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Join Plantlife experts for this Mock FISC (Field Identification Skills Certificate) assessment in Wiltshire.
The FISC is a test that assesses your botanical proficiency on a scale from 1 (beginner) to 5 (professional), with a level 6 awarded in exceptional cases. FISC levels are recognised within the environmental sector as the standard tool for assessing botanical survey skills.
Plantlife is pleased to partner with the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland(BSBI) as an Approved Provider for the FISC.
A discounted rate is available for students, unwaged and volunteers. If you have any questions before you secure your place, or want to discuss any adjustments that would support you to take part, contact rachel.jones@plantlife.org.uk.
The assessor for this Mock FISC is Sam Braine, Ecology Manager at Plantlife Biodiversity Consultants.
This event is being run by Plantlife Biodiversity Consultants.
Join Plantlife experts for this FISC (Field Identification Skills Certificate) assessment in Wiltshire.
The assessor for this FISC is Sam Braine, Ecology Manager at Plantlife Biodiversity Consultants.
Join Plantlife experts for this FISC (Field Identification Skills Certificate) assessment in Hampshire.
The assessor for this FISC is Sarah Shuttleworth, Specialist Botanical Advisor at Plantlife.
Join Plantlife experts for this Mock FISC (Field Identification Skills Certificate) assessment in Hampshire.
The assessor for this Mock FISC is Sarah Shuttleworth, Specialist Botanical Advisor at Plantlife.
This event has now sold out.
Every year hundreds of volunteers take part in Plantlife’s Waxcap Watch, a citizen science programme that helps us to find waxcaps and other grassland fungi which are indicators of rare, species-rich grassland.
Knowing where waxcaps and other grassland fungi are thriving helps us pinpoint where fragments of ancient meadows survive, so we can protect them for the future.
This outdoor workshop will give you the confidence to get out there and take part in Waxcap Watch. It will cover:
Under the gentle guidance of Plantlife experts, you and other volunteers will develop skills and confidence during this interactive day of activities.
Sign up for this free 1 day outdoor workshop if you want to learn more about grassland fungi and are committed to taking part in Waxcap Watch 2025.
For centuries Gilfach was a working hill farm, now it’s a spectacular nature reserve tucked away in the Marteg Valley in the heart of rural Mid Wales. Gilfach boasts an impressive 20 different species of Waxcap, making the reserve a place of international importance for some of the rarest species.
Find out more about Gilfach here.
At least one. We expect there to be high demand for this workshop so in return we’d like you to commit to carrying out at least one Waxcap Watch survey. Obviously if you do more, that’s even better!
These workshops are designed to support people who want to take part in Plantlife’s Waxcap Watch survey. We see it as a good use of our time to upskill volunteers who will then go out and do the survey in 2025 and beyond.
You can find out more about our annual Waxcap Watch, here.
The day will involve walking throughout the reserve on uneven and sloping ground. For a chat about access and your specific needs please contact our Project Officer, Ellie Baggett here.
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SN 96490 71698
For the comfort of everyone and smooth running of the event, we do not allow dogs at Plantlife events.
By taking a part in our survey you will help us to:
Much of this app is based on the work by Gareth Griffith, John Bratton and Gary Easton. Original publication: Griffith, G.W., Bratton, J.H. & Easton, G. (2004) Charismatic megafungi; the conservation of waxcap grasslands. British Wildlife. October 2004, pp 31-43.
You are responsible for your own health and safety; Plantlife do not accept any liability or responsibility for the wellbeing of surveyors. Similarly, they do not accept any liability or responsibility for damage to, or loss of, personal property.
We always recommend visiting sites and undertaking surveys with someone else and taking the following precautions:
– Check the forecast and make appropriate arrangements. If the weather changes you may need to rethink your plans.– Take care on uneven or slippery ground and keep to footpaths where necessary.– Take a mobile phone and let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.– Most fungi are non-toxic; even toxic ones are safe to hold. However, always wash your hands after handling fungi.
England and Wales
Grassland fungi can be found across a variety of different sites, many of which are publicly accessible, such as playing fields, parks or cemeteries. Where there is no open access, keep to public rights of way (footpaths and bridleways). If you plan to carry out a survey on private land, please make sure you obtain the landowner’s permission to access the site.
Scotland
Make sure you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code when carrying out this activity.
Where possible, we would highly recommend using the Survey123 app to complete the survey. It is much more convenient to use, especially when filling in the survey outdoors. The Survey123 app allows you to view and/or edit surveys you’ve already submitted, submit surveys while offline, and save answers to avoid re-entering the same information.However, if using the app is not feasible, you can alternatively follow this link and then select ‘Open in browser’ to launch the survey in a web browser on your computer. If you choose this option, we recommend looking over the survey form first to see what information you will need to record when carrying out your survey.
You can still access and fill out the survey without mobile data but you must download the Survey123 app in order to do this.When connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, download the Survey123 app, as well as the Waxcap Watch survey. You can then begin capturing survey information without a data connection. Upon completingthe survey, you will be given the option to ‘Save in Outbox’, please select this option (see below). In doing so, all your survey results will be stored locally on your device.
When you are able to reconnect to Wi-Fi or mobile data, you will need to submit your survey that has been saved in your Outbox. To do this, navigate to the survey summary page where you will see an ‘Outbox’folder. By clicking on this folder, you will be able to see the survey you filled out and can submit it by clicking ‘Send’ in the bottom right corner of the screen
Take part in Plantlife’s National Meadows Day on Saturday 1 July 2023. This year we celebrate the value of our local species-rich grasslands, including meadows.
Come and learn about rare mountain top plants and fungi in habitat over in altitude 1000m with expert botanists.
Join us live on Instagram, where Project Manager Sam Jones will show you rare plants, and answer questions about the Cairngorms project.
Join Plantlife and Liz Holden, a local mycological expert, for a day out to learn about Waxcap grassland species, help us survey some new sites, and practice using the new version of the Plantlife Waxcap App.
This session will be on grassland terrain and will be off paths. There may be some steep slopes.
For a chat about access and your specific needs please contact our Senior Ecological Advisor Sam Jones, here.
Join Plantlife and Nev Kilkenny, a mycological expert, for a day out to learn about Waxcap grassland species, help us survey some new sites, and practice using the new version of the Plantlife Waxcap App.
We’ll cover bare ground creation methods for species recovery, on calcareous grassland sites, as used for Pasqueflower and Purple Milk Vetch.
Join our Botanical Specialist, Dr Elizabeth Cooke and our Nature Reserves Manager Dr Andrew Kearsey as they outline species recovery work we have delivered over the last 3 years.
We’ll be looking into the work we have undertaken to help Pasqueflower and Purple Milk Vetch, across the Chilterns, Cotswolds, Yorkshire Wolds and at Brockadale Nature reserve. We’ll look at the methods and how they can be adapted for other species.
The session will cover:
Please bring your own drinks/snacks and lunch, there are no facilities on the reserve.
This event is organised in partnership with the Countryside Management Association (CMA).
Tickets are free to Countryside Management Association members, and £44.04 for non-members.
An amazing 15 species of waxcap were discovered in 1 visit in 2024, including Citrine waxcap, Earthy waxcap, Goblet waxcap and Honey waxcap.
Find out more about Greena Moor here.
The day will involve walking throughout the reserve on uneven and sloping ground. For a chat about access and your specific needs please contact our Specialist Ecological Advisor Carol Lodge, here.
Greena Moor ///wobbles.cats.digs Information on where to park will be provided before the event. Car sharing is likely to be required from the meeting point.
SX 234963
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