David Attenborough once said… “if children don’t grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it, and if they do not understand it, they will not protect it, and if they don’t protect it, who will?”
Tarquin Millington-Drake (author of A Year on the Moor and more recently Living with Greys about the life of the wild grey partridge) and his team have taken the above line of thinking and expanded it into one of the most enlightened shooting and conservation initiatives we have witnessed for some time. We were invited to attend this past May and were really impressed by what we experienced.
Tarquin and his team of volunteers have identified that grouse moor lodges often sit empty from November to August and therefore seized the opportunity to use them for good. Moor owners have been willing participants in the project.
The objective is multi-faceted:
To educate people (shooting and non-shooting) about what takes place on managed moors during the critical breeding season from April through to June and the enormous contribution these moors make towards the well-being of threatened species like curlew. Building on what Attenborough says above, Tarquin believes that the same is true of anyone – shooting or non-shooting – why would they concern themselves with the moorland debate if they have never been in spring and do not know. He has enlightened a surprising number of leaders in the shooting industry and believes there are many more to be educated.
To take a different approach to the feuding between the shooting community and those less fond of shooting by bringing them together for 24 hours to enjoy the moors and exchange views and opinions in a constructive manner. The result is usually that they find far more to agree on than disagree on and both realise that the other is not as bad as they thought. From these meetings grow a willingness to listen, understand and compromise for the benefit of the British countryside. Tarquin believes that if we understand each other and even like each other, great things can be achieved whereas firing insults, claims and counter claims from the safety of an office desk is not constructive and our wildlife is being let down in the process. Without compromise and a willing to work together, nothing can be achieved.
It is an intense but enlightening and uplifting 24 hours and immensely thought provoking given the time on the moor itself as well as all the discussions and debates with a mixture of people with such broad opinions.
Do the events achieve their objectives? To some degree that is down to each guest themselves but there is no doubt that everyone left more knowledgeable and with a greater perspective on all the issues facing moors, shooting and British wildlife in general. No doubt as alumni of these special events we will be called upon in the future.
If you have an interest in managed moors, the issues challenging shooting today, want to understand more about how other, non-shooting people see us or want to witness the splendour of the moors in Spring there is no better opportunity than attending these events; but be prepared to contribute and get involved.
Why Moorlands Matter events are completely free except a tip (approx. £30) for the house staff is requested upon departure. Money is raised to run the events by Tarquin Millington-Drake.
For further information or to apply to attend email tmd@millingtondrake.com, we highly recommend this experience.
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