The rise of rooftop wildlife – living slices of landscape carpeted with grasses, moss and wildflowers. Interviewed for an article on green roofs, thanks to the one that tops our badger hide at Haweswater. inews/February 2021 Warm, personal, politicaland detailed, Wild Fell invites people into the evolving conversation about the future of our natural world” But Lee says we all have a responsibility to care for the entire country - not just "honey spots" like the Lakes: "We have 20 million visitors a year, crazy numbers, and we need to make the whole of the UK appealing and accessible.

Lee describes the battles he and his conservation team have faced nationally with "here today-gone tomorrow" politicians, and locally with some neighbours, all with an even hand and revealing insight. He takes respite in other wilder places, courage from his community and advice from forward thinking farmers, about how to rescue Lakeland's disappearing wildlife, through remeandering its rivers, reverting to traditional farm practices, restoring mountain flowers and bird life, and answering that killer question; "where have all the flowers gone?"

It is the same rugged Lake District, beautiful and still accessible. The shape of the mountains is the same but it's got more trees and wildlife in it. We're seeing red kites returning and the critical thing is having sheep on enclosed land rather than wandering all over the place," Lee says. Lee Schofield's Wild Fell is a soaring elegy to nature, a book infused with a deep love of place, and a stirring call to restore wildlife to our landscapes. Written with wit, verve and humility, Wild Fell is above all a story of hope, weaving together deep insights about botany and the history of the land with a wisdom won through years of practical experience. -- Guy Shrubsole In a country defined as the seventh most nature depleted on Earth, in a region plagued by flooding and climate-chaos, here comes Lee Schofield’s brilliant book full of positive action and hope for the future. Wild Fell is a record of environmental achievement, of the RSPB’s mission to restore the places and wild nature of Haweswater. But it’s also a political tract, and throws down a gauntlet to us all to make the Lake District a national park that is genuinely worthy of the title.” Restoration in the Lake District. Interview to talk about river restoraion. BBC Radio 4 Open Country/August 2020 Across the Lake District there are groups of people trying to change things, experimenting with different paths. People trying to see if there are different healthier ways, ones that provide a long-term future for people and wildlife, together. One such group is the RSPB in Haweswater, Lee Schofield is one of the rangers there and this is the story of their journey.

There are some great anecdotes in here too. The visit of the local MP, Rory Stewart, to Haweswater was followed by a positive article written by Mr Stewart, but some time later by a volte-face and an article critical of the work he had previously praised. And this is from someone who was a DEFRA minister for while. Such is life, but it’s good to see it written down here. Like the rivers it has rebent, the Haweswater project is re-wiggling farming into a more sustainable alignment with nature. And by similarly refusing to operate in siloed straight lines,Schofield’s own journey towards greater collaboration may have lessons to teach both of the UK’s rural tribes” Wild Fell is quite similar to Regeneration in that it is set in the uplands, in this case the Lake District, and is written by an employee of a large conservation organisation, in this case the RSPB, which is working its way through the issues of rewilding in a practical way. It’s a very good book dealing with important issues on the ground, with real wildlife and embedded in a real community of other landowners. A poetic journey of restoring nature in an iconic landscape. Wild Fell informs and inspires. Jake Fiennes

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Schofield, L. (2005). Public Attitude Toward Mammal Reintroductions: A Highland Case Study. MSc. Imperial College, University of London. Accessible online Whilst there have been devastating clearances of trees and diversion of water courses which have affected fish, wildlife and plant numbers, the Lake District still boasts some of the rarest, pristine habitats in its inaccessible peaks. Of tooth and claw. Seventh article in Shadow Species series focuses on wild cats. Cumbria Life/Dec 2020. Version also available as a WildHaweswater post Hexham Book Festival is a Not For Profit CIC and delivers an annual festival that takes place in and around Hexham each year. Authentic, honest and clear-sighted – Lee Schofield offers a practical and hopeful example of how to return nature to all our landscapes using imagination, compromise, humility and sheer hard work. This is an important book and fully deserves its place alongside James Rebanks and other contemporary Lakeland classics."