Otters - Credit Carl Watts
Mid Aire Otters & Rivers Project has worked to create otter and river based habitat enhancements and creation works on five sites
The Mid Aire Otter and Rivers Project finished its 3 year run in June this year and has achieved pretty much of what it set out to do.
The project worked on 5 different sites along the Aire Valley between Kirkstall, Leeds and Bingley near Bradford, including Apperley Bridge, Denso Marstons Nature Reserve at Shipley, Buck Mill at Thackley and Rodley Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Leeds. The sites had multiple ownership, mostly Bradford Council, but also British Waterways at Hirst Lock Bingley, private land at Milnerfields and Denso Marstons and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust site, Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve in Leeds. The aim was to improve riverine habitats along the Aire Valley for otter and other wildlife, control invasive species such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed and increase the monitoring and surveying of otter along the river corridor.
Altogether the Rivers Project dug, cleared and restored over 1400 m2 of scrapes, ponds and river channel, maintained over 1.5 ha of reed bed and 6 ha of meadow, built 40 m of willow river bank revetment, repaired 15 m of bridge and boardwalk, put up 1100 m of fence line with gates to protect a valuable ox bow pond, cleared over 2 ha of invasive Himalayan balsam and 0.7 ha of willow and scrub and over 0.5 ha of giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed was treated with herbicide. We also planted 2750 trees and shrubs and 100 wildflower plugs, and installed 175 bat and bird nest boxes…and 2 barn owl boxes.
As for the Otters Project we have installed 20 otter holts, including pipe and chamber, log holts, recycled plastic and one floating holt. In addition we have also built 100 m of ‘dead hedge’ otter habitat and planted 2600 trees along the banks of the River Aire. We have also run 7 otter ID training courses for 70 volunteers to produce survey information along the Aire Valley. We will be continuing some of this work through other projects, in particular the West Yorkshire Wet Woodlands Project and also projects with the Environment Agency looking at mapping and dealing with invasive non native plant species in the Aire Catchment.
To everyone that has in some way helped and pitched in, thank you
During the two projects we have worked with almost 2500 volunteers and engaged with primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities across the region and with community groups from Settle to South Leeds. We could not have achieved anything without our partner organisations such as Bradford District and Leeds City Councils, Dreamachievers, Denso Marstons Nature Reserve, Rodley Nature Reserve, British Waterways, Leeds Aire Action, Leeds Groundwork, Bradford Ornithological Group, Leeds Ahead, Kirkstall Valley Park, Bradford Environmental Education Service, Leeds and Bradford Home Educators and Agape.
Contact
For more information please contact Don Vine by email.
