Alex Goes for Gold
27 May 2010
Blashford Wildlife Watch group member Alex Sampson recently achieved the coveted Wildlife Watch ‘Gold Award', presented by Chris Packham, as Vice-President of the Wildlife Trusts. There are eight wildlife-themed challenges in the award scheme and, as Chris was keen to point out, completing them all demands serious effort and long-term commitment.
For his ‘Xpert' badge, Alex spent far longer than the required 12 months studying his chosen topic of deer and creating a detailed scrapbook; likewise, digging a pond in his garden and monitoring it closely through the seasons to qualify for the ‘Wildlife Action' award was no weekend project!
Always keen to share his knowledge and enthusiasm (earning him his ‘Teamwork' badge), Alex guided younger group members on a deer-watching walk last October and will co-run a Watch session on deer and other mammals at Blashford this autumn.
His other work included a poem about a kestrel, a cuttlefish glove puppet, a magazine article on the problems of beach litter, a talk about climate change given to his school assembly and, appropriately enough given the presentation venue, a close-up study of wildlife at Bolderwood.
Several other Hampshire and IOW members of the Wildlife Watch are well on their way to achieving Gold Award and, although Alex has set the bar high, we hope his success will inspire them to complete the challenge.
