The Great Fen vision: seeding for the future
The latest step in the Great Fen vision started as a fenland farm was sown with grass seed for the first time, says Nik Shelton of the Wildlife Trust in Cambridgeshire.
The latest step in the Great Fen vision started as a fenland farm was sown with grass seed for the first time. Speechly’s Farm, between Woodwalton Fen and Holme Fen, was purchased by the trust last year with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and a major public appeal.
Farming on peat soil is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in Cambridgeshire and, as the peat erodes, year-on-year normal agricultural practices are becoming unsustainable. At Speechly’s we have now sown a mix of five native grasses. Later in the year it will be grazed before groundwork begins in the new year to transform it into a wetland habitat. The vegetation and water will lock in the carbon, whilst providing a habitat for wetland birds, plants and insects.
Within the new wetland we will be creating plots to trial wet farming, or paludiculture. This has become a key part of the Great Fen story and will allow us to show farmers how they can grow crops like bulrush which is used to make insulated clothing, without draining the land.
This 134-hectare site is getting a new life which will help ensure the Cambridgeshire Fens have a sustainable future for people and wildlife.
You can find out more about this project and the nature of the fens on the Great Fen Ecotour which is happening on 15 June. Henry Stanier, the Great Fen monitoring & research officer, will lead a full day of walks and talks which will take you on a natural history journey of this amazing landscape. The day runs from 9am to 5.30pm with an optional extra bird-ringing session at 7am. Visit our events page at wildlifebcn.org/events and put ‘ecotour’ in the keyword search to book.
30 Days Wild
Looking for a nature connection this summer? Why not take part in 30 Days Wild – the Wildlife Trusts big annual wildlife challenge which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
For the past decade people have been doing one wild thing every day in June, filling their free wallcharts and getting inspiration and tips with regular emails throughout the month. Walk in a wildflower meadow, build a bug hotel, visit a wood, sow wildflower seeds in your garden – or anything else that gets you up close with nature.
Sign up at wildlifebcn.org/30DaysWild and get a helping hand by attending a local wildlife event – find one for you at wildlifebcn.org/events.
Join a bat punt safari
The annual bat punt safaris on the River Cam have become a firm favourite on the local wildlife calendar. They kicked off a few days ago and will run until September.
Starting at the Scudamore’s punt station on Mill Lane in Cambridge the tour lasts around 90 minutes and you’ll learn all about the world’s only flying mammals from our expert guides as well as having a go on a bat detector which allows you to hear their calls.
The Cam is home to several species of bat including common and soprano pipistrelles, noctules and Daubenton’s bats. The tours have introduced thousands of people to the nighttime world of bat behaviour as well as raising an amazing £60,000 for conservation.
Find out more and book at wildlifebcn.org/bat-punts.
Recycling used tree guards
We plant thousands of trees on our reserves as part of our work to create new woodland areas and also to replace trees which have fallen. In the past couple of years we have had to remove large numbers of ash trees in Cambridgeshire woodlands which have succumbed to ash dieback disease.
In order to protect the young saplings we use tree guards which can create waste, so we’re always looking at ways to tackle this. Our Cambridge reserves team recently gathered hundreds of tree guards from Trumpington Meadows and other nature reserves around the city and took them to the Forest Centre in Marston Moretaine where they will be recycled or reused as part of a scheme being run by conservationists and manufacturers.
In the future we’re looking to reduce the need for tree guards by trialling new methods including spraying the young saplings with emulsified sheep fat which stops them being eaten by deer.
