Westbere Reserve - Archived news
Conservation weekend at Westbere
Volunteers took part in a range of activities from picking up litter
along the (tidal) riverbank, fence repairs, scrub clearance and reed cutting.
Any members interested in helping with future events should contact info@wildspacesfund.org.uk
for further details.
Higher Level Stewardship work begins in earnest
On Monday, we began implementing another stage of our reserve management plan as work started on the ditch and pathway running parallel to the river. Seeing chainsaws and bulldozers moving into this calm and peaceful area may seem alarming but Higher Level Stewardship involves complex, yet appropriate environmental management that aims to deliver significant ecological benefits to this high priority site.
The aim of the first phase is the rejuvenation of the ditches, habitat for numerous species and the lifeblood of the reserve. Overgrown willow trees have blocked the riverside path and the once clear, wildlife-rich dykes have become clogged with rotting vegetation.
Careful restoration by contouring one ditch bank at a time ensures minimal
disturbance to the ecosystem, allowing the bionetwork to recover quickly.
While the work is in progress, there will be some disruption to the riverside
footpath but we hope that once the ditchers leave, the reserve's natural
tranquillity will soon return.
Why not join the friends of the Wild Spaces
Fund and play your part in caring for the countryside.
Wildfowlers pitch in to clear riverbank rubbish.
With the help of the local wildfowling club, friends of the Wild Spaces Fund picked up litter from the riverbank and cleared the riverbank footpath. Dozens of keen conservationists turned out at the weekend to collect over 50 sacks of litter from a kilometre long stretch of the River Stour. This paves the way for the first phase of the ditch system rejuvenation that starts on 23rd February. The overgrown scrub and willow trees will be removed and the first few hundred metres of ditch on the southern edge of the site will be dug out, restoring the old 3-metre wide waterway. The spoil being used to raise the low-lying, frequently flooded sections of the footpath.
people preserving places
