Help bring pine martens back
The Big Give Christmas Challenge begins in...
We want to bring pine martens back to Staffordshire to help woodlands thrive.
Until 2022, we believed pine martens had disappeared from our county. Then one was captured on a trail camera at our Cotton Dell Nature Reserve in the Churnet Valley. While there have been no confirmed sightings since, records suggest pine martens may still survive in the same area of north Staffordshire. If any remain, they are likely to be isolated and vulnerable, and without help their number will decline.
How do pine martens help woodlands?
Pine martens are a keystone woodland species, meaning their presence is a sign of healthy, well-connected habitats that support a wide range of wildlife like woodland birds, wood mice, and badgers. As predators, they help keep ecosystems in balance, including controlling invasive grey squirrels that damage trees, compete with native red squirrels, and spread squirrel pox. Where pine martens recover, existing red squirrel populations often become more stable and can even increase.
Where in Staffordshire could they return?
Three of our nature reserves - Cotton Dell and the wider Churnet Valley, Back Forest at The Roaches, and Harston Wood - are among the places where pine martens are most likely to return. Together, these woodlands provide the shelter, denning sites and food they need to thrive. Their return would be a major milestone for nature recovery in Staffordshire and a strong sign that our woodland habitats are becoming healthier and more resilient.
Red squirrel © Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Pied flycatcher ©Richard Steel/2020VISION
Wood mouse at The Wolseley Centre by Jacqui Gray
Badger among bluebells by Graham Burrows
By Christmas, we hope to raise £20,000 to support pine marten recovery in Staffordshire.
We're taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge from 1-8 December. Every donation made during the campaign week will be doubled.
How will my donation help?
With your support, we can:
- Liaise with landowners to set up camera traps to find and monitor existing pine martens.
- Identify suitable habitats for them, and build nest boxes.
- Create better-connected woodland landscapes and improve woodland habitat quality.
Please help. Pop a reminder in your diary, or sign up below to receive email updates about the Big Give, as well as local wildlife news, events, and more.
If online giving isn't right for you, don't worry, you can still support the appeal by sending a cheque to FREEPOST WILDLIFE. Please note this can't be doubled – so if you can, please donate online during Big Give week when your gift will be matched and have twice the impact.
All of our species recovery work is funded by unrestricted donations. If you donate to this appeal, using the funds for the purposes set out in the appeal will be our priority. However, Trustees have the discretion to apply funding where they can achieve the greatest charitable impact.