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APRIL 2007 TO APRIL 2009
COLNE VALLEY BAT
PROJECT
The first ever
bat survey of the Colne Valley HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
We have worked
closely with the West Yorkshire Bat Group and a team of dedicated
volunteers to survey six 2km transects. We are proving
that a detailed survey can be carried out with a little training,
some equipment and above all, enthusiasm.
Bat Project Follow Up
Funding has been secured from SITA to take the Bat Project into
its next stage.
The £24000 grant will be spread between a number of sub-projects,
all designed to enhance the Upper Colne Valley and increase the
habitats for the 8 species of bat to be found within the Colne
Valley.
Three locations have been targeted for improvements; the River
Project Tree Nursery (Lees Mill Lane, Linthwaite), Rotcher Woods
in Slaithwaite, and Tunnel End Reservoir and Picnic Site
(Marsden).
Improvements will be varied, at the Tree Nursery hedge plants have
been situated all along the boundaries to create corridors for bat
flight (studies suggest that bats prefer to fly and hunt along
corridors rather than across open fields). Bat boxes have been
located at this site.
In Upper Rotcher, quite large scale woodland management operations
are planned to thin the trees presently there, this process to
involve the pollarding of some trees and creation of standing
dead-wood, and also to populate the understory with shrub species
(such as hazel and low growing coppice trees). Bat boxes will be
installed here as well.
More work will be undertaken at Tunnel End. Since this is an
active reservoir, work undertaken here will have to be discussed
with British Waterways before finalisation, but will also involve
the installation of bat boxes and habitat improvement.
The crowning glory of the project has to be the construction of a
Bat Tower at the tree nursery. This is a unique project aiming at
creating a new standard in bat conservation.
The tower (currently awaiting planning permission) will be
constructed in the style of local mill chimneys, will be clad in
local stone, and will incorporate features especially designed to
encourage bat roosting, such as 'bat bricks', internal baffles
(for bats to hang on), and an inspection lid to allow access to
clean and view the inhabitants. The tower will have to be built to
an extremely high standard - since bats live for 20-30 years, any
roost lasting less than 150-200 years would only be of use to a
limited number of generations.
Above:
Planning permission for the bat tower has been sought, the plans
above show the basic features of the tower.
Huddersfield ARKs for Crayfish
In April 2008, the River Project put in a bid for funding to find
ARKs for native White-clawed crayfish. We were successful, and a
£5000 grant was secured from Kirklees Environmental Grant Scheme
(KEGS).
Native crayfish are severely under threat from the encroachment of
the Signal crayfish, introduced at one time as a tasty and larger
alternative to the White-clawed crayfish. Sadly, as with many other
species introductions, this has proved to be a major problem for the
native crayfish, putting their existence in jeopardy. Not only are
native crayfish smaller and more docile, they are also extremely
prone to diseases that are carried, but not suffered, by the
invading species. The arrival of signal crayfish to a population can
bring about the extinction of a native population in 4-6 years
merely by competition, while studies suggest that a native
population can be wiped out by the presence of crayfish plague
within weeks.
Huddersfield Narrow Canal may well be one of the few remaining
havens in this area for the native species. A study undertaken in
2002 showed a large population in the canal, and more recent studies
by the Environment Agency show that they are to be found in the
Upper Colne as well. Since signal crayfish are believed to be in the
Huddersfield Broad Canal, in the Fenay Beck and also to be found in
the Peak Forest Canal (Stalybridge), the native species currently
present in the Upper Colne Valley are at threat.
There is, sadly, no
way of protecting white-clawed crayfish from the encroachment of
these invaders. Even a wide-spread trapping programme will not halt
the spread of signal crayfish (despite what you may hear or read in
the media). As a result, the long term plan for the salvation of the
native crayfish is to remove them from the waterways and place
populations into remote and isolated waterbodies, in order that
other species cannot invade or get at them. These sites are known as
ARKs, since they are intended to protect the species from extinction
(like Noah's ARK).
OUCH!
A melonistic
white-clawed crayfish gives a researcher a nip. The white-clawed
crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) is the only crayfish
native to the British Isles. It is severely under threat from
competition and disease brought by American signal crayfish
introduced into British Waterways for the restaurant trade.
(Photo: River Colne Project)
Please be
aware: trapping of any crayfish requires a licence. Introducing
non-native crayfish to any watercourse is punishable by law, as is
handling or trapping native white-clawed crayfish without a licence.
Tree Nursery
The tree nursery
on Lees Mill Lane is well on its way now. The land for the nursery
is leased to us by Thornton and Ross Chemicals, and will eventual
house a workshop, potting shed, poly-tunnel, and outdoor
classroom.
The idea behind
the tree nursery is to allow local school students a chance to
learn a bit about their local surroundings. An education pack is
being put together to allow schools to use the site to pot up
locally gathered seed, grow their own plants and so learn more
about how trees develop over time. The first fruits of this
project were sadly diminished by a deluge that washed many of the
seeds planted last autumn away. Some small rowan trees survived,
however, and now need potting on.
Besides this, a
small collection of local (or naturalised local) fruit trees have
been planted (we have five small plums this year so far!), and are
doing well. Along the margins of the field have been planted 2-300
hedge species to encourage bat migration, and 9 native specimen
trees have also been located along the field margins. It is hoped
that these, given free rein to grow naturally, will show great
examples of potential size and shape to future generations of
Colne Valley residents. The species were chosen for their ability
to cope with the local climate and location, as well as some being
slightly less common species. With the Common Oak (Quercus
robur), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), Birch (Betula
pendula), Bird Cherry (Prunus padus) and Alder (Alnus
glutinosa), are planted Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Lime
(Tilia cordata), Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), and
Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra).
Funding for the
continuing work at the tree nursery have come from the Kirklees
Environment Grant Scheme and Breathing Spaces. Work to build the
nursery will continue over the winter, after that it will be
available for use for many years to come.
River
Clean Ups
A recent letter in the Examiner suggested that although the River
Colne was now much cleaner and the water quality vastly improved
(thanks in part at least to long term programmes set in place by
many of the industries up and down the valley), there was still a
major problem with the visual and physical cleanliness of
the river and valley.
Barry Sheerman, the local Colne Valley MP got involved with this
issue after being contacted by a friend who is a keen angler. As a
result a meeting was held between many stakeholders in the
subject,
EA, Yorkshire Water, Kirklees
Borough Council, Paddock Community Forum, River Colne Project,
Calder Catchment Rivers Assn (soon to be Calder & Colne Rivers
Trust), Slaithwaite Angling Assn, Urban Mines, Environmental
Alliance, and Britvic (large local drinks manufacturer, formerly
Ben Shaws). It was
generally agreed that any project to improve the river would have
to be based on
the availability of good funding (i.e. arranged prior to the
project starting), and to be funded for an initial three year
plan. Such a plan would also have to be set out ready for any
project officer(s) to begin immediately.
It was decided
that the River Colne Project, owing to their long presence in the
Valley, along with the Environmental Alliance and Urban Mines
would work together to outline a plan in order to begin a long
term project to open up access and improve the visual aspect of
the river.
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