Widnes Salt Marsh

View of the old bridge from the salt marsh

Sunshine at last! Armed with my sunglasses and wellies I was fully prepared for what the urban salt marsh in widnes had to offer! Arriving at The Waterloo Centre in Widnes at around 10:30 we were welcomed by Damian Smith who specialises in the ecosystem services the salt marsh provides.

What is the salt marsh?

Salt marshes can be defined "as intertidal areas of fine sediment transported by water and stabilised by vegetation. Once a cover of vegetation has become established the rate of sedimentation (accretion) frequently increases as more of the incoming sediment is intercepted and trapped by the increased surface roughness" (JNCC)

Or more simply... "A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open salt water or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated by dense stands of salt-tolerant plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs"

Widnes salt marsh
The salt marsh is located on the banks of the Mersey estuary. The map below shows its location.

The site is currently in its third year of conservation grazing using English Longhorn cattle. Research by Damien Smith (who showed us around) is being undertaken regarding its effectiveness in terms of improving the ecology of the site for plant and bird diversity. Last year a pair of Redshank and a pair of Lapwing reared chicks in the grazed area. Six fenced enclosures also show the positive effects of the grazing.

The Mersey Gateway Project

Special tape to prevent birds from nesting in the area

The Mersey Gateway is a new bridge that will be constructed over the estuary to bring about much needed traffic relief for the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge. Whilst construction of the bridge may bring damage to areas of the salt marsh a new charity - The Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust - which has been created to promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the environment across a 1600 hectare area of the Upper Mersey Estuary running all the way from the new bridge up river as far as Warrington.
This project not only aims to maintain and restore the saltmarsh habitat but also promote the ecosystem services the site can provide.

Ecosystem services
"Ecosystem services are the processes by which the environment produces resources utlilised by humans such as clean air, water, food and materials"

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment categorised ecosystem services into 4 groups

1. Supporting - The services that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services including soil formation, photosynthesis, primary production, nutrient cycling and water cycling. 
2. Provisioning - The products obtained from ecosystems, including food, fibre, fuel, genetic resources, biochemicals, natural medicines, pharmaceuticals, ornamental resources and fresh water;
3. Regulating - The benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes, including air quality regulation, climate regulation, water regulation, erosion regulation, water purification, disease regulation, pest regulation, pollination, natural hazard regulation;
4. Cultural -  The non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation and aesthetic experiences – thereby taking account of landscape values;

Industrial works near the salt marsh

During the construction of the bridge and after it has been completed the charity hopes that the saltmarsh will provide many ecosystem services to the local communities such as - Provisioning - in the form of meat and dairy from the cows that graze the site, water for cooling industrial processes occurring near the site, and immobilisation of pollutants, Regulating services such as climate regulation via carbon uptake,and water purification from surrounding industrial processes with also Cultural services such as wild fowl hunting and leisure such as hunting/running - helped with the introduction of wooden boardwalks to the site. Whilst all changes would also see an increase in the richness of diversity of the site.

This project shows how other large scale constructions should take place. Research into the surrounding environment should be pivotal in negotiations to mitigate the damage caused.  

The shore line

Plane flying over the site

Damien Smiths research paper can be found here

The Mawndir Mon Project

Seeing as the LIFE project has come to an end, I was fearful that the Anglesey fens may start to deteriorate once more! However, a £73,000 grant from Natural Resources Wales will fund scrub removal from three sites Cors Erddreiniog, Cors Goch and Cors Bodeilio, each of which I visited during the LIFE conference. Its good to see that these habitats will be maintained as not only are they rich in biodiversity, they also help improve drinking water quality of the Cefni reservoir as well as reducing flood risk! Let's hope more funding will come for these amazing habitats.

Some more information including PDFs with detailed work to be carried out can be found here

Ecoscience Day

Teaching teenagers about the values of wetlands sounds thrilling doesnt it?

Well, surprisingly it was. Especially when they were actually enthusiastic about what you were telling them. I almost felt like a scientist

We had four set ups to help teach the kids;

The first was teaching them about the composition of wetland soil. A tray of peat soil and a tray of common garden soil were used to contrast the differences. After putting on latex gloves (which the kids seemed to love) they were able to feel the two soils and then make soil slurries in polystyrene cups. The slurries were then used to measure the pH and conductivity - primarily to show the differences in nutrient availability between the two.

