Welcome to the YACWAG website

We have been working for people and wildlife in Yatton and Congresbury (and beyond) for over 20 years. Click the menu to find out about us and our nature reserves in the two parishes. If you would like to know more, or get involved in a practical way, please get in touch via the Contact page.

YACWAG is run entirely by volunteers. We are always interested in hearing about the skills and experience people can offer to our small charity. There are lots of opportunities to learn and develop as you get involved. There are vacancies in areas of administration, wildlife surveying, publicity, event organisation and member services. You can get involved with bird box maintenance, educational activities or anything else you think would be helpful. Please become a member and let us know how you would like to support nature conservation in this area.

Covid-19
YACWAG’s business has gone on as usual during the pandemic. We haven’t been running walks or other public events but we have been bridging the gap with online talks, email contact with members, and are working on ‘virtual visits’ to our reserves during 2021. We are also adding recorded talks and other resources to our online library. Have a look around our website and get to know your local nature hotspots.

Latest news

Follow up on our recent online talk Wilder Waterways

April 2021

Bernie D’Arcy the Living Landscapes Manager from Avon Wildlife Trust gave a presentation to YACWAG members via Zoom on 8th April 2021 on an exciting project being undertaken jointly with the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART) on the Land Yeo. The Land Yeo river is a 20 km river within the North Somerset Streams sub-catchment and feeds the Tickenham Nailsea and Kenn Moor SSSI and the Severn Estuary SSSI/SAC/SPA. It is therefore a very important river in the area, sitting within the North Somerset Levels and Moors, coastal and floodplain grazing marsh extending to 7950 hectares which includes 1160 hectares of peatland. The project aims to improve 35 km of waterways in the Land Yeo catchment.

Bernie also mentioned other exciting projects local to Nailsea, including the proposed Nailsea Constructed Wetlands to take 70% of Nailsea’s run-off, and a large-scale re-wilding project at Belmont. Bernie believes the project around the Land Yeo catchment will be able to demonstrate good practice and act as a blueprint for other areas.

WaterBlitz – A chance to be involved

An annual project gets people out and about in nature testing samples of water in order to give a snapshot of water quality in the area. This citizen science project is part of a global programme by Freshwater Watch that helps people understand how precious our wetland ecosystems are. Join in

You can get water testing kits posted out to you to use on the dates between 7th and 10th May this year. Full details on the website: freshwater watch.thewaterhub.org. Or you can go to Moorend Spout nature reserve in Nailsea (BS48 2NN) between 10am and 2pm on 8th May and collect one in person and learn a bit more about the scheme.

New book on our local birds published

February 2021

YACWAG’s bird man, Trevor Riddle, has written a lovely little guide full of colour photos about the birds of Yatton and Congresbury and where to go to see them. Any profit will go to YACWAG’s funds. The book costs £5 and is available in Yatton Post Office and Yatton News ("Clive's"). Alternatively they can be hand delivered or posted to you as required. To do this please email contact@yacwag.org.uk  

As of Summer 2021 the book’s reprint sales have been sufficient to buy a new barn owl box to replace the rather tired one featured on the Brilliant Birds book cover.

Our nature reserves

Protecting your natural environment for generations to come

We are working towards our local nature sites being positively managed, improved and extended wherever possible.

Learn about wildlife

Know your neighbours in nature and how to help them

Get involved

Participate in any way you can

YACWAG needs volunteers to help with the running of the charity. If you could help at local events on a YACWAG stall or develop educational activities that would fill a gap. We could use your skills in art, photography, administration, event organisation, wildlife surveying, etc. Even if you have no experience, if you are interested in doing something please let us have your ideas. Lots of our best work has started that way.

Fundraising

Help support our efforts