Pine Marten talk

Dan Brown, the Dartmoor field officer for the Two Moors Pine Marten Project run through the Devon Wildlife Trust came down into Bandit Country (aka Bodmin) to talk to 60 of us at Lanhydrock Memorial Hall.

Dan gave an engaging and compelling presentation covering the history of the pine marten in the southwest and the reasons behind the reintroductions that have taken place in Wales, the Forest of Dean and now Exmoor and Dartmoor, helping this beautiful mustelid to return to its proper place in the UK.

Dan told us about the practical side of transporting 34 martens from capture in the west of Scotland to their soft-release cages on the moors, and the tracking and follow up and support that a successful project like this needs. We talked about the recent records of pine martens in Cornwall and how they might have turned up. Dan answered plenty of questions form the audience before our attention turned to cake.

Charlotte also brought out our new branded hats and t-shirts for the first time and together with the raffle we raised over £400 to support CMG’s ongoing work – and maybe to help pine martens in Cornwall as well.

Thanks to Dan for joining us, and for a fantastic talk!