The second was a variety of carniverous plants that can be found in wetlands. The smaller plants were placed in clear plastic boxes with lids so we could feed flies to the plants. The kids could then see how the plants obtained nutrients from the flies - trapping them - then digesting them with enzymes.

The most technical of the displays was a constructed wetland (created by Wayne Watkins). Using peat and sphagnum moss we passed dirty water through the "wetland" to show how they can be used to purify water. 

The kids were also told about the role of wetlands and the nitrogen cycle and the carbon cycle. With the use of a simple board we could show the kids the carbon cycle (which many were learning for their GCSEs) and show them where wetlands slotted into the cycle. Overall it was a great two days! Hopefully we inspired them to continue with science and also keep in mind the importance of wetlands!

 

Cefni Resevoir & Cors Bodeilio

As part of the MSc we are learning about the benefits of constructed/treatment wetlands. Natural wetlands provide many ecosystem services with a major one being natural biofilters removing excess nutrients from water ways. A treatment wetland can be developed with aims of removing pollutants from waste waters via sedimentation and uptake through the wetland plants.

This field trip started at the Cefni Reservoir, which is a small reservoir in the centre of Anglesey managed by welsh water. The small rivers and streams entering the Cefni have been identified as potential areas to create mini-constructed wetlands. These wetlands could help improve water quality entering the reservoir and also improve areas for biodiversity.

To determine where the constructed wetlands would be best placed water samples were taken from each of the inflows, where they would be taken back to the lab to be tested for pollutant levels. (This was done prior to our field field trip by experts, we also took samples to get a feel for the process).

Different constructed wetland systems would be more efficient at removing certain pollutants/excess nutrients than others...

Free water surface system (FWS)

Sandec/Eawag depiction of a FWS

A FWS constructed wetland allows water to flow above ground, exposing the water to the atmosphere and direct sunlight. Meaning there are aerobic and anaerobic zones for the complete removal of Nitrogen from the system (one of the main pollutants entering the Cefni reservoir). 

Moving to the other side of the reservoir we estimated the flow rate of one of the streams into the reservoir using a very high tech method, which involved a spade, pipe, bucket, jug and stop watch. A small dam was created with the pipe through the middle (as seen in the picture on the left), a small amount of water (around 1L) was collected from the outflow using the jug at timed intervals - which could then be used to calculate the flow rate.

Cors Bodeilio
After discussing potential treatment wetland ideas to help purify the water entering the Cefni Reservoir we travelled to Cors Bodeilio which we had previously visited during the LIFE Conference - a blog post on that can be found here. The LIFE project aimed to restore the delicate fen habitat at Cors Bodeilio with aims to restore the peatlands not only for carbon storage but also to store and purify water, before releasing it at a manageable rate to provide drinking water to Cefni reservoir.

There are a number of constructed wetlands at Cors Bodeilio that remove the nutrients from the surrounding farmlands to prevent eutrophication of the natural fen habitat. These wetlands have however been subject to subsidence and more funding is required to restore the wetlands to full working order - which is key for maintaining the delicate fen.

Day out with CEH

As part of my MSc I have to undertake a research project with a company partner. My partner is the Center of Ecology and Hydrology (CEH). My project will focus on green house gas emissions from peatlands. Britain’s peatlands hold most of our terrestrial carbon stock, and play an active role in climate regulation through uptake of carbon and emission of methane. Much of this resource has been impacted by land-management activities, such as drainage, burning and intensive agriculture, and the protection and restoration of UK peat lands is crucial. To measure gas emissions from different areas at Cors Erddreiniog (blog post here) columns were inserted into ground - which a gas measurement machine (Los Gatos) can be placed on to measure the gas flux. I went out with a few of the CEH crew to set up some of these columns - placing them in areas of the site with different management techniques and then trying to stick them in the ground with minimal disturbance, for which the GHG flux could be measured over the summer when I start my project!

Wetlands... sent from above?

