Being Thankful…..On-going Stoatery…..What ‘Wild Justice’ Does….
by Bernie Bell - 09:03 on 28 December 2023
Being Thankful…..
9 New Year’s Resolutions to Astound your Friends
In the extravagant late December dark
I listen to rain fall and wish it were snow.
The fan on my computer whirs up to meet
my tinnitus when I should be using my pen.
Seems like less peace than usual these holidays
but I resolve not to take it personally.
The sirens I hear at night are only ambulances
and fire trucks, not warnings of drones or missiles.
At least I have unbroken windows
although there isn't any snow.
I was thinking along similar lines – as I read Bartholomew’s poem it was blowing a hoolie here in Orkney – but the howling, clashing and slashing were wind and rain – not missiles. Our house has a roof and windows and is warm and dry. For which – we are thankful.
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On-going Stoatery…..
We received the most recent edition of the RSPB Magazine, including ‘Scotland News’ in which there is an article by Denis Stojanovic of Orkney Native Wildlife Project telling of the next step in the stoat eradication programme which begins in January. This is termed ‘response trapping’ and uses public sightings and detection dogs to identify stoat hot-spots, followed by targeted trapping.
Here’s something about the Orkney stoat situation, with information about how to report sightings…
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16248
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What ‘Wild Justice’ Does….
“Wild Justice was incorporated in October 2018 and first came to the notice of the public in February 2019 when we launched a legal challenge against Natural England's general licences.
We are about five years' old, more than a toddler but just a kid. We have established ourselves in the plethora of non-government bodies involved with the environment and wildlife conservation. New kids on the block, still, but definitely part of the crowd.
What makes us different? Here is our take on that question:
What we do: we are best known for taking legal challenges, seeking judicial reviews, against public bodies whom we believe are acting unlawfully. We take those legal challenges on behalf of wildlife - how else can threatened wildlife get justice in an unjust world? Others sometimes take such challenges, but they also often shy away from them. We don't back down readily. A public body which gets a legal letter from us knows that we, and the legal team with whom we work, are serious. We don't muck about.
Others have seen our successes and failures and realised that, win or lose, such legal challenges change the way that public bodies behave. When we win, we win, but even when we lose, we win a bit, sometimes a lot.
We have been described as the Pine Martens of conservation organisations. Eh?
Pine Martens are wonderful creatures and are feared by Grey Squirrels who are taken by Pine Martens to such an extent that the spread of Pine Martens helps reduce Grey Squirrel numbers and allows Red Squirrels to recolonise. Pine Martens create 'a landscape of fear' for Grey Squirrels - the Grey Squirrels are always looking over their shoulders and over their bushy tails when Pine Martens are in the area. We have the same effect on statutory agencies - they are far more likely to do the right thing if they know that doing the wrong thing may have legal consequences. We are happy to be compared with Pine Martens. We are quite cuddly but we have sharp teeth.
We do other things too: we link legal challenges to other forms of campaigning - making a fuss, starting and promoting petitions, highlighting public consultations and criticising the action and inaction of others.
We communicate what we are doing: each of these newsletters is read by over 40,000 people and those include people who don't like us as well as people who do like us, and journalists, politicians and conservation professionals. The newsletters cost us money to host and time to write but they are our main way of telling the world what we are doing and they are free for subscribers. We tell you (and anyone else paying attention) of our successes and failures, and of decisions we make, in real time. This newsletter isn't a monthly chore it's a frequent and welcome opportunity to keep you up to date. You can't get more open than that.
And we don't talk to you or anyone else in corporate speak. We are blunt and clear but, we like to think, mischievous too. If you are a failing public body then we'll take you to court and, on the way, we'll make fun of you too!
We raise money in the cleanest way possible: there is no Wild Justice membership, no monthly direct debits, no sales catalogue. We ask you for donations now and again, in these newsletters, and we will in this very newsletter, and if the donations dry up then so will we. You empower us - thank you!
And we empower you: well, we like to think that we do! You are partners in the legal challenges we take because you have funded them, and because we tell you as much as we can about them (including sharing some long legal documents). Few of our supporters would, as individuals, consider taking legal action against a government department but we enable you to be part of such a process. We also point you towards petitions and consultations through which you can make your views heard. And some of you have played parts in our investigations of glyphosate use, lead shot in game meat etc.
We help others too: we help fund the legal challenges of others and promote them to you, and we promote petitions that we think are worthwhile. How often do you see the very large conservation organisations doing that? We are active members of Wildlife and Countryside Link and we work with others behind the scenes more than you might guess.
We are tiny: we have no full-time staff but we have two people who are on our payroll, part-time, and others, free-lancers who work for us on particular projects that fit their expertise and bolster our own. The three founders and directors of Wild Justice, Ruth, Chris and Mark are unpaid, volunteers if you like, and can claim expenses for travel, accommodation and other payments made on behalf of Wild Justice. Chris has never claimed any expenses from Wild Justice despite being nagged to do so. Mark's expenses are the highest because when we set up Wild Justice a lot of things got put on his credit card and we have only shifted some of those so far.
Our plans for growth: we don't have any plans for significant growth. We don't have ambitions to have 20 staff in a few years' time, but then, nor do we plan to disappear. We are thinking more and more about succession planning and making sure that some of the quirkiness in the internal arrangements in Wild Justice are made less quirky, but can imagine doing much more conservation work with just a little more money over the next few years. Part of our strength, we think, is that although we are small we are determined and decisive - and that comes from the personalities of the three of us and the fact that we can make decisions by a quick round of emails.
But, what do you think?: let us know whether this look in the mirror resonates with you? Do you see us differently? What would you like us to change? Reply to this newsletter and we'll read every comment.... https://wildjustice.org.uk/
But let's imagine you like what we do, how far we've come and the way that we do things. If you have donated before, then thank you! You've been important to us getting this far. If you've not yet got around to donating then please consider a small donation, maybe £5, right now.
You can donate through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post - see details here. You are our source of funding but a donation today would also feel like a vote of confidence in what we are doing.
Thank you, that's it for now but we'll be back with a rapid review of 2023 at the weekend.
Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).
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