Suggestion Box

[StuartDH]

A new book entry has just been added to the reference section. If you are currently logged in, please feel free to click on the 'edit' button at the top of the new page to add more information or edit the content.

Alternatively, you can suggest ideas and ask questions about the topic in this forum thread.

Suggestion Box

This section has been added to keep all suggestions and ideas for the site in one easy-to-find place. Please feel free to add your own

Gallery

• Frontpage re-design with a 'grid style' layout for the categories, each in a box with something like the category title, the latest image, uploader's name and date
• Photography competition
• The last 20-40 uploaded images visible
• Bug fix on image comment emails not being received

Forums

• New post
• Automatically show all new threads, and threads containing new postings
• 100% width template

[digi]

Excellent idea.

Come on everbody its your site suggestions please.

[StuartDH]

And following the suggestion that we could have a forum category for wild reserves etc - we've just added Wild Places

Keep the suggestions coming

[Lou-D]

Hi Stu

I know a lot of people on this forum do volunteer work on reserves, etc. Is there anywhere we could share our experiences? Ie, the type of work we are doing at a particular time of the year, whether it be clearing reeds from wetland, pruning back hedges, coppicing, etc, and the reasons why we are doing it. Maybe something like a 'reserve diary'? Including notes of the wildlife/plants/insects seen on the reserve whilst doing this might be of interest too.

A few years ago I wouldn't have volunteered for this type of work as I didn't know what was involved. I didn't have a clue how much work goes into conservation and how important management really is. Volunteers are always needed on conservation sites - maybe we can encourage more people to join in? What do you reckon?

[StuartDH]

Hi Lou,

We're just looking at some of the various options for this at the moment, and we're trialing things like giving members their own homepage (more facilities than just the profile page) with diary etc..

For general conservation work, we can start a conservation area in the reference section to add tips and tricks and resources (like how to build a pontoon, bird hide, viewing platforms, conduct surveys, join a local club etc) for conservation work, is that the sort of thing you had in mind?

[Lou-D]

Hi StuDH

Yes that sounds like a brilliant idea and very much what I was thinking.

I know that people often don't understand things like 'why do we cut back a mature overgrown hedge'? They don't realise that this is important for the health of the hedge itself by encouraging new growth, ultimately resulting in wide benefits for wildlife. I would like to see a place where we can maybe use our own experiences to educate but also to learn? We all have so much to contribute - whether we work on a big reserve or whether we simply have a little set aside patch in our garden.

[Tinkerbell]

I like this idea very much too. So often folk may approach a particular problem with great enthusiasm, but not much knowledge and make expensive mistakes (both in terms of time and money).

For example, I understand two different types of embankment strengthening, to combat erosion of the beck, were tried at Sandsend near Whitby before woven Willow supports were used with more success.

[Tursiops]

I'd like to suggest adding a "Habitat" section to the gallery and database, cross-referenced to birds, plants etc.
T

[John]

Hi Stu

Regarding reserves to visit. A Forum dedicated to just that would be ideal. I noted that the Forum heading you have so far is Wild places and Geography. That is too generalistic to cover wildlife reserves.

My thoughts would be perhaps Wildlife Reserves. Within that forum further Sub Forums named as Counties where we can place the information about reserves we know of in the right county. That way anyone that might be visiting a county doesn't have to trawl through loads of threads to find the ones they want.

John

[PhilBriggs]

Stu
How about a section on wildlifecrime. This could include what to look out for, how to protect a scenes of crime and current campaigns etc.
It could also include contact details for WCO across the uk for members to contact when reporting crime or organising events and training days.

I don't mind putting in the work for that side of things

Phil

[Pat]

Originally Posted by PhilBriggs

Stu
How about a section on wildlifecrime. This could include what to look out for, how to protect a scenes of crime and current campaigns etc.
It could also include contact details for WCO across the uk for members to contact when reporting crime or organising events and training days.

I don't mind putting in the work for that side of things

Phil

That's a very good idea Phil. I had a problem last year in May I think when our local council were cutting down trees just to tidy up a bit One of the trees had a blackbirds nest with young in it. I was too late to save it because it had already been chopped down when I arrived at the wood. I got on to the council and told them about the bird's nest and all I got was " Oh we can't worry about things like that, we have to tidy up and make room for people to park " so I phoned our local WCO who said he was fed up with the attitude of the council and was going down to see the chap that afternoon, hopefully that has stopped them doing it again. A lot of people I spoke to afterwards didn't even know what a WCO was so I think your idea is a very good one

[John]

Originally Posted by Pat

That's a very good idea Phil. I had a problem last year in May I think when our local council were cutting down trees just to tidy up a bit One of the trees had a blackbirds nest with young in it. I was too late to save it because it had already been chopped down when I arrived at the wood. I got on to the council and told them about the bird's nest and all I got was " Oh we can't worry about things like that, we have to tidy up and make room for people to park " so I phoned our local WCO who said he was fed up with the attitude of the council and was going down to see the chap that afternoon, hopefully that has stopped them doing it again. A lot of people I spoke to afterwards didn't even know what a WCO was so I think your idea is a very good one

Hi Pat

I had a similar incident on a much larger scale and the Police W O couldn't do a thing about it. Here is a link to the story I first placed on WAB last year.
http://webmail.ntlworld.com/%24sessi...main?mobmain=1

It is incredible the Blasé attitude that Councils and industry have to the environment & wildlife in general and in the main there isn't the protection for them that we think there is.