It's no secret that our weather is getting worse, this time last year we were blanketed by a thick layer of snow, and now we are facing the third brutal storm in less than a month. Both events are abnormal for the UK, could climate change be to blame? Chief MET scientist Dame Julia Slingo that "all the evidence" is pointing toward climate change as an explanation for the extreme weather.
With rain continuing to batter the UK causing chaos pretty much everywhere, is there anything that could be done to reduce the catastrophic effects of the worst floods we've had in decades?
Well thankfully, David Cameron has come to the rescue with the gallant statement "Money is no object in this relief effort. Whatever money is needed we will spend it." So worry not, everything that has been damaged in the record-breaking deluge will be fixed or replaced... until next time.
The main methods currently in place to reduce flooding include;

Dredging - A process where silt is removed from a river bed to increase it's water capacity. The method is costly and potentially harmful to the environment.

Flood Barriers - Temporary demount-able lightweight metal structures that are used to keep rising water levels at bay.

Look pretty don't they? Sure they work, but they are a temporary solution to a more permanent problem which needs to be addressed. Funny how the leaders of this country only begin listening to people when disaster strikes. Speaking on a visit to Purley (a severely flooded town on the River Thames) Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "It's clear that flood defence needs to be more of a priority for government. If there's one thing we know about the effects of extreme weather, it is that the costs, financial, human and other costs, of not acting are much greater than the costs of acting, and it is a totally false economy to say, 'Don't act'."


The government needs to start acting now listening to scientists who suggest natural flood management systems, as prevention is always better than a cure.

The welsh government is planning to invest £20m into flood control, but how exactly would this help? The Minister for Natural Resources, Alun Davies, has broken it down like this...

• £7 million for flood defense improvements to protect 627 homes and 72 businesses in Crindau, Newport 
• £6 million for river management works and improvements to tidal defenses to reduce flood risk for 387 homes, 52 businesses and the fire station in Roath, Cardiff 
• £1 million to fund the replacement of flood defense walls that will help protect 127 homes, 15 businesses and the main road through Penclawdd, Swansea
• £1 million for improvements to tidal embankments along the Severn Estuary to reduce the flood risk to part of the M4 motorway, 833 houses and 197 businesses in Portland Ground and Tabbs Gouth, Newport 
• £5 million to improve existing flood defense walls that will help protect 166 homes, 102 businesses, the fire station and ambulance station in Dolgellau, Gwynedd

Replacement, improvement and management of man made defence systems seem to be the key words in this list but could this investment be put to better use elsewhere, for example in conserving and improving wetland systems?

Could wetland systems be a natural way to prevent flooding?

A joint statement prepared by English Nature, the Environment Agency the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission state that

Drainage of floodplains is a relatively recent historic phenomenon. For example, the Somerset Moors were largely untouched before 1200, and systematic drainage of large areas did not get underway until about 1770. By the 1930’s only a quarter of historic floodplain wetlands remained in England, mainly in the form of periodically flooded grassland and grazing marsh. The vast majority of natural floodplain woodland has also been lost.

Somerset has been severely affected by the recent floods, would there have been a different outcome if the Somerset moors weren't drained all those years ago? Probably.

Wetland systems are often undervalued in the UK, peat-lands alongside rivers can act as natural sponges trapping water during periods of heavy rainfall. Wetland vegetation slow the speed of flood waters distributing them slowly, reducing erosion and flash flooding. In areas where peat-land has been drained in favour of agriculture (Somerset Moors) the risk of flash flooding, much like we've seen in the past month, is increased.

Preserving and restoring wetlands, together with other natural practices such as the re-introduction of the Beaver into the UK (BBC article here) can provide a valuable level of flood control which should be taken into serious consideration if the government want to prevent flooding in the future.

Pumlumon Gully Mire

Pumlumon is the highest point of the Cambrian Mountains in Wales, and forms an SSSI containing areas of gully mire and blanket bog, which both contain PEAT! As all of us wetlanders should know by now - as an ecosystem peatlands are extremely important as long term stores of carbon. Globally, peatlands are large sinks of carbon (C) storing up to 550 Gt of C, with northern peatlands storing around 455 Gt C (1 gigatonne is equivalent to 1 peta gram (Pg) = 1015 g). With continuing rises in CO2 emissions it is important that peatlands are properly managed/restored in order to mitigate climate change.

Pumlumon can store flood waters. Source: www.montwt.co.uk

This aim of this field trip was to collect peat samples that could be analysed back in the Bangor lab. Two samples were collected; the first, from an area that was drained in the past by Freeman et al., (1997) who diverted water flow, to stimulate drought conditions, and the effect they would have on the nitrogen cycle within the wetland. The second sample was taken from below at a control site that was untouched. Unfortunately I was unable to attend this field trip, but was told it was extremely cold and very wet, and had my samples collected by Joe! These were then taken back to the lab where we would analyse them for our Lab Reports.

Work to preserve the area

The Pumlumon Project is a flagship project lead by the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust aiming to preserve and protect the site which stretches across 40,000ha of the Cambrian Mountain range. The project has eight main aims;

The work can be described as having eight elements:

1. Carbon Storage - Rewetting of peatland by blocking ditches to improve their condition and promote carbon storage via slow decomposition.
2. Reconnecting habitats- Creating links between habitats (corridors) to allow plants and animals to spread between different areas that may have been cut off by roads or farmland.
3. Storing flood water - Improving bog conditions to allow better storage of water to prevent floods downstream,
4. Bringing back wildlife - Aiding recovery of species with specific work targeted at the must vulnerable species.
5. Changing grazing patterns - Introducing more cattle, and reducing sheep numbers to help promote varied landscape, as well as helping farmers diversify with conservation-grade, slower growing hill beef.
6. Recreating habitats - Restoring degraded habitat and creating new habitats with a mixture of traditional farming techniques and new technologies to increase wildlife interest.
7. Developing Green Tourism - Providing better and more appropriately sited accommodation, visitor centres, websites, leaflets and signs, to increase people’s understanding of the aims of the project, and also increase visitor spending in the area and the incomes of local people.
8. Involving communities - Working with local communities to identify and implement projects to improve their local environment. To help diversify local business and help increase local incomes, we will help to set up some local value-added food schemes linking tourism businesses with local farmers.

Dune Slacks at Aberffraw

Anglesey contains some of the finest examples of coastal dune ecosystems in the UK. So what is a "dune slack" I hear you scream... well don't ask me I've never heard of them.
Taken from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee..

Dune slacks are low-lying areas within dune systems that are seasonally flooded and where nutrient levels are low. They occur primarily on the larger dune systems in the UK, especially in the west and north, where the wetter climate favours their development when compared with the generally warmer and/or drier dune systems of continental Europe. The range of communities found is considerable and depends on the structure of the dune system, the successional stage of the dune slack, the chemical composition of the dune sand, and the prevailing climatic conditions.

Dune systems at aberffraw Source: geograph.org.uk

We visited the dune slacks near Aberffraw with CEH so we could get an idea of what exactly they are. The Aberffraw Dunes are Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSI) and also Special Area of Conservation (SAC) as well as being an Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB). We were taken around the site in two groups with Jenny - a PhD student and Hilary. We then examined the dunes in a number of ways; using Differential Levelling to determine the groundwater elevation from sea level, taking soil and water samples (to be analysed at a later date) and undertaking a botanical survey using quadrats.

These techniques were used by Jenny for her 3 year thesis on the effects nitrogen were having on the dunes as well as changes to the water table that are partly attributable to the growth of commercial forest in the surrounding catchment. Dune slacks can be classified into different systems dependent on the vegetative communities found. The NVC classification is as follows (source);

• SD13  Sagina nodosa – Bryum pseudotriquetrum dune-slack community,

• SD14  Salix repens – Campylium stellatum dune-slack community,

• SD15  Salix repens – Calliergon cuspidatum dune-slack community,

• SD16  Salix repens – Holcus lanatus dune-slack community,

• SD17  Potentilla anserina – Carex nigra dune-slack community.

With Hilary's help we were able to determine the composition of the dune slack system as SD14-15. We reached this decision by using 1m2 quadrats and identifying the species within each quadrat, as well as the percentage cover of each species, giving us an overall estimation of biodiversity.

Following the biodiversity measurments we went on to calculate the water table elevation from three dipwells on-site. Using a GPS system we located each dipwell, then measured the water level height using a "dipper" that emitted a beeping sound when in contact with water as well as taking a water sample from each dipwell using a pump. To measure the elevation of each dipwell a Theodolite was used;
"a Theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes"
This provided us with accurate measurements for determination of water table height.

Beaver Hunters

Beavers have been reintroduced in Scotland (near Dundee), so naturally we went to see what they'd been up to and what effect they'd had on the land! The European Beavers were introduced at the Bamff estate in 2002, around 450 years after they had become extinct in Scotland. They inhabit a 32 acre semi-natural area of woodland and wetland.

Early morning mist outside the hostel

So what did we do?

Site 1 near the trees

The main aim of the trip was to collect data from a variety of sites to whether the Beaver introduction had been a success in the eyes of wetlanders. Luckily we managed to study 4 different areas (we only hoped for 3 beforehand). At each site we tested the pH, conductivity, soil temperature, gas emissions from the soil and the redox readings of the soil, as well as taking water samples (where possible) and also soil samples. Each was repeated a further 4 times, by 3 groups, an upland group, water level group and lowland group.

The 4 sites were all slightly different; Site 1 was close to the Beaver lodge near the open pool of water, Site 2 was close to a beaver dam down stream, Site 3 was next to an artificial drainage pool and Site 4 was upstream. The data should help us get an insight into what affect the Beavers have on the land.

A paper from 2008 was written about the implications of regrowth of trees after felling by the beavers and can be found here.

Unfortunately we didn't get to see any of the wonderful creatures (we probably scared them away) but it could be clearly seen that they inhabited the area!

Hopefully one day in the near future we could be seeing a reintroduction of Beavers into Wales, now wouldn't that be great?

Treborth Botanic Garden & Malltraeth Marsh

Unable to attend this trip I will give a brief description of both sites and what the rest of the MSc students got up to.

Treborth Botanic Garden
The university bought the land that the site resides on in the 60s, and the gardens are now used to teach the university's students along with local schools and community groups.

Map of the Treborth site

The gardens are home to a huge variety of species which are grown indoor and outdoor, part of the woodland at the site is an SSSI. The aim of this trip was to learn about wetland plants that grow at the site that can be found in many wetland areas. Many North Wales plant species native to Snowdonia and coastal regions can be seen at the site, making for a great learning experience for anyone to enjoy. The MSc students collected plant samples from a pond which lay inan area of land that had not been plowed for 60 years, these which were then taken back to the lab to be identified using microscopes and handbooks. Below is a list of some of the species they identified..

• Common Duckweed
• Ivy Leaved Duckweed
• Greater Spearwort
• Rigid Hornwort
• Water Mint
• Water Starwort
• Spyrogira
• Juncus effusus

Malltraeth Marsh

Aerial image of the marsh (RSPB)

The students visited the marsh also known as Cors Ddyga in the afternoon after the botanical garden. The site covers 273ha of marsh, reedbeds, wetgrassland, pools and lakes and is an SSSI located in Anglesey. The RSPB have a reserve situated in the north east corner of the site as it is a notable bird breeding ground, with their main aim to provide a suitable habitat for Bitterns ensuring they return to breed at the site. Upkeep of the clay ditches maintains water levels encouraging an exclusive swamp area for the bittern to breed.

The site is grazed by welsh mountain ponies and management at the site is key to ensuring ground nesting birds return in the summer, this is achieved by reducing grazing. Nesting sites for waders are controlled by creating shallow water ditches where they can feed.
Many species of plant inhabit the area including..

• Bog Bean
• Branched bur-reed
• Club rush
• Common reed (Phragmites)
• Juncus bulbosus
• Blunt-leaved pondweed
• Grey willow
• Stonewort
• Bistort
• Field rose

Many other species inhabit the area including the moss Sphagnum immersum.

These sites both seem like amazing places to visit and I am definitely going to visit them at some point. Hopefully when the weather gets a bit nicer, but i suppose we are in Wales.....

Cors Fochno (Borth Bog)

Sign when entering the site

After a what seemed like forever mini bus trip we arrived at Cors Fochno in the village of Borth in Ceredigion. The site is the most intact lowland bog in Europe, and has been designated as an SAC, SPA, SSSI, NNR and is also protected by the RAMSAR Convention.

One of the Welsh  Mountain Ponies

Site info

When we arrived at the site we could see 2 welsh mountain ponies which were enclosed in an area to graze, this is part of the ongoing management by the CCW. Occasionally cattle grazes the area. The guide showed us a scrape that had been conducted in an area that could be improved. We could see that the scraped area was covered with a shallow layer of water and that the natural bog species like the mosses had returned to the scrape (within 5 years). Proving that these areas can be saved.

A short history of the site...
Cors Fochno can be translated to "bog of pigs" probably derived from when pigs were kept on the land. The land was originally a brackish swamp but gradually changed to a freshwater swamp and then to fenland. It became a raised bog when the area became dominated by bog mosses and cotton grass.
The site could be drained in 1813 when an Act of Parliament allowed the drainage of Cors Fochno, however the site was primarily used for peat cutting and light grazing.

