NATURE lovers in St Helens are being urged to take part in an unusual hunt - to track down the country's largest insect, the stag beetle.
To give it its proper title, Lucanus cervus, the stag beetle is scarce and numbers are declining fast. Sightings have been made in the area in the past and now St Helens Council is assisting The People's Trust for Endangered Species to help preserve the insect.
The conservation plan for the stag beetle is supported by English Nature's Species Recovery Programme. Although the North West in general has not recorded numbers of beetles in many years, parts of Merseyside have had recent sightings which need confirmation. Any new sightings will help the Trust to map the distribution and develop measures to protect the insect.
For anyone interested in helping in the Great Stag Hunt, further details are available from the council's Countryside Development Officer, Chris Woodruff on St Helens 456191 (fax St Helens 733337) or the People's Trust for Endangered Species on 0171 498 4533.
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