Posted on Friday 10th January 2025
• Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, at Chasewater Country Park.
As we enter the new year, Staffordshire’s Environment and Countryside Service reflect on their remarkable achievements of 2024, from protecting rare wildlife to preserving the county’s rich history.
Work carried out by Staffordshire County Council has included creating new habitats to help endangered species, preserving Staffordshire’s natural beauty, and educating visitors about our delicate ecosystems.
As a result of these efforts, around 350 acres of heathland habitats were restored and enhanced through scrub management, bracken control and heather cutting to keep a good habitat balance for wildlife. Around 10 acres of rough grassland was restored to create habitats for small mammals and other species.
The team planted 713 trees as part of a major project at Essington Pools, which included restoring hedgerows, woodland, planting an avenue of trees to create a new wood meadow and establishing a new orchard.
One of the standout achievements last year was the planting of 1,200 marsh violets - a vital food source for the rare small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly. Once a more common sight, this delicate butterfly has seen its UK distribution plummet by 71% since the mid-1970s, underscoring the importance of such conservation efforts.
The team’s work extended to enhancing habitats for bats, with 17 new bat boxes installed across the county.
More than 1,200 residents joined a variety of guided walks at Chasewater, Cannock Chase Greenway Bank and Apedale Country Parks. These include the popular deer rut walk, bat and butterfly walks, fungus forays and even a winter solstice walk.
Volunteers also played a vital role, contributing an impressive 8,480 hours of work between January and November. Corporate volunteering days with HSBC and Aldermore added more than 70 volunteer days to this total. Their efforts were instrumental in achieving many of the year’s successes, from habitat management to community outreach.
Rangers attended over 150 deer-related vehicle collisions around the Cannock Chase area, helping to manage these incidents and mitigate risks to both wildlife and motorists.
The council’s commitment to safeguarding Staffordshire’s historical environment was equally notable, with more than 350 instances of formal archaeological advice provided. The Historic Environment team also added 85 new monuments and 60 new events to the Staffordshire Historic Environment Record, ensuring the county’s rich past is preserved for future generations.
Almost 1,600 reported issues were resolved across the public rights of way network, with 335 new pieces of infrastructure installed - including 50 new bridges. Staff across the county council also surveyed 80,000 trees to keep people safe.
Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, said:
“The last year’s achievements are a testament to the dedication of our countryside teams, volunteers, and community partners.
“From protecting rare species to preserving our rich history, their work ensures Staffordshire remains a beautiful and vibrant place for all to enjoy. We are immensely proud of their efforts and look forward to building on this success in 2025.”
As well as immediate conservation and education work, Staffordshire County Council is also looking to the long-term by investing £18 million to upgrade the country parks at Cannock Chase and Chasewater, as well as the Staffordshire Way, which runs 92 miles between Mow Cop and Kinver.
Residents are invited to help shape these improvements by participating in online surveys. Please note, the deadline to make your views heard in the online Chasewater survey is Sunday 12 January 2025.
To find out more, visit Countryside investment - Staffordshire County Council.