Wildlife

2 Dragonflies on a gate

Today, the site is on of the last in Britain to home the moss Sphagnum imbricatum, there are 15 other species of Sphagnum at the site, and all 3 Sundew species that are found in Britain can be seen here. Bog rosmary, bog myrtle and Royal Fern which are all peat-loving can be found at Cors Fochno.
Insects also thrive at the site with rare invertebrates like the large heath butterfly, rosy marsh moth (which was once thought to be extinct), and an array of dragonflies and damselflies. Lurking beneath the waters at the site are palmate newts, eels and the Fifthteen-spined stickleback; which is the only fish that can survive within the acidic bog water. The eels are what are thought the otter that can be found on site feed on, the presence of otters can be seen in trails along the dams. Our guide also told us about Water Vole that were once wiped out by Mink in the 90s have made a return. He could tell this by putting down small floating blocks where they preferred to do their droppings. Reptiles such as Adders, Grass Snakes, Common Lizards and Slow Worms are commonly found at the site.

Otter trail

Many birdshave been seen in the area, including...

• Sedge Warblerss
• Snipe
• Redshank
• Teal
• Water Rail
• Skylark
• Hen harriers
• Peregrine Falcons

View of the open water at the site

Llyn Padrig

View of Llyn Padrig from the surrounding field

Llyn Padrig is an SSSI site on Anglesey, the wetland has formed in a former lake basin and is now a basin mire. Wetland plant communities have encroached into the lake, but there is still an area of open water present at the site. The site has no public access but luckily the university is granted special permission to visit the site, which is great news for us as we got to experience an amazing wetland. There are a range of habitats surrounding the lake including a wet woodland (with willow and birch), a floating fen and also an area which is becoming terrestrialised.

The willow scrub plants encroaching the lake

We took 3 soil samples for the site, one near the lakes edge, one from the floating fen and one the terrestrialised area. From each of the 3 sites we analysed the pH and conductivity and also collected a sample to take back the lab to test further.
Managment is required to keep the site as it is, CCW has a number of management strategies in place including grazing. Which helps keep scrub at bay, it should also be noted that the dung supplies an important food source to many invertebrates. In the past drainage of the site saw the water level drop by around 2m, which is bad considering that one of the main characteristics of a wetland is a high water table!! It is therefore important to make sure that no further drainage ditches are dug.

Wildlife
Heres a list of some of the wildlife that can be found at the site...

Typha (Cat tails at lake edge)

• Sphagnum
• Bogbean
• Cinquefoil
• Bottle Sedge
• Common Cotton Grass
• Typha (Cat tails)
• Calliergin Cuspidatum
• Greater Spearwort
• Alder
• Grey Willow
• Birch
• Water Starwort

BATTLE: In the fen corner Cors Erddreiniog and in the bog corner Migneint

So, along with a group of Bangor University undergraduates we visited two different sites with aims to see the difference between them both.

The first site we visited was Cors Erddreiniog which we previously visited during the LIFE conference a blog on which can be found here.

This time however we had to get our hands dirty! We started the day with some talks, then split into groups to measure diversity using quadrats, plunge sticks to measure peat depth and measuring pH and conductivity of the soil with special appliances.

The Migneint is the second site we visited, it is the largest area of  blanket bog in the UK and is situated in central Snowdonia. It is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and work has been carried out to help restore it since large areas have been damaged by ongoing afforestaion, drainage, grazing and also burning, in hopes to make it better for agriculture. Being an important breeding ground for Hen Harriers it is in the interest of many to bring the area back to its full potential including the RSPCA who have been undertaking many projects which can be found here. An interesting article and video can be found on the BBC website giving an insight into the conservation efforts of the site.

Peat erosion complex at the Migneint

At the Migneint there were strange peat erosion complexes, these are where the peat has been degraded possibly due to the previous drainage issues at the site meaning the peat gets an influx of oxygen which increases degradation. These complexes show how deep the peat could have been if the site was left in its natural state. 

