New Cleethorpes Coastal Ranger Josh Forrester keen to fly the flag for wildlife and its precious habitat

                                           

Josh - eager to 'sell' the positives of safeguarding wildlife habitat on Cleethorpes foreshore

       

A NEW Coastal Wildlife Ranger has been appointed in Cleethorpes to engage with the community in celebrating and protecting the unique beauty of our coastline.

Born and bred in Grimsby, Josh Forrester’s background as a data analyst combined with a self-taught knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife protection - plus his cheerful and engaging personality -  should stand him in good stead in his new role.

A seaside resort such as Cleethorpes is unusual in having a coastal  nature reserve that is central to a  tourist resort -  a situation which has its tensions.

On the one hand, there is the legal obligation for North East Lincolnshire Council to manage and protect an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. 

On the other, there is the need to encourage and promote tourism and enjoyment of the beach, which is a mainstay of the region’s economy.

Issues of recreational disturbance can have detrimental effects on the internationally-renowned wildlife and migratory birds that depend on it.

While Josh’s role, which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is primarily about community engagement, with residents and visitors alike, educating people on the importance of the coastline, its significance to the environment as a whole and why North East Lincolnshire Council has a legal responsibility to protect it. 

It is also about management and protection of species and discouraging any recreational disturbance that threatens it.

Says Josh: "We want the people of North East Lincolnshire and our visitors to be aware of the valuable and wonderful habitat that is Cleethorpes

"By giving people some extra knowledge on what makes it so special, we can encourage more people to have a greater respect for it.

"A lot of recreational disturbance is unintentional, caused by paddleboarders going through the saltmarsh or people walking their dogs there. 

"There is no intended harm, but the saltmarsh is a rare ecosystem and it is under threat all over the world.

"As well as being made up of numerous plants, many of them rare, it acts as a natural flood defence and  also plays a huge role in carbon capture. 

"My job is to 'sell' the positives in the hope that more people can see why we should protect it.

"I also want to encourage coastal champions - organisations and individuals - to buy into the importance of protecting our coastline. 

"No one person can do that alone -  it has to be a community initiative.

"That is the goal I am setting myself -  to bring active engagement that gives everyone a reason to value this amazing stretch of coastline."

In his first fortnight, Josh has already conducted one highly successful guided  walk of the coastal,  and he has another planned for between 10am and 11.30am next Wednesday May 28. 

The circular walk will start and finish at Cleethorpes Leisure Centre.

At this time of year, the coastal nature reserve is full of orchids and other wildflowers plus bees and butterflies such as Green Hairstreaks. In the adjacent trees and shrubs, there are many singing warblers and finches.

Loose dogs on the saltmarsh can have devastating impact on feeding or nesting birds