CONSERVATION NEWS

The official launch of the Jumping Downs Local Nature Reserve near Barham will take place on Saturday 28th June at 11am. There will be environmental games for children to take part in and a guided walk, as well as the unveiling of the interpretation panel. Light refreshments will be available, so come along and see this special chalk downland site in beautiful Kent countryside.

The Kentish Stour Countryside Project has been given the task of putting together a management proposal to restore a neglected Site of Special Scientific Interest at Weatherlees Hill near Richborough. The site consists of 75 acres (30 ha) of wet and neutral grassland which is being lost to encroaching scrub. With some interest already shown from local graziers, in the next year, we hope to go ahead organising a programme of stock fencing and major scrub clearance.

The KSCP was successful with a bid to a scheme called the Local Heritage Initiative for funding towards surveys for bats along the old Crab and Winkle Line between Canterbury and Whitstable. It is known that a colony of Natterer’s bats hibernate in the tunnel at the university but little is known about the type of environment they prefer and how bats in general use the old Line. Money will also be spent on interpreting the tunnel and involving people in the studies. The Project is in partnership with the Kent Bat Group, Archbishop’s School and the Crab and Winkle Line Trust.

These two new Local Nature Reserves were launched in the spring with good attendances at both events. At No Man’s Orchard, Chartham Hatch 9 traditional apple trees were planted whilst at Tyler Hill Meadow an interpretive panel was unveiled. Congratulations to Chartham, Harbledown and Hackington Parish Councils on owning Local Nature Reserves.

The Sheriff of Canterbury, Brian Hunter, plants an apple tree at No Man's Orchard. (Picture courtesy Kent Messenger Group.)

The KSCP has been working with Forest Enterprise on some major biodiversity projects in Clowes (Blean), King’s (Challock) and Covert Woods (Barham) all of which have public benefits as well. King’s Wood is the latest site where work has started. Rides (tracks through woodland used to extract timber) are being widened by removing sweet chestnut coppice to provide a gradation of habitat from grass to taller herbs, to scrub and shrubs. This will provide a greater range of plants in the wood and increase the number of butterflies and other wildlife species.

The Friend's of King's Wood have been helping with the clearance of an ancient Windmill mound in the forest, removing growth to open up the site to create a lovely glade as well as help to protect the field monument from further damage. A programme of guided walks and tasks has been published by the friends and is available to anybody who is interested. Please call the office for your copy.

The Heath Countryside Corridor Group (HCC) who are actively purchasing parcels of land between Lenham and Charing have been successful with gaining grants to purchase Lenham Heath Sandpit, a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI). A management plan for the site is being compiled in order to conserve the valuable wildlife as well as to encourage public use of the site. It is hoped this is just the first of many green spaces purchased in the area for the benefit of the local community. HCC will be officially launched with an activity day in the sand pit on Sunday 29th June.

Work has been carried out by KSCP volunteers on several farms that entered the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) last year. One example is at Bank Farm, Mersham where work involved hedge planting 220m, tree planting 300, clearing wire and coppicing trees around two ponds and fencing a new pond. Other sites have seen extensive hedge management and planting as well as fencing of newly created grassland. The KSCP has helped with preparing several CSS applications this year, which if successful will create extensive new wildlife habitat around farmland in the Stour Valley.

The excellent biodiversity work, which has been carried out on land surrounding the Quest Factory in Ashford, was highlighted when the venue was chosen for an international biodiversity conference by ICI. A tour, lead by KSCP, of the site explained what habitat improvement work had been undertaken and how easily this could be repeated on other industrial sites. Rather than stand back and admire what has been achieved at Quest the staff have continued to improve the site. A new hedge has been planted along the front of the site and additional wildflower seed has been sown in the meadow.

Staff installing a kingfisher box at Quest 

Lily Vale Farm in Smeeth has seen so much new habitat created with the help of KSCP that they are in danger of being over run with wildlife! With funding from Rail Link Countryside Initiative (RLCI) and Interreg 3,450m of new hedging has been planted, two ponds created and a section of hedge coppiced. Believe it or not more work is planned for next year…

This pilot workshop held in Wye at the beginning of March was attended by 55 people all willing to learn and exchange ideas about good horse pasture management. The feedback from the day suggests there is a lot more which can be done to help and inform horse owners about good practice which will benefit wildlife and improve the landscape. Watch this space.

Kentish Stour Countryside Project
Sidelands Farm, Wye, Ashford, Kent TN25 5DQ
01233 813307
kentishstour@kent.gov.uk