The coveted Bowland Award, which recognises outstanding contributions to the work of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is voted on by all 34 AONBs and presented at the annual conference. The conference this year was in Bath and included a field trip to see one of the adder hibernacula.

The adder hibernaculum project resulted in 15 new over-wintering sites for the reptiles being built across the Mendip Hills. Three different styles were built; a 'round barrow', a 'long barrow' and a horseshoe, each hibernaculum contain several tonnes of stone and logs constructed with voids in the middle to allow the adders to stay protected from the cold. The hibernaculum are built facing south to absorb the sun's warmth and near scrub or bracken so that the snakes can bask in the spring. Each hibernaculum has a tube built into it that allows volunteer rangers to drop a temperature and humidity gauge down to monitor the insides. The best type of hibernaculum site can then be replicated in other areas.

Adders are Britain's only venomous snake and are considered a 'threatened' species. This is one of the reasons the Mendip Hills AONB Service has chosen it as one of the 'champion species' of the area to focus conservation work on. The hibernaculum project was funded through a grant from Natural England's Species Recovery Fund.

Nathan Orr, Mendip Hills AONB Nature Recovery Ranger, said, 'Alongside the important fact of actually building these new sites, offering both protection and an extension of the range of these incredible creatures, we've been able to draw lots of people in to the project, increasing their awareness of how vulnerable these snakes are. We've had AONB volunteers involved, volunteers from the National Trust, Avon Wildlife Trust and Butterfly Conservation Trust plus lots of landowners who have housed the hibernacula; they all deserve special thanks and a share in this award. It's great to see how direct action on the ground has an instant impact for wildlife and on the people who have helped.'

For further information please download the How to Build a Hibernaculum Guide Hibernaculum Design Guide 2023 Mendip Hills AONB