do as a volunteer, including; assisting with landscape maintenance on work parties, supporting public outreach events, running the Nature Explorers club for eight- to twelve-year-olds, carrying out surveys of particular species, or becoming a park warden and helping to monitor designated sections of the site. If you are interested in joining us, guidance on the role and how to sign up can be found here.
This blog was written by Panshanger park volunteer Michelle Galloway.
