FILEY & HUNMANBY MERCURY,
Conservation work to redesign nature reserve has begun in Filey Dams
Work on a conservation project has began thanks to a grant of more than £30,000 to redesign a nature reserve. The “ambitious” project will see the redesign and overhaul of Filey Dams nature reserve thanks to Filey Bird Observatory and Group and its partner.
The Filey Dams at 30 project, which marks three decades since the nature reserve opened, was awarded a grant of £31,528 from Yorventure, through funds generated by Yorwaste Ltd.
One of the volunteers, Mark Pearson, said: “[The project] will see this hidden jewel of a wetland transformed as a haven for birds and wildlife on the Yorkshire Coast.”
The first phase of work is expected to be finished soon after work began within weeks of receiving the grant.
“The site is an absolute mess at the moment but that is what is suppose to happen over the coming months the benefits of the work will be revealed,” added Mr Pearson.
The project is being carried out in partnership with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Green Future Building and Wold Ecology and one of its priorities is creating and enhancing habitat for a range of wetland birds - especially wildfowl and waders.
A variety of new scrapes, and the redesigning of old ones, will maximise the reserve’s attraction and importance to many declining species.
Mr Pearson added: “A specially designed system will delicately control water levels, enabling a mosaic of wetland habitats to thrive alongside each other - great for wildlife and wonderful those who enjoy it.”
He described the site as like a service station for migrating birds and work will help improve the benefits for birds on their journey. The second phase of work to create a new public access and new hides, which is the responsibility of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, will begin when phase one is complete.
‘Hidden jewel will be a haven for birds’