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PONDS RESTORATION

The second HART (Herefordshire Amphibian & Reptile Team) project, focused on ponds and pond life; this project aims to involve communities and schools in getting more ponds into a good state of conservation management, through restoration, or pond creation.

Part of the project includes the effort to raise further the profile and importance of ponds, to generate a wider interest in them and a better appreciation of their biodiversity through these example ponds. A series of Pond Celebration days will aid in educating communities and enthusing people to create or restore their own ponds.

Five ponds will be restored within the LEADER+ area, and all are accessible to the general public. The five local community ponds will be:

• Honeymoor Common – Eaton Bishop
• Church Lane – Edwin Ralph
• Madley Moat – Madley
• Lower House Orchards – Staunton-on-Wye
• Monnington Church Pond – Monnington

As well as all five ponds containing the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species the Great Crested Newt, Lower House Orchards pond is a site for the BAP species the Medicinal Leech, and Monnington Church Pond is a site for another BAP species, the Otter.

This project will be undertaken in four stages:

1. Education and Training – includes Pond Celebration days, involving local people and their ponds, and 15 school pond sessions
2. Local Community Involvement – includes consultation with the local parishes of the five ponds, five local Pond Groups set up, and five management plans identified
3. Pond Restoration and Management – for each of the five ponds, includes assessment and surveys of the ponds, photographic records, full restoration plans, and restoration works
4. On-going Monitoring – for each of the five ponds restored, includes providing the local Pond Group with monitoring equipment and information, and assignment of a fully-trained volunteer to each group

All results of the assessments and surveys will be passed to the Herefordshire Biological Records Centre for general conservation use.

Richard King
Hart Chairman
C/o Woodlea
Little Dewchurch
Hereford
HR2 6PS
Tel: (01432) 840421