A section on do's and don't's might come in handy and within that section could be included things where problems have arisen together with how the authority's have dealt with it, who those authorative bodies were and the eventual outcome.

John

[Pat]

Originally Posted by John

Hi Pat

I had a similar incident on a much larger scale and the Police W O couldn't do a thing about it. Here is a link to the story I first placed on WAB last year.
http://webmail.ntlworld.com/%24sessi...main?mobmain=1

It is incredible the Blasé attitude that Councils and industry have to the environment & wildlife in general and in the main there isn't the protection for them that we think there is.

A section on do's and don't's might come in handy and within that section could be included things where problems have arisen together with how the authority's have dealt with it, who those authorative bodies were and the eventual outcome.

John

Sorry John, couldn't get that link, was told to log in, tried several passwords but all rejected. Is the story still on WAB?

[Alan]

How about a book review section. I'm afraid book/mags seem to by particular vice - can't get enought of them - I blame amazon and ebay!

Have to go off now to have a read/fix!

Alan

[Imaginos]

Stoatytoat, at the risk of feeding your addiction have you checked out the Natural History Book Service? http://www.nhbs.co.uk

[John]

Originally Posted by Pat

Sorry John, couldn't get that link, was told to log in, tried several passwords but all rejected. Is the story still on WAB?

Sorry Pat. I was doing it through the NTL world site instead of directly in the forum. Try this link instead.

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...-magazine.html

John

[StuartDH]

We can definitely do that Phil. I'll start a new 'Wildlife Crime' area in the reference section and put a new thread in the forum to gather some more ideas, resources etc.

Stu

Edit:

Here's the link to the new Wildlife Crime Section

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/nature/wildlife_crime

and this is the forum page for it as well

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...ife-crime.html

You can add new pages by clicking on the 'add child page' link. As the page is created a new forum thread will open automatically.

As the content builds, I'll put together a design for the various sections.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Imaginos

Stoatytoat, at the risk of feeding your addiction have you checked out the Natural History Book Service? http://www.nhbs.co.uk

No, no, no... please don't mention them. I've only just recovered from the last order! Aaaah...

Alan

[birdwatcher28]

Hi

How about an online campaign section.

Paul

[StuartDH]

If there are enough posts in the Wild Places category then I'll certainly be happy to breakout a new section for Nature Reserves, but I think at the moment it would look a bit empty. We're trying to avoid having lots of categories that are virtually empty, but if the threads/posts warrant it, then we could certainly add regional sections.

Stu

[StuartDH]

Hi Paul,

I've just added a campaigns and petition section the forums.

Stu

[John]

Originally Posted by StuartDH

If there are enough posts in the Wild Places category then I'll certainly be happy to breakout a new section for Nature Reserves, but I think at the moment it would look a bit empty. We're trying to avoid having lots of categories that are virtually empty, but if the threads/posts warrant it, then we could certainly add regional sections.

Stu

Hi Stu

That's the way to do it.

For instance. If I were to give details on a Reserve, say Upton Warren, I would start with the County (Worcestershire) then the Reserve name. You could then create a category for Worcestershire.

If each member were to add reserves could they start with the County name. If that was done you could open up a catergory for each new County that was mentioned or add to a County content that was already in place.

It would be a bonus if directions and even o/s co-ordinates (where possible) could be included in the details.

When I get a bit more time I will try and start to add a few reserves I have visited.

John

[SteveA]

Originally Posted by StuartDH

If there are enough posts in the Wild Places category then I'll certainly be happy to breakout a new section for Nature Reserves, but I think at the moment it would look a bit empty.

Wouldn't Nature Reserves be better placed within the Reference section of the site?

[Imaginos]

A couple of suggestions for the forums:

Some of the other forums I am with have a library or archive section where the most informative, funny and popular threads are locked and kept for easy reference-threads of the month/season would make reading over old topics easier & also have informative & popular threads accessible without having to trawl back through pages of old threads.

Another thought, given the amount of traffic on 1,000 posters is to have an annual 'Oscars' - possible categories could be best contributor, best thread, funniest moment etc.

[carlj]

Originally Posted by Alan

How about a book review section. I'm afraid book/mags seem to by particular vice - can't get enought of them - I blame amazon and ebay!

Have to go off now to have a read/fix!

Alan

Maybe a publication listing too. I'm a regular BBC Wildlife mag buyer, occasional Bird Watcher buyer and have just discovered the March issue of The Countryman. Major newsagents will usually order in mags, but if we don't know what's out there, what do we ask for?