What will we tell the future?

How will future generations judge us? What will they think of life in 2013. Will they consider that we cared about wildlife or just frittered its future away because of self-interest? It's a question that has been asked a lot this week, not least by wildlife broadcaster Iolo Williams who was in Cardiff to launch State of Nature, a major report that brought together experts from many organisations to spell out the facts about the UK's wildlife.  The headlines are that 60% of monitored species are in decline, and 1 in 10 are under threat of disappearing from our shores altogether. Not a happy read.  Nature's in trouble.

One RSPB member who was there, Anthony Walton, wrote on his blog that Iolo gave an impassioned speech, calling on everyone to work together to reverse these declines:

"[Iolo] said he blamed the fat, pencil pushing bureaucrats that sit behind a desk all day and just discuss and never action. He said that their time will come, not by the hands of the public and not now, but in forty or so years time, when they are sitting reading their grandchildren a bed time story, and he may just describe a lush meadow full of Lapwings, Tortoiseshell Butterflies and screaming Swifts, and their grandchild will look at them and will ask if he ever saw any of those things, as they are now all gone."

What a terrible thought, that our Grandchildren might have to ask us to describe what we take for granted.  And perhaps that's the problem, that we take it for granted. Anthony said that such was the emotion in the room on Wednesday that if someone had called on the audience to march on the Assembly, they would have.  And that's what nature needs, an army of people who care enough to make a real difference for our wildlife.  Do you want it enough to stand up and help nature?

The State of Nature report is just one of the items that we'll be putting in a time capsule next week.  When we complete the floor of The LookOut, our new eco-building, we will stash among the straw-insulation a box full of items that we think represents the RSPB and Conwy reserve in 2013.  These have been suggested by volunteers, staff, Facebook friends and Twitter followers, and if/when someone finds them in the future, they can piece together a little about our life...

The capsule includes a short explanation of why these items are important to us:

• Golden Curlew– a limited edition badge produced to celebrate RSPB Cymru’s centenary in 2011 (donated by regular visitor and stalwart supporter Brian and Alice Anstey)
• The Biggest Twitch – Alan Davies (previous manager of RSPB Conwy) and Ruth Miller spent a year travelling the world and seeing more bird species than anyone before. This is their book (donated by volunteer Jo Flint)
• RSPB Conwy trail guide – we wonder what this place looks like now! This is the guide we gave to visitors in 2013.
• Natur Cymru – recent copy of the journal that features the reserve (p.33)
• Daily Post – a copy of the regional paper for North Wales on the day we bury the capsule (hence it's not in the photo!)
• State of Birds in Wales – this describes the status of our birdlife in 2012.  We hope that the declines have been reversed and that you can still see our threatened species in Wales.
• Fluffy Lapwing – the Lapwing is one of the most rapidly declining species in Wales, but a few pairs still nest at Conwy. Squeeze it to see if the call still works – we fear it will be silent!
• Birds and Y Barcud – the RSPB’s membership magazine and newsletter for Wales
• Staff and volunteers – a photo of Team Conwy, in summer 2012. Names are on the reverse.
• Bird list – this is the list of birds seen on the reserve yesterday, reported to Birdtrack.net
• Carneddau ponies – the grassland on the reserve is grazed by ponies owned by Glanwydden farmer Gareth Jones. Long may they graze the habitat in the mountains across the river.*
• Review of 2012 – This review of the wildlife seen on the reserve last year includes photos by visitors, selected each month through an online competition.
• RSPB teapot – from our Coffee Shop.
• Conwy Connections Bulletin and MudMag – how we kept visitors in touch with the development project that included The LookOut
• Summer Bingo – one way that younger visitors are encouraged to discover the reserve.
• RSPB sweatshirt – as worn by staff and volunteers.

*you'll be reassured to know that we haven't squeezed a Carneddau pony into the box, we've included a recent report by Aberystwyth University that shows these animals are genetically unique and efforts must be made to ensure their survival.

We've also included a printout of the most recent two blogs, which describe how we have built The LookOut, and the business cards of Strawworks and Greenbuilt who we've worked with to put it up.

We haven't set a date for the time capsule to be opened; it'll be found at some point in the future, hopefully long after you and me have handed the baton for caring about nature to a future generation. But we have registered the capsule with the International Time Capsule Society which retains a master record of all the time capsules across the globe. 

While the capsule may be discovered at some date in the future, our work to reverse the declines in nature have already started. We need to change those trends much sooner, in the next decade, if our wildlife is going to be robust in a changing world.  We know that it can be done, but it needs more. More help, more support, more people who care.  Maybe that's how we should see our time capsule: in 2013, the year that the world woke up and made a difference.