EMPLOYEES of South West Lakes Trust and volunteer conservation officers carried out dormouse nesting box surveys at Roadford Lake on International Biodiversity Day.

The Hazel Dormouse is one of our rarest and most endearing native mammals. It has become locally extinct in several counties in the UK within the last 100 years. The demise of dormouse populations is mainly due to loss of habitat and changes in silvicultural practice, such as large scale reduction of traditional hazel coppicing.

This is the sixth year surveys have been carried out at Roadford and each year dormice have been recorded. This year was no different with eight dormice being recorded across the three survey areas.

The monitoring at Roadford Lake is part of the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme and takes place in May and September.

Along with the dormouse monitoring on International Biodiversity Day new bat boxes were also put up at Burrator Reservoir. One third of the total amount of boxes were erected as part of a new scheme with South West Water and the Devon Bat Group.

Further details of this new project will follow in the next few months.