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Welcome! As the coronavirus national restrictions take hold, it's a great opportunity to get close to nature wherever you are. Whether it's in your own garden, in a nearby Park, river or at the coast, we've all got chance to take our time to observe nature as preparations for winter start to take shape. If you have a nature discovery, a story to tell or an unusual photo from November's restrictions, please do send it to us at wild@eastdevon.gov.uk
 Vote for Seaton Wetlands!
We're going for the People's Choice Award at the Green Flag Awards and you can help!
To vote, go to bit.ly/voteforseatonwetlands and click on the vote button.
Voting closes 25 November, with the winning sites announced on 3 December.
Paul Todd, International Green Flag Award Manager said, “This year we have all seen the importance of our precious parks and green spaces. The People’s Choice Award is an opportunity to show how much your favourite park means to you. Make your voice heard and vote now.”
October Half Term Events
 Thank you to everyone who joined us across East Devon to celebrate a bumper half term full of fun and outdoor learning.
The Halloween Trail at Seaton Wetlands was a huge success surpassing all of our expectations with 480 trails given out. This means the trail is the most successful ever, so thank you all so much for coming along and braving the (sometimes rainy) weather and providing us with such positive feedback. We’ll definitely be running more trails, starting with a Christmas trail in the run up to the big day this year.
The Wetlands hosted eight Family Activity Sessions and Guided Walks of the Wetlands, both of which will be back next year, and we hope to branch these out to our other nature reserves too. The Wild Exmouth project brought a Bird Box Making workshop to Phear Park and the new Creative Cabin was popular at Littleham, Phear Park and Queens Drive Space. We worked with over one hundred people with the cabin and had some very positive conversations around art, nature and climate change.
Sidmouth Science Festival
 During Sidmouth’s annual Science Festival in October, Wild East Devon Education Rangers, along with Jon Ball from the Science festival, were involved in running outdoor activities for 195 school children from the local area including Newton Poppleford and Sidmouth's St John's school.
‘The opportunity to observe, connect and learn about the natural world from first-hand experience is invaluable for children. The Sidmouth Science festival activities sparked a lot of interest and enjoyment from the children involved. We hope some of those children will be inspired to become the next generation of scientists.
The results of the surveys will be captured by the Sidmouth Biodiversity project, it is hoped that this partnership with EDDC, the Science Festival will contribute valuable data for years to come. ’ said Jon Ball.
Joint working party tackles the South West Coast Path
 As part of our work managing and maintaining the East Devon stretch of the South West Coast Path, Wild East Devon is responsible for the section of route which winds through the most remote and hard to reach part of the District, the Undercliff National Nature Reserve.
Working in partnership with the NNR site managers, Natural England, Wild East Devon recently held a joint work party to tackle some particularly remote steps in need of repair. On two chilly but bright days in October, the two teams worked together, socially distancing at all times, to improve parts of the path which required attention. The steps were totally inaccessible to vehicles and so all tools, materials and fixings had to be carried in on foot. While this was exhausting work, stopping for a coffee break in one of the most dazzling beautiful parts of Devon made the hard work and effort worthwhile.
Walk the Exmouth Local Nature Reserve
 Try this easy there-and-back route taking in The Maer, beautiful views across the Exe Estuary and the stunning wildlife of Exmouth Local Nature Reserve.
East Devon AONB sustainable development funding
Last call for Sustainable Development Fund applications. East Devon AONB are accepting applications until the deadline of 30 November 2020, the fund will then be closed. Every year, discretionary financial support is given to individuals, groups, organisations and businesses who are passionately involved in launching new projects to help create sustainable, happy, thriving communities.
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