Creating a wildlife haven in the Yorkshire Wolds

NEWSFLASH!

We’ve made huge progress on our rewilding project for wildlife here in the Yorkshire Wolds already. The mesh fence has been removed and we are now looking and creating the wildlife corridor and creating wildlife habitats. Take a look at the page at the end of this post to see what we’ve been up to and what we are doing next.

Help to create wildlife corridors and support our re-wilding project in East Yorkshire.

I’ve moved to a wildlife haven in the Yorkshire Wolds in East Yorkshire which has so much potential for wildlife. But currently much of the property is surrounded by high mesh fencing which means wildlife, including hedgehogs, can’t get in or out. Much of the l acre of land is also covered in buildings and concrete from an old cattery. We are donating many of the units to have a new lease of life at a large wildlife sanctuary but are raising funds for phase 1 of our wildlife project. This includes:

• Managing a 200 metre ditch for wildlife
• Removing over 200 metres of tall mesh fences that act as barriers to wildlife
• Adding bird and bat boxes along the length of the corridor
• Installing a barn owl box
• Planting 16 native trees in a new woodland area of the wildflower meadow to include: Alder Buckthorn, Spindle, Crab Apple, Hazel, Rowan, Field Maple, Silver Birch and Wild Cherry.
• Ensure that the wildflower meadow and the work is accessible via Open Days to inspire people to help wildlife in their own gardens

Our wonderful wildflower meadow is surrounded on one side by a ditch – 200 metres long (that’s just one side!) that would make a valuable wildlife corridor but is currently fenced in by a tall mesh fence.

The fence means that wildlife (hedgehogs, deer, hares, amphibians) cannot get in or out. The ditch is blocked by fallen trees and debris and started to flood in the heavy rains. It needs sensitive management to prevent future flooding to our own and neighbouring properties and to help protect the hedgehogs that live and travel along it.

Trees have grown through the mesh fencing meaning that we cannot access them to manage them for wildlife and to add bat and bird boxes along the length.

Our first wildlife project here will include the removal of the fences, the sensitive clearing and re-profiling of the ditch to ensure that it can be safely accessed and exited by wildlife and for the addition of bird and bat boxes along the route.

This is phase one of a much larger project that we hope to complete over the coming years. This will include creation of a wildlife pond, installation of more hedgehog boxes and other wildlife friendly features across the 1 acre site.

I am passionate about education and will run a couple of Open Days each year as a minimum for people to see the improvement works and inspire people to be wildlife friendly in their own gardens.

I hope you will be inspired by our aims for the land and how we can enhance it for the benefit of the wildlife around here.

You can find out more about the project and support it at https://www.gofundme.com/f/create-vital-wildlife-corridors-in-east-yorkshire

Thank you x