11:16am Sunday 3rd December 2006
EFFORTS to improve a nature reserve on the outskirts of Welwyn Garden City for endangered water voles are paying off.
The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, which carried out extensive work on its reserve at Tewinbury earlier this year, discovered increased signs of the mammals in a recent survey.
The trust's water vole expert Alison Washbrook said: "The Mimram is vitally important for water voles as it has lots of great habitat, such as wide fringes of bankside vegetation, and is also not well-used by American mink, one of the main culprits for water vole losses across the UK.
"The works at Tewinbury ensure it will remain an extremely valuable site for water voles and other wetland species."
Water voles, once a common site in Hertfordshire rivers, streams and lakes, have suffered a catastrophic decline across Britain of more than 90 per cent over the last 20 years.
The trust, concerned that the wetland reserve near Tewin was drying out and becoming overgrown by willow scrub, secured funding from the Environment Agency for habitat improvement work last winter.
With the help of a 13-tonne excavator, silt was removed from the lake and new pools and ditches created.
An old wall was repaired to enable water levels to be raised and scrub blocking water flows removed.
As well as increased signs of water voles, which are detected by their droppings, footprints and larders of neatly stacked vegetation, kingfishers, water rails, siskins and little owls have been seen at Tewinbury recently.
The Mimram, which supplies the reserve's water, has aroused a lot of concern recently, with large sections drying up completely.
Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps has called for a water supply bore hole to be relocated to relieve pressure on the river in the Welwyn area.
Ms Washbrook, who is keen to hear from anyone with information about water voles, can be contacted on 01727 858901 or alison.washbrook@hmwt.org
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk