What’s new?
22 January 2007
Great crested newts receive a helping hand
Their watery habitat gets a make-over to improve living conditions
Over the past few months work has taken place at the main pond at Ramsey Heights Countryside Classroom, to increase it's size out of concern for a large population of great crested newts.
Over the past four years, drier than normal summers and winters have led to a reduction in open water in the main pond, severely limiting the area available to this rare species.
In October, about a tenth of the pond was excavated with a digger to create a larger area of open water. Unfortunately the digger was unable to get closer to excavate more so a team of volunteers from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Amphibian and Reptile Group (CPARG) and the Huntingdonshire Local Group of the Wildlife Trust stepped in to remove reed and accumulated debris by hand.
Helen Moore, centre manager at the Countryside Classroom said ”I hope the great crested newts and their smaller relations, the smooth newts, will appreciate the hard work and reward us with good views next spring! I’m very grateful for the hard work of the volunteers in restoring part of the pond and look forward to working with them again.”
Both CPARG and the Wildlife Trust organise work parties at weekends, which provide an opportunity to help improve habitats for wildlife while getting the health benefits of fresh air and exercise. Details of Wildlife Trust work parties are on the events pages. For information about CPARG activities, contact Steve or Madeleine Parnwell 01487 823198.