CONSERVATION work to improve the habitat for wildlife is under way at a chalk stream in the Lincolnshire Wolds.
The Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project, made up of a group of partner organisations is continuing its work on protecting the internationally rare chalk streams in East Lindsey.
As part of a biodiversity action plan, work has been going on to improve the flow of water and to de-silt them to improve wildlife habitat and plants such as water crowfoot.
Chalk streams, which are internationally rare due to being found on an unusual type of geology, naturally have a pebbled bed with clear water.
The latest project is a 1.8km stretch of Calceby Beck near South Thoresby.
Specialist contractors, Creative Nature, are thinning self-setting alder and clearing the beck of blockages so the stream will naturally de-silt and the water will be clear again.
Project officer, Ruth Snelson said: "It is good to work with local landowners on this who have agreed to help maintain the stream once the work is done. We would not be able to come out and do this work if it wasn't for the landowners.
"We are also going to be installing cattle drinks to help improve the chalk stream habitat. Cattle had been going to the stream to drink from which has seen the erosion of banks into the water. "There are records of bats in the area so we have had ecological surveys carried out and marked up trees to avoid. A fencing contractor will then be out on site to install more appropriate fencing and drinking areas to protect the habitat from the impacts of the cattle.
"Reducing sediment in the channel and improving the flow will help to scour the gravel exposing them for brown trout to use as spawning sites, as well as opening up the corridor for foraging bats and improving the banksides to entice water vole to the area."
The Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project was established in early 2004 and brings together a partnership of organisations including the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, Natural England, Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service, the Wild Trout Trust and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
↧