2010 July

Archive for July, 2010

Welcome Anna

Anna Charles

The Park’s new Head Ranger, Anna Charles joined the Forest Team in July after working on the National Trust’s 5,000 acre Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire.

Anna worked for a year as a full time volunteer at Rutland Water after completing a degree in Zoology at Leicester University, then gained a host of experience doing short contracts around the country before joining the National Trust as Assistant Ranger and later, Ranger.

Since being a kid Anna has been interested in wildlife. She was, she says, always the one turning over logs to see what was lurking beneath. “I spent eight years working on a beautiful, estate of woodland, chalk downland, commons and farmland, which only served to fuel my love of wildlife and helping others enjoy the outdoors” she said, adding “I am very excited to embark on my new role; the Millennium Country Park is a fantastic place.”

To contact Anna – 01234 762614, anna.charles@marstonvale.org

Habitat creation benefits fisheries

Works near completion on Elstow Brook

Intense activity over the last six months has resulted in the creation of important habitats at the Grange Estate near Willington. Back channels will bring water into neighbouring woodland from Elstow Brook and from the Ouse at the Bulge, further to the north. The Environment Agency contributed £20,000 to the project which has created refuges in which fish can spawn and escape peak flows after heavy rain.

You can help

To get involved in volunteer work at the Grange Estate later in the year, sign up for our Commentree mailing list or visit the Bedford River Valley Park web sites.

More information – Darren Woodward, 01234 762603, darren.woodword@marstonvale.org

Homes for harvest mice

David with artificial harvest mouse nest

Sven’s on a mission. He and Forest Volunteers, Diane and David have been boring holes in tennis balls and attaching them to tree stakes. This behaviour which would be seen as being a bit strange in some circles has quite an exciting purpose – giving a mouse a home. And not just any mouse; the harvest mouse, micromys minutus, Britains smallest rodent has been affected by highly efficient agricultural systems in recent years and needs a bit of a helping hand.

The harvest mouse’s prehensile (gripping) tail allows it to live an aerial life amongst trees, reeds and long grasses and at only 5-11g can live quite happily supported only by grass stems. It usually makes a beautiful nest of dried grasses woven amongst upright stems but Sven, our Park Ranger, is convinced that they are happy to take a short cut and use an adapted tennis ball instead.

These curious mouse houses are now dotted around the Park. Rest assured, we will bring you updates on their success during the summer.

More information about harvest mice

Common emerald damselfly

Don Morris, one of our regular photographers has turned up trumps once again with this exceptional image of a common emerald damselfly, Lestes sponsa, seen on Tuesday 6 July around Wetland 12, one of the small ponds on the Park’s Wetland Trail. This is the first jewel-like individual of this incredible species to be spotted on site this year.

“The long cold spell earlier in the spring may have caused our dragon and damselflies to be a little late this summer” Don reports, although apparently there are plenty to be seen all around the Park at the moment, presumably enjoying the sunshine.

The Wetland Trail in the Country Park is always worth a visit. As well as being a lovely walk, it gives access to secluded areas that teem with wildlife and includes two bird hides overlooking lakes and wetlands. There is a small charge for access to the Wetland Trail, payable at Forest Centre reception.

New ‘Gateway Play Trail’ opens

: Kids test Ridgeway Wood’s new Play Trail

Ten new ‘natural play’ areas, aimed at encouraging more young people and families to explore and enjoy local woodlands in the Forest of Marston Vale, have been created across Bedford’s Green Gateway.

The ‘Gateway Play Trail’ was officially opened on Thursday 17^th June by Andrew Lingard, Forest Sites Manager, Forest of Marston Vale and Carrie-Anne Rowley, Bedford Borough Council when year 4 pupils from Wootton and Shelton lower schools got their first chance to play on the equipment.

It was thanks to these pupils that the Play Trail took the shape it did. Through activities and design workshops held at the Forest Centre in Marston Moretaine, the Wootton and Shelton lower school pupils helped the Forest team discover more about which play activities children liked, and what play ‘equipment’ might be suitable for a woodland setting.

The Forest team then set to work with the help of a local contractor, RDT Woodland, to turn the children’s ideas, sketches and models into reality. The play features, created entirely from oak logs extracted from woodland management projects in the Marston Vale, are robust and durable, and fit naturally into the woodland environment.

The project was supported by Bedford Borough Council and BRCC and is one of a number of projects around the borough of Bedford.

Tony Talbot, Chief Executive of the Marston Vale Trust said: “Thanks to Bedford Borough Council for its vital support with this rewarding project. We are delighted with the Gateway Play Trail – already pupils have been ‘road testing’ the equipment and have given it an all round ‘thumbs up’.”

He added: “The beauty of the trail is its subtlety in the landscape and the fact that it sparks children’s imaginations – they can be as creative and adventurous as they choose. The fact that the timber comes from good woodland management of the area’s semi ancient woodlands is an added bonus.”

To find out more about the Gateway Play Trail or the Forest of Marston Vale contact Andy Lingard, Forest Sites Manager Tel: 01234-762617 or email