Release date: January 2004

Jason Mitchell has joined the Kentish Stour Countryside Project as the new Countryside Officer for the Canterbury and Lower Stour area.

Moving from Exmouth, in East Devon, where he worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Jason said: "I’m very happy to have the opportunity to work in an area of the country which is so rich in wildlife. Kent is renown for its chalk downland, a habitat so important for its flowers and butterflies. The River Stour and associated wetlands have international importance at places like Stodmarsh, and the Blean Wood’s complex is one of the largest areas of broad-leaved woodland in the country."

He will be working with farmers and other landowners to help them improve landscape quality and wildlife habitat. This will include advice on the availability of a number of environmental grants, which are aimed at creating or improving, sites for wildlife and enhancing landscape quality. The area covered by Jason is important for many plants and animals, some of which are rare, or in serious decline. Examples include the otter and white-clawed crayfish, both of which will benefit from the Countryside Project’s work.

The Kentish Stour Countryside Project has been running for eleven years and with the support of an army of willing volunteers has helped Kent’s wildlife through an exciting array of conservation initiatives. Projects have included the creation of ponds, planting of hedgerows, the conversion of arable land to wet pasture, the return of flower-rich chalk downland from agricultural land and the rejuvenation of neglected orchards.

Jason is well aware of the important role played by volunteers in the conservation of wildlife and is delighted that the project is so well supported in this way. Jason loves to get out into the fresh air and burn some calories on one of his practical tasks, "It’s a great way to enjoy nature and it’s a fun way to socialise too, we always have a good time come rain or shine".