Lee Schofield is a naturalist and nature writer living and working in the Lake District National Park. As Senior Site Manager for RSPB Haweswater, Lee manages a large upland hill farm and conservation operation.
His interests include river restoration, rewilding, reintroductions and farming in the British countryside. His first book, Wild Fell, is due to be published by Penguin/Transworld in 2022.
Lee writes regularly for Cumbria Life Magazine, and has had articles published in BBC Wildlife Magazine, British Wildlife Magazine as well as a range of other academic and professional publications.
Agent: Patrick Walsh, PEW Literary
Articles
Beautiful, broken or both? Article for Love & Soil, a slow conversation between farmers and conservationists, published March 2021. loveandsoil.org/lee-schofield-article
National Parks, Beauty & Riches. Guest blog for Mark Avery following the launch of UK National Parks in 100 Seconds film. markavery.info/12 Feb 2022
Thrown to the wolves. Final article in Shadow Species series focuses on the wolves of the Lake District. Cumbria Life/Feb 2021
Back from the dead. Eighth article in Shadow Species series focuses on red kites, ospreys and goshawks, species which have returned from extinction. Cumbria Life/Jan 2021
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
Exmoor rewilding. Guest blog for Mark Avery about the controversy around a vision for nature recovery in Exmoor National Park. markavery.info/16 Nov 2020
Pine martens to the rescue? Sixth article in Shadow Species series focuses on pine martens. Cumbria Life/Nov 2020. Version also available as a WildHaweswater post
The return of the Lek. Fifth article in Shadow Species series focuses on black grouse. Cumbria Life/Oct 2020. Version also available as a WildHaweswater post
Ratty’s return. Fourth article in Shadow Species series focuses on water voles. Cumbria Life/Sept 2020. Version also available as a WildHaweswater post
The silencing of summer. Third article in Shadow Species series focuses on corncrake. Cumbria Life/August 2020. Version also available as a WildHaweswater post
Where eagles dared. Second article in Shadow Species series focuses on golden and white talked eagles. Cumbria Life/July 2020. Version also available as WildHaweswater post
Beaver fever. First article in Shadow Species series focuses on beavers, and their return to Cumbria. Cumbria Life/June 2020.
Balancing culture and nature in the Lake District. Co-written with Malcolm Ausden, Danny Teasdale and David Hampson. British Wildlife/April 2020
The Shining River. Article for the RSPB describing restoration of the Swindale Beck in Cumbria. RSPB Website/March 2020
CSI Lake District. Article focusing on the theft of one of England’s rarest mountain flowers. BBC Wildlife Magazine/Feb 2020
Rewilding in a managed landscape – the Swindale Beck restoration project. Co-writen with Jean Johnston, George Heritage and Oliver Southgate. In Practice (CIEEM)/March 2017
Interviews
Plant thefts are on the rise – and here’s why your garden could be at risk. Interviewed for an article on plant thefts, where I talk about the theft of pyramidal bugle from a remote crag in the Lake District. Telegraph/February 2021
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
It is a very contested landscape. Interview for Inkcap Journal, talking about work at Haweswater and land management elsewhere in the Lake District. First interview in the Future Land series. Inkcap Journal/Jan 2021
Restoration in the Lake District. Interview to talk about river restoraion. BBC Radio 4 Open Country/August 2020
‘Thank you Greta’: natural solutions to UK flooding climb the agenda. Interviewed as part of wider piece on natural flood management. The Guardian/April 2020
Endangered plant species thefts on the rise, conservationists warn. Interviewed to talk about the theft of pyramidal bugle from its only location in the wild in England. The Telegraph/Feb 2020
Academic
Ewing, S.R., Menéndez, R., Schofield, L. & Bradbury, R.B. (2020) Vegetation composition and structure are important predictors of oviposition site selection in an alpine butterfly, the Mountain Ringlet Erebia epiphron. J Insect Conserv 24, 445–457. Accessible online
Nilsen, E. B., Milner-Gulland, E. J., Schofield, L., Mysterud, A., Stenseth, N. C., & Coulson, T. (2007). Wolf reintroduction to Scotland: public attitudes and consequences for red deer management. Proceedings. Biological sciences, 274(1612), 995–1002. Accessible online
Schofield, L. (2005). Public Attitude Toward Mammal Reintroductions: A Highland Case Study. MSc. Imperial College, University of London. Accessible online
Films
Contact
Agent: Patrick Walsh, PEW Literary
Twitter: @leeinthelakes