Dudley - Saltwells Nature Reserve Support Group
Project: Saltwells Nature Reserve Support Group
Date: 23rd November 2011 to 31st December 2012
Amount awarded: £36,000
About
This project can be broken down into 3 areas:
1. Landscape improvements
Paths – renovate the brook path with steps for better safety for walkers and resurfacing existing paths
Fencing – New fencing to Cinder bank help with conservation grazing and repair damage of other fencing due to vandalism
Kissing gates – replacing the old wooden styles that are rotten and broken, which will also provide better access for pensioners who struggle to get over the current styles, as well as pushchairs and wheelchairs.
Tombstones – Erect new signs at the entrance of the nature reserve for information and signposting, which will be in decorative tombstones.
Signs – Erect new warning signs to ward off fly tipping and illegal grazing and information boards and maps, together with a sign to provide information about the Bell pits.
2. Educational improvements
Bat conservation scheme – Saltwells Nature Reserve hosts a total of 18 species of bats that are protected by UK and European Law. Their conservation required the purchase of new protection boxes. To increase involvement by young people we will ask them to design and build wooden boxes as part of our participation programme. They will also arrange night walks for adult Bat watchers.
Sculpture Trail – Working with the Wardens and a local designer to put up a sculpture trail that will improve the educational potential and act as a tourist attraction. The trail will also link the reserve to the Mushroom Green site which has a lot of wetlands. The trail will consist of ironworks in the shape of animals scattered around the reserve and iron train sculpture, which will be a replica of the existing old wooden train (that has now reverted back to nature) on the site with background history of the site
Educational participation – Once the new wardens/visitor centre is completed the group will increase their work with local schools.
3. Sustainability (Visitors Centre)
They aim to increase the usage of the site and its potential as a tourist attraction through the development of the new visitor centre and wardens base. They aim to use FST funding to equip the new centre with equipment that will enable proper use of the new facilities including, such as furniture, signage, activity support.
They aim to recruit and train volunteers to support the site. This will include developing a volunteer policy and training resources, as well as statutory training in health and safety, risk assessment etc. This will include restarting the junior supporters group, WASP Wildlife and Saltwells Protection Scouts
They aim to organise an Open Day event/tour of the site to increase the local awareness and provide an opportunity to showcase some of the educational activities available at the nature reserve.
Back to top