annualreview 2018-2019 A WILDER Creati ng HERTFORDSHIRE AND MIDDLESEX MIKE FOSSEY (C) WREN ANNUAL REVIEW Wildlife Highlights Thank You Over the past year, the all weathers to work on The Trust has • Barnacle goose, goldeneye, hobby Trust has been working our reserves and in the and crossbill seen at Stocker’s Lake hard to protect and wider countryside to the enhance wild places ongoing support our • Regular views of Norfolk hawker HOLLAND MARGARET Barnacle goose in Hertfordshire and members and donors - dragonfly for visitors to Amwell Middlesex. The future each and every one helps • Southern migrant hawker dragonfly was undoubtedly holds many to make Hertfordshire recorded at Rye Meads and King’s Meads challenges for wildlife in and Middlesex a wilder the UK, including climate place, creating havens for • 50 green-winged orchids counted at change and the need for rare species and beautiful 11,982 Hunsdon Meads, our highest number robust legislation, but places to visit. memberships since 2014 we remain committed to Thank you. • White-letter hairstreak butterfly creating a wilder future spotted at Aldbury Nowers for generations to come. for the second year running The Trust’s work is only • Water Voles found in the Colne made possibly with the at Broadwater Lake, and doing help of our supporters, 22,642 well at Tewinbury and Thorley Wash from volunteers braving individual members PAULLANE Green-winged orchid Water vole SAVORY RUSSELL LEMSFORD SPRINGS (C) JOSH KUBALE JOSH LEMSFORD SPRINGS(C) White-letter hairstreak PETER ELTON 2 annualreview 2018-2019 annualreview 2018-2019 3 ANNUAL REVIEW Wildlife conservation JOSH KUBALE JOSH on nature reserves… Amwell Frogmore Meadows triples in size Amazing grazers Habitat creation Thanks to a generous legacy from Gerald instrumental in helping the Trust care for This year, our flock of sheep was joined At Amwell, we have started a large-scale project Salisbury, we were able to purchase land the reserve. As recognition of his dedication by a team of pigs and goats to deliver to keep this site internationally important at Frogmore Meadows to triple the size to the site, we have named the original our conservation grazing programme. for wildfowl and other wildlife. In addition to of the reserve. The extended nature reserve ‘Gerald’s Meadow’. The pigs and goats helped us to trial grazing with goats and pigs, Great Hardmead reserve is designated as a Site of new habitat management techniques at Lake has seen re-profiling work and a sluice has Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Amwell – respectively turning up the soil been installed to better control the water levels. comprises rare water meadows and around the main viewpoint and helping one of the most biodiverse meadows with scrub encroachment at Hollycross. in the Chess Valley. The Trust has Meanwhile a new flock of Herdwick been managing the original nature sheep has allowed us to graze Patmore reserve since 1985 using traditional Heath and to introduce grazing to a meadow-management techniques new area of Aldbury Nowers, improving including grazing and haymaking. the habitats for butterflies and other invertebrates. Frogmore Meadows sits in a floodplain and the soils found there, when managed correctly, support an abundance of meadow grasses, orchids and wildflowers. Creating healthy In summer, Frogmore Meadows is a mass of beautiful flowers which heathland are an important food source for many insects. Hertford Heath is one of the last remaining patches of open heathland Gerald, who sadly passed in Hertfordshire. In February, we scraped away in 2015, had been a long- KUBALE JOSH Buff-tailed bumblebee at Frogmore Meadows away layers of topsoil, felled trees and term volunteer warden at cleared scrub, creating ideal conditions Herdwick Sheep Frogmore Meadows and was JOSH KUBALE for heather and gorse to thrive. 4 annualreview 2018-2019 annualreview 2018-2019 5 ANNUAL REVIEW … and in the wider countryside TATTON PETER River Mimram Pioneering new River wildlife Going Batty research The Living Rivers Project achieved The Hertfordshire Barbastelle a huge amount to protect Bat Project, in partnership with We are working with Environment Agency, Hertfordshire’s rare chalk streams the Herts & Middlesex Bat Group, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and in the last year. Through the project has carried out surveys and Thames Water on a pioneering new project we have continued to co-ordinate used remote detectors in several to shed light on ducks’ behaviour by fitting eight river partnerships, supported woodlands. The second ever them with GPS trackers. The project aims to riverfly monitoring, coordinated maternity colony of barbastelle increase our understanding of how waterfowl new projects on the Rib and Ash, bat to