Site News
Stay Informed: email us to be added to the Newsletter mailing list
Funding for learning opportunities
Dec 26, 2023
We have been succesful in getting funding through Southampton University's PERu grant to run a SLIME DNA BIOBLITZ.
Q: What's a Bioblitz?
A: Citizen Science!
A BioBlitz is a race against time to create a snapshot of the variety of life found in a specific location.
Wildlife experts and the wider public work together, to find and identify as many species of plants, animals and fungi as possible.
Come help us find as many species as we can!
We will be inviting lots of experts down to the site, so why not come along and pick their brains!
We have some very special guests joining us.
The National Biofilms Innovation Centre will be showing us all the secrets that DNA can hold, as we take water and soil samples to find out who's been using the reserve.
If you are doing a GCSE or A-Level in Biology, you don't want to miss this opportunity to be ahead of your classmates!
We'll have plenty of activities for both kids and adults including pond dipping, seed planting, butterfly transects, dragonfly chasing, bush bashing, moth trapping and more.
We'll start by holding an early morning dawn chorus using different song apps to hear what's living above our heads.
And we'll be finishing with an adults only bat session at dusk: email us to book.
There's still lots more to be confirmed!
POND MANAGEMENT WORK
Jan 26, 2022
Pond work update!
Things have suddenly moved forward fast in that further pond works are to started Monday 31st January 2022!
Southampton City Council have contracted an ecology company to bring a large floating excavator and vacuum pump. This will be on the pond dredging and creating both deeper and shallow areas.
A fish nursery area is to be created along with a shallow area for newts and bugs etc.
Areas of willow both within the pond and around the pond are to be removed along with lilies and other non-native/invasive plants.
All excavations will remain on site with most being deposited on the island and some around the banks to reinforce them.
In the short term this will not look particularly pretty!
However, when completed and following some grow back the life of the pond will be hugely increased as will the diversity, habitats etc. There will also be variable depths too for fish and will enhance fishing, as well as new platform areas.
As yet, no update on fish stocking but it is likely to be native species. Will add further updates as we get them.
Thanks for your ongoing support and patience, we are really excited to restore the pond and secure its future for many more generations.
Sholing valleys Study Centre Association, Environment Agency and Southampton County Council.