Differences

The main visual difference when comparing the two sites is definitely the height of the vegetation.Walking along the boardwalks at Cors Erddreiniog you are surrounded by vegetation almost at eye level, whereas at the Migneint the vegetation is almost all low lying comprising mainly of mosses and Juncus. The main reasoning for this could be that the water supply for blanket bogs is nutrient poor as it all comes from precipitation in comparison to the Cors Erddreiniog fen which is fed by a mixture of rain water and groundwater increasing nutrient levels and improving primary production. Conductivity was much higher at the fen and pH was recorded to be close to neutral, due to the calcium ions increasing the pH compared to the lower pH of the Migneint and also the lower conductivity.

Image showing some peat cuttings in the background

Life Conference: Cors Geirch

I did not attend the trip to Cors Geirch, but that doesn't mean it's not an important wetland in the North Wales area. This site is situated on the Llyn Peninsula in a valley that lies between Pwllheli and Nefyn. Much like the other sites visited during the LIFE conference the reserve is recognized as a SSSI, SAC and also protected by RAMAR.

Map of Llyn Peninsula showing Cors Geirch

It is another fen site that is fed by alkaline water that drains into through the surrounding porous limestone rock making it a rare type of wetland. The site is also managed by CCW, and Welsh Mountain ponies are used to graze the site.
The site is special as it was the first in Wales to have the rare Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchid identified in 1953, it has now been identified at Cors Bodeilio and Cors Erddeiniog.
Many fenland species which were also see the at other sites we visited were present at Cors Geirch which can be seen listed on the Countryside Council for Wales website.
In the early 90s the site went through a large scale restoration project removing the top 30cm of peat across a large area of the site. The results included a raised water table and reduced fertility, allowing fen plant species to recolonise where agricultural species once dominated. More information on peat re profiling can be found on the LIFE project website.

Life Conference: Cors Bodeilio

Boardwalk at Cors Bodeilio made from recycled plastic

After a free lunch of local meat burgers and delicious cake arranged by the LIFE project at Cors Erddreiniog we hopped back on the mini bus and traveled to Cors Bodeilio. The site lies in a shallow valley between Llangefni and Pentraeth. The water that feeds the fen comes down through the surrounding Carboniferous limestone rock, this water is what makes the underlying mire so special. With a variety of wetland fen species many of these being quite rare and only found at a few sites in the UK the reserve is within a designated SSSI, is also a RAMSAR site and is also a SAC.

Some of the ponies that graze the site

In the past the calcium rich water was diverted away from the fen resulting in the site becoming derelict. However, with various management strategies by CCW the site has returned to its former glory. An adjustable u-bend pipe system has been created to adjust the water level of the fen. During heavy ra

infall (pretty much all the time in wales!!) the pipe can be lowered to lower the water level at the site and also helps prevent flooding in neighbouring fields.
The site is grazed with Welsh Mountain ponies to ensure that natural fen vegetation can thrive, if the site was not grazed a thick thatch of the sedge Cladium mariscus would form taking nutrients and preventing light penetrating lower canopies.

Wildlife

Succisa pratensis also known as Devils-bit can be found at the site

The fen provides a habitat for many species such as great fen sedge and bottle brush sedge. It is also home to some rarer species including the dwarf stonewort and the Fly Orchid. Invertebrates thrive at the site such as dragon flies and grasshopper warblers and also the the medicinal leech. There are two pairs of Lapwings at the site and is also one of two sites on Anglesey where Snipe can be found. A list of other plants and animals which inhabit the site can be found here.

Life Conference: Cors Erddreiniog

Cors Erddreiniog is the largest of the Anglesey fens covering 289ha thus making access to the site quite difficult unless you can speak the secret language of 'farmer'. Luckily, the project had a few translators on hand.

The large site is lime rich and made up of a mixture of habitats, similar to Cors Goch it was formed by the terrestrialisation of Llyn yr Wyth - a glacial lake. The centre of the site is comprised of calcareous fen with areas of alkaline fen and both wet and dry heathland around the edges. Being such a rare type of wetland the site is protected by RAMSAR and is recognised as a SSSI and also a SAC.

Redirected spring water

For many years the site was used for agriculture and many ditches had been dug to drain the land, this along with the use of fertilizers had drastically reduced biodiversity at the site. Management of the site has improved the quality of the fen, by filling in drainage ditches and the with use of a piston bully, the site is now know as "Jewel in the crown of Anglesey fens".

