_________________ Outlook_________________ GREEN AND GROWING


ANNE LENG writes about the help th a t is being given to help nature reclaim derelict former indus­ trial sites.


IN and around North East Lancashire towns are the disused remnants of a former industrial era: worked out quarries which furnished stone for brickworks and railways no longer in existence; empty mill lodges, mute reminders of the mills they once served which have disappeared from


the landscape. Man-made holes in the ground, these


features have been less easy to dispose of than structures which can be demolished, so have been temporarily abandoned by the owners and the populations whose live­ lihood they once supported. At the same time, building development


however, that the ecological importance of this silent development has come to be recognised. In some instances, man's needs have overridden those of nature and wild­ life habitats have been inadvertently des­ troyed to solve human problems more immediately apparent, as when sites have been taken over for refuse disposal. The fact that the site's value, in wildlife terms, has been known to a relatively small group of specialists in this Held hits contributed to tile continuing risk of their destruction. The last lew decades have seen the


growth of numerous organisations, statu­ tory and voluntary, whose purpose is to stem the tide of destruction whilst creating increased local awareness of wildlife habi­ tats and promoting local involvement in their preservation. Commercial undertak­ ings have joined the campaign, helping to nuance voluntary efforL and sponsoring project activities.


servation is one such voluntary body devoted to the conservation of wildlife and the development of habitats for its sur­ vival. The trust has projects throughout the county, ranging from coastal reserves and iiiarsiilands to woodland schemes and urban reclamation programmes in major towns and cities such as Liverpool and Manchester. Nearer home, the trust, which is sup­


The Lancashire Trust for Nature Con­ YVILDLIEE


has gradually encroached on the fields which surround the urban areas, as hous­ ing needs have expanded. In the process, many wildlife habitats have been destroyed and their occupants evicted. The outcome has been a kind of spontaneous exchange, with nature taking over the neglected resi­ due of man’s earlier occupation. Quarries and mill lodges have become host to wild­ life communities made up of a rich and var­ ied assortment of plant and animal species. It is only in comparatively recent years,


ported by Lancashire County Council and local borough councils, has projects in Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle and Ribble Valley. Other voluntary groups participate in these schemes, such as the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, whose East Lancashire Community Conservation pro­ gramme started in January 195)0, again with the support of the local authorities. Further aid is given by national groups such as Friends of the Earth and the Groundwork Trust, as well as by bodies such as North West Whiter and commercial interests are also represented.


created at Salthill and Crossbill quarries, leased from Ribble Valley Borough Coun­ cil. These limestone quarries are of consid­ erable scientific interest as a unique geolo­ gical feature and host a variety of plant and animal species associated with this type of natural rock formation.


In Clitheroe, new reserves have been TREE planting in progress on the Waidshouse site at Nelson.


appeal, Foxhill Bank, a complex of three disused mill lodges was rescued at the last minute from demolition by North West Whiter, owners of the site, who are now actively engaged in its preservation. The lodges are the home of mute swans and other water fowl as well as a rich assort­ ment of aquatic plants and amphibians.


In Oswaldtwistle, in support of a public


Street includes a range of habitats: a wet­ land area in which willow, alder and mea­ dowsweet flourish, a grassland area and a woodland area recently planted with silver birch, horse chestnut and pine. This project is bounded by the Lceds-Liverpool Canal and the M(if> motorway and forms part of the larger development plan for the canal corridor, proposed by a partnership between the Lancashire Trust, Lancashire County Council and Myndburn, Burnley and Pendle councils, which is currently awaiting ratification by the Department of the Environment. NATURE RESERVE


In Burnley, the site adjoining Clifton


of the Earth, together with the Lancashire Trust, are engaged in negotiations with I’endle Council to reclaim a disused mill lodge beside Colne Whiter. In Nelson, Lancashire County Council


In Colne, the British Trust and Friends


formed from an eyesore into a neighbour­ hood amenity for the use and enjoyment of the local community. Conservation is, however, more than a


was launched in 15)88, in Cleveland, which together with Action Aid, a voluntary overseas development organisation, links conservation efforts in this country with similar programmes in the Third World. TREE AID


and the Lancashire Trust are engaged in the reclamation of the former Waidshnuse Tip and its development as a nature reserve. The site has been landscaped drainage installed and paths constructed, meadow grass has been sown and local volunteers have helped to plant trees and i HU 11 (I


l U g 1 II 1 g i ill I l b NATURE conservation volunteers at work.


