This project started in March 2007. The aim is to restore five ponds, and also, through a series of five pond celebration days, to encourage and enthuse landowners to create or restore their own ponds. We will involve local communities in all stages of the project. We hope to raise the profile and importance of ponds, with a wider interest in them and a better appreciation of their biodiversity.
The five ponds to be restored are at Honeymoor Common, Madley Moat, Lower House Orchards in Staunton-on-Wye, Holme Lacy College and Ross-on-Wye adjacent to the Wild Connections walk. At Honeymoor Common the pond is overrun with reedmace and has a problem with the invasive alien plant Crassula helmsii. Madley Moat is very heavily shaded by willow so needs substantial tree coppicing and clearance of branches and old rubbish from the pond itself. It is also a listed ancient monument. The pond at Lower House Orchard also has a lot of reedmace, and is badly silted up.
For each of the ponds a programme of consultation and training will be undertaken to ensure the local people and owners have their say and are happy with the plans. The training will be in pond life identification and pond maintenance – how to manage the pond to ensure it maintains its biodiversity. A specialist consultant will produce a restoration plan for each pond.
Once the plans are approved by Natural England and other statutory bodies the major clearance and restoration will be contracted to professionals with specialist equipment, while volunteers will provide the support and unskilled labour. Where practical, restoration would try to include creation of land based habitat support.
We aim to set up a local Pond Group in each place to work with the project and a HART trained volunteer would be allocated to each Pond Group. All results of assessments and surveys will be passed to the Herefordshire Biological Records Centre for general conservation use.
The Pond Celebration Days are taking place at attractive ponds round the county. The sessions aim to show people the beauty and diversity of life in and around a pond and provide practical ideas about how to make and look after a pond, how important ponds are, even the smallest ones, and what a joy it is to have a wildlife pond.
Any volunteers interested in helping out with pond work or the celebration events are welcome. For more information please contact Darylle Hardy at Herefordshire Nature Trust 01432 356872.
The Pond Restoration and Celebration Project is jointly run by HART and HNT.