be found in Hertfordshire use water bodies in Greater London, with prepared management plans for a was discovered using radio tracking particular focus on gadwall and shoveler. variety of landowners and worked at Ashridge. We are working The project will help to identify which water with fisheries such as Amwell Magna SHUTTERSTOCK closely with the Ashridge Estate bodies are most important for these species and delivered the annual River Lea to ensure these are findings Barbastelle bat and inform recommendations for their Catchment Conference. taken into account. conservation management. The Water Vole Project has trained A Wetland Vision for Bats focuses on volunteers to support surveys for research into Nathusius’ pipistrelle water voles and organised two populations in the Colne Valley. The annual conferences on water project is a partnership of the Trust, voles and invasive non-native Lee Valley Regional Park, Maple Lodge species, covering the Lea and Colne Nature Reserve, Three Rivers District catchments. Water vole surveys Council and the Hillingdon Natural have found encouraging signs in History Society. Twelve Nathusius’ the Colne at Broadwater Lake and pipistrelles were caught and ringed the populations at Tewinbury at study sites and one female was and Thorley Wash are thriving. radio tracked to a mating roost, Gadwall at Rye Meads with GPS tag ROPER PAUL Water vole which is the first roost ever recorded in the area. RUSSELL SAVORY 6 annualreview 2018-2019 annualreview 2018-2019 7 ANNUAL REVIEW Standing up for wildlife Impact on housing and infrastructure proposals Male blackcap at Lemsford Springs Over the year, we have been checking 23,000 JOSH KUBALE planning applications, giving close scrutiny to 1,200 of these and commenting on over 200, including 125 objections. In the vast majority of cases, our comments and objections resulted in positive changes. The Trust’s recommended policies on biodiversity were included in the East Herts District Plan, giving protection to wildlife and wild spaces and ensuring they are properly taken into account within the Herts Environmental planning process. We are encouraging other authorities in our area to take the same Records Centre approach, which is being used as a national Laws Farm KUBALE JOSH exemplar by the Royal Society of Wildlife Herts Environmental Records Trusts and Natural England. Centre (HERC) continues to build its evidence base; the total number of records currently stands at over 2.4 million, having increased by 5,000 records over the past year. Data Influencingdecision makers from HERC has been used to inform Neighbourhood Plans and ecological We continue to champion wildlife through priority for the Trust in terms of having local reports for planning applications. our advocacy work with local government, impact and benefiting local communities. HERC continues to support the MPs and business leaders on specific We are very pleased to continue working with Local Wildlife Sites partnership and subjects such as the impact of Brexit and Harpenden Town Council and to have started plays an important role in helping to shape the management of our the future of agri-environment funding and a new partnership with Stevenage Borough nature reserves. wildlife legislation. Council, through which we are delivering a programme of community engagement Working with local authorities remains a and conservation activities. HOBSON PAUL 8 annualreview 2018-2019 annualreview 2018-2019 9 ANNUAL REVIEW Connecting people with wildlife HUSSEY CHARLOTTE Festival of Wildlife Volunteering 687 Engagement and Events Our Volunteer Wardens and their assistants volunteers Over 5,400 people, including a busy programme of play an invaluable role in helping to manage more than 1,200 children, conservation and community and monitor our nature reserves. enjoyed our programme engagement. Activities have 5,400 of walks, talks and events been engaging children at people The Nature Reserves and Wildlife Sites gave which included the Festival local schools, scout and guide Trainee programme had another successful enjoyed of Wildlife and Apple groups. Our new practical year, with trainees learning practical Day. New events such as conservation work days for conservation and ecological field skills. 18,509 smartphone safaris, wildlife families have proved very 219 events Our new volunteer fundraising team has cruises along the River Lea popular. Guided walks and been developing and has started to bring hours and river dipping for adults talks have been given for a in vital new income for the Trust. have been well received. Our wide variety of community paid-for events programme and interest groups, alongside Many more volunteers support us, including has continued to grow and a busy programme of public wildlife