ing trees for two tree-planting days, in support of Tree Aid. The f irs t, on November 25th, will be in Nelson, at the Waidshouse site, now re-named Quarry Hill Nature Reserve. The second event will be on December 2nd, at the Clifton Street site in Burnley. Volunteers from the British Trust for Nature Conservation will be on hand to help with the tree-planting, refreshments will be available and it is hoped that the public will support these events by coming along to plant their trees and contribute to the Tree Aid/Action Aid


National Tree Week, sponsored by the National Tree Council. Last year, to sup­ port this event, Lancashire County Coun­ cil, a participant in Tree Aid, organised the planting of I fit) trees at Whinney Mill, Accrington and raised £000 for Action Aid’s project in Nepal. This year, the county council is provid­


provided for planting on conservation sites, with members of the public being asked to donate £1 to plant a tree, or have one planted for them. The money raised will be used by Action Aid to establish tree nur­ series in Nepal. From these, Nepalese vil­ lagers can purchase trees for a nominal sum and are helped to learn improved methods of planting and tending them: for instance, how to harvest branches for fuel wiLhout damaging the tree, how to grow fruil and so on. Apart from the direct bene­ fit of the people to Nepal, this gradual afforestation will help to reduce erosion and the consequent Hooding in Bangladesh. November 25th marks the s ta r t of


Through the 'free Aid scheme, trees are


local concern. In recent years, conserva­ tion issues have assumed worldwide importance and made headlines as natural disasters, especially in Third World coun­ tries, have underlined the consequences of environmental damage. One such country is Bangladesh, most of which is barely inches above sea-level, where large scale flooding regularly causes loss of life and hardship as homes, livestock and crops are destroyed. The chief reason for the Hood­ ing lies, not in Bangladesh, but in the neighbouring state of Nepal, where the bare hillsides have been denuded of trees, resulting in massive soil erosion, specially during the rainy season. The soil is washed down river and silts up the river bed, caus­ ing it to overflow its banks onto surround­ ing land with devastating effect. Accordingly, a campaign called Tree Aid


fund-raising. In many ways, the development of con­


servation work in North East Lancashire has been as silently effected as the wildlife take-over of our industrial relics and has attracted as little attention. Without more general public support and involvement its progress will inevitably be slow and tliis constitutes risk. In the first place there is the risk that species of plants and other forms of wildlife may be irretrievably damaged by failure to safeguard habitats and guarantee their surival; secondly, lack of public awareness can lead to careless usage of sites or vandalism.


For these reasons, most schemes seek ‘ ACTIVITIES


money for conservation schemes is still limited and without them, much of the work of improvement and maintenance would not get done. Burnley Conservation Volunteers is one local group, affiliated to the British Trust, which carries out a regular programme of work at weekends. The work is varied but no special skills are needed, as tile trust runs courses in a range oi subjects such as hedge-laying, dry stone walling, woodland management and pond restoration. Transport and tools are provided and volunteers can choose the activity which appeals to them most, whenever they wish to take part.


tion, Cuerden Bark Wildlife Centre, Shady Lane, Handier Bridge, Preston, Plio GAU. Tel: 0772-:l2ll29.


(East Lancashire Conservation Project), c/o Burnley Borough Council, Comiiiunitv Development Section, 18-20 Nicholas


British Trust tor Nature Conservation,


s t r e e t , B u rn lev , B P. 1 1 2 A P TeP 02S2-:S5!)l(i.


servaunn Volunteers, 11 Ridge Row, Ridge Avenue, Burnley. Pendle Group (LTNC), Barrie Tvrer and


Louise Mills, 11 Cambridge Street, Colne BBS OES. Tel 02S2-S0!I‘MS.


S t r e e t , N e lso n , BB!) 0,1 D. TeD 0282-0015 U. Ribble Valley Conservation Group, c/o Linda Martin, Little Beck, Eaves Hall


Quarry Hill Nature Reserve. Nelson. Anne Leng (secretary), :182 Railway


Lane, West Bradford, Clitheroe. TeP 0200-2:!!)5-l. Q


these local conservation programmes, fur­ ther information can be obtained from: Lancashire Trust for Nature Conserva­


fo r anyone interested in supporting INFORMATION


the involvement of local people, from all sections of the community, in their man­ agement and operation. Schools, in partic­ ular, are encouraged to join in site activi­ ties, helping to develop the children’s interest and knowledge of wildlife and con­ servation issues. Volunteers are, in fact, essential, as


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44