Dryad Ecology launches Free GCN cruises

This year we offered free pond cruises for our GCNs. Having had many issues about setting bottle traps around pond margins by wading in, potentially getting stuck and disturbing the mud. This means that, if you set the traps shortly before dusk you are then doing your torch survey before the sediment settles and will adversely affect the penetration of your torch and hence the accuracy of your data. Also, there is a risk of entering a pond margin that you could tread on a newt. The Dryad Ecology solution is to send the newts on their own cruise in a floating bottle trap tethered to the shore. This also means they can be 'launched' beyond any fringe of vegetation and into water that is potentially too deep for wellies or even waders.

So, no more sticking bottle traps to canes and running the risk of overnight rain causing the water level to rise, put the trap under water and removing the air bubble that keeps the newts alive until you release them. Basically a win win situation. No sediment disturbance, no drowned newts and you can put them beyond fringing vegetation.