WILD ABOUT HALTON!

What is Wild About Halton?

Wild About Halton is initially a three year project designed to promote and develop the three new Local Nature Reserves at Clincton Wood, Oxmoor and Dorchester Park as well as the proposed Local Nature Reserve at Wigg Island Community Park. The funding for the development of the project comes from the Wildspace! scheme operated by English Nature, SRB funding from Halton Partnership and from Halton Borough Council.

Wild About Halton will be continuing for the period 2005 – 2009 with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

One of the key elements of the project is the appointment of a person to manage the sites themselves and to develop their community usage. The Wildspace Officer started in post on 2nd April 2002.

The main areas on which the Wildspace Officer concentrates are as follows:

Work with schools and community groups through a variety of mediums, including the web, to explain the environmental role of the reserves. The Wildspace Officer will visit schools, encourage schools to visit the new reserves, and carry out follow up work on the web.
Development of an educational resource for the reserves including Key Stages 3 & 4.
The Wildspace Officer will encourage community involvement in the management of the reserves through the development of an Advisory Group, Friends Groups and Halton’s Natural Environment Round Table.
Creation of an interactive web site for all the new reserves.
Development of a web cam and mpeg movie resource to enable people visiting the web site to view highlights from the natural environment of the reserves.
Incorporate the Halton Biodiversity Action Plan into the development of the reserves, through the creation of habitats, monitoring of species and the implementation of complimentary management strategies.

Oxmoor

Local Nature Reserve

Reedbed habitat is a key feature of Halton’s Biodiversity Action Plan

Why do we need Local Nature Reserves?

Local Nature Reserves provide accessible natural open space.
They are important places for ensuring that the biodiversity of an area is maintained or enhanced.
They help to improve the community’s quality of life.
They protect species of local and national importance.
They enable the local community to enjoy and observe Halton’s diverse wildlife.
They provide environmental education opportunities for all ages.

Halton’s Local Nature Reserves in the Wild About Halton project

Oxmoor Local Nature Reserve

Oxmoor

Sited close to the LIDL Warehouse in Manor Park, Runcorn, this quiet reserve has well maintained pathways and has a direct link to the new cycle network. It is an important site for some nationally threatened species including the Reed Bunting and the Water Vole.

Dorchester Park Local Nature Reserve

Dorchester Park

Located in the Sandymoor area of Runcorn, access off Sandy Moor Lane, this small birch woodland reserve provides the local community with an accessible open space rich in wildlife. The small meadow areas contain Marsh and Common Spotted Orchids while the woodland areas have a healthy population of native bluebells.

Clincton Wood Local Nature Reserve

This forty acre site is found in the Ditton area of Widnes. There are four large ponds, three are fished and managed by the Clincton Angling Association, the fourth is devoted to nature. The central core of woodland is mature oak but many acres of new planting have taken place in recent years.

Wigg Island Community Park

This once contaminated area has been returned to public use. It combines an excellent path network and stunning views across the estuary. Its varied wildlife potential includes spectacular Bee Orchids and birdwatchers will enjoy the many birds of prey over the saltmarsh.

Halton’s Local Nature Reserves in the Wild About Halton project from 2005

Murdishaw Wood and Valley Local Nature Reserve

Murdishaw Valley LNR consists of an area of ancient, semi-natural woodland, owned by the Woodland Trust, surrounded on both sides by a mixture of species rich grassland and broadleaved woodland, owned by Halton Borough Council. The total area amounts to 30 hectares. Over 100 species have been recorded in the past and there is active biological recording being carried out by the Friends of Murdishaw Valley.

Daresbury Firs Local Nature Reserve

Daresbury Firs covers 10 hectares of conifer woodland and was originally planted as a commercial plantation. Active management is diversifying the range of habitats to include broadleaf woodland, heather, grassland and a pond. The woodland also provides places for birds to roost in the security of dense trees throughout the year. Over 100 species of flora and fauna have been recorded on site.

Hale Road woodland Local Nature Reserve

12 hectares of the former Speke Road landfill site is colonising into a species rich, Mersey Forest site. A specific biological survey was carried out in 2003 to record the butterfly populations on site. As the site still has operational issues relating to landfill monitoring, it is proposed to promote the educational value through guided visits only in the first year or two, using the model that has been developed for the Hale Duck Decoy nature reserve.