The piston bully was used to remove vast amounts of "improved soils". These are soils which have been heavily fertilized and are not suitable for peat producing species to colonise. The LIFE project removed the soil and exposed the white marl that lay beneath the top layers, by diverting the spring waters hydrological pathways to what they would have naturally been, a new lease of life was given to the site. Seeing natural colonisation of many wetland loving species.

Constructed wetland in the foreground
natural wetland in background

The water to the fen is fed by limestone 3 springs and before it reaches its destination some of the spring water passes through a specifically constructed wetland. The constructed wetland is used as a treatment area to denitrify the spring water utilising denitrifying bacteria. The water that enters the wetland has been contaminated with N from the fertilizers of the farms surrounding the site. The constructed wetland was colonised naturally with species such as Stonewort. Some spring water is also passed through a mixing chamber which also removes excess N. The denitrifyed water can then spread over travel down to the site, specific fen species such as M15 and M19 have a higher chance of establishing in the areas where N has been removed from the water. The communities of these species developed over 5 years which is surprisingly fast compared to other less well managed sites.

To keep the fen in prime condition grazing is carried out by some dairy cattle of  the local farmers. However the dairy cattle cannot be kept here for a long period of time because of the poor nutrient content of the grazing. The LIFE project introduced Konic and Welsh Mountain Ponies onto the site during the times when cattle grazing is not suitable. Grazing is a key part in the management of the site, it prevents build-up of a thick thatch of vegetation which prevents light penetrating through to establishing plant species. In more sensitive parts of the site local contractors are hired to strim cut the vegetation.

Wildlife
There is a rich variety of wildlife found at Cors Erddreiniog. I will list some below..

• Great fen sedge
• Blunt-flowered rush
• Black bog rush
• Columbine
• Grass-of-Parnassus
• Sphagnum moss
• Cross leaved heath
• Marsh gentian

Bog stars also known as Grass of Parnassus

The site is special to contain many species of orchid that cannot be found anywhere else in Britain other than a few sites on Anglesey and the Llyn Peninsula. These include

• Northern marsh orchid
• Fen orchid
• Marsh helleborine
• Fly orchid

Insect life is rife at the reserve, the marsh fritillary, one of Britains most threatened butterflies can be found here along with species of dragonfly and damselfly, including the rare southern damselfly. With insects usually comes birds, the fen attracts a variety of bird life with winter bringing hunting hen harriers and lapwings to the site and with the arrival of summer sees birds such as the willow tit and grass-hopper warblers arriving at the reserve. There are also many other animals at the site, so eyes should be kept peeled for toads, adders, otters, brown hare and water voles.

Life Conference: Cors Goch

Day 1 of the Life Conference starts at the amazing Plas Menai in Caernarfon. The first thing to do upon arrival is to get myself a cup of tea, and a question pops into my head... does being a wetlander always require such early mornings?
After an interesting morning of talks from many people who work with the Life Project (and plenty more cups of tea) it was time for lunch, then a short coach trip to the first site...

Cors Goch

The site is owned and managed by the North Wales Wildlife Trust, and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) protected under the RAMSAR convention.

Cors Goch is a beautiful patchwork of wetland, heath, meadow and rocky outcrops making it home to a huge variety of species. The wetland at the site is characterised as calcareous fen land, as the supply of water to the fen is calcium rich due to the surrounding limestone rock. The underlying the drier heathland at the site is sandstone rock making it more acidic than the lowland fen.

Looking down at Cors Goch from surrounding limestone

The site was formed thousands of years ago when glacial movement created a basin where a lake once lay. The land surrounding the lake was then colonised by vegetation, which naturally, over time began to decompose and form peat. As the peat continued to accumulate the area of which the lake covered began to decrease until eventually it was filled, which is what we can see at the site today.

Wildlife
Plant species are in abundance at the fen site and include Great pond sedge, Bottle brush sedge, Common Reed, Black bog rush, Blunt-flowered rush and the carnivorous Butterwort, but don't worry it doesn't eat humans (I hope).
The drier heathland areas are inhabited by Hawthorn, Blackthorn and also to the despair of the site manager Bracken which is slowly encroaching down toward the fen.
These plants all provide cover for many vertebrates including numerous species of bird such as Sedge Warblers, Hen Harrier and also the Yellowhammer. Other vertebrates include Foxes and Stoats. The fen site which is supplied by calcium rich water that supplies the fen allows it to become is a perfect environment for a host of invertebrates including species of Frog