20/05/19 - Reed planting

During the last two weeks our team of staff and volunteers have been busy planting reeds at Bank Island, with the aim of creating a reed bed in the new scrape. This project has been kindly funded by Betty’s and administered by Two Ridings Community Fund – in total £3900 has been given to the Friends of the Lower Derwent Valley for reed bed and scrape creation work at the site. 

This work, alongside the installation of Sand Martin nesting banks is aiming to increase the biodiversity and conservation significance of the site, as well as increasing visitor and public enjoyment. We are also further indebted to the York Ornithological Club, for a grant for scrape and reed bed creation elsewhere within the Lower Derwent Valley – hopefully increasing populations of key reed bed bird species, as well as plants and invertebrates. With thanks to these kind grants and the hard work of our volunteers and students, we will hopefully be enjoying some really positive changes over the next few years – many thanks as always to everyone involved, and to our team for helping to plant some of the 2500 reeds!