13-06-13 : Stop press, Eels found in Hogsmill!

It was the day we had been waiting for since the start of this year's ZSL eel monitoring project in April. Yesterday, biodiversity volunteer Juliet found not one, but three yellow eels in our trap at the Middle Mill Halls of Residence!

Our first eels of 2013!
Photo courtesy of Juliet Dukes.

03-06-13 : Volunteers' Week Balsam Bash follow-up

Glorious sunshine bathed our gang of seven Volunteers' Week newbies as they tried their hand at conservation volunteering for the first time with this fun-in-the-sun invasive species removal event by the Middle Mill Halls of Residence.

A bit of good will and good weather = good times for these volunteers!

08-05-13 : Balsam bash and KUSU picnic - a winning combo!

It is that time of year again - the Himalayan Balsam invading our riverbanks was due for its annual clearance, and timed to perfection, we teamed up with KUSU Volunteering to combine it with their end of year social for 2013 - an indulgent summer picnic!

A weeding work party at the Hogsmill river!

07-05-13 : First ever KU Biodiversity Volunteer of the Year award!

To mark the first Kingston University Biodiversity Action Group Volunteer of the Year award, we felt it was only right to recognise the outstanding dedication and leadership one Kingston University staff member has shown to a conservation project on campus over recent years.

Kingston Hill beekeeper Tina Corr (far right) and other award winners at this year's KUSU Volunteering Awards Ceremony at Dorich House.

04-05-2013 : Mini-Bioblitz: Kingston Hill wildlife discovery!

A crowd of 21 nature-curious volunteers explored the Kingston Hill campus on Saturday for all forms of flora and fauna in our annual Mini-Bioblitz. A delightful day of wildlife discovery was had by all!

The finds from our pond drew a crowd...

29-04-13 : Brilliant batty adventure along the Hogsmill!

Armed with bat detectors and a keen sense of anticipation, volunteers from Kingston University and the local area awaited sunset for the start of Monday night's bat walk along the Hogsmill River. And they were not disappointed as bats-a-plenty swooped in and feasted on insects.

Ready for the off, eager bat walkers gather at Knights Park.

20-03-13 : Eel monitoring training with ZSL

Continuing our partnership with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a total of 11 volunteers turned out before Easter to be trained to check our eel trap ahead of this year's checking season. Right on our doorstep, volunteers will collect valuable data from the Hogsmill river and inform future conservation work to help this critically endangered species.

The daffodils signal the start of spring - not long now til our first check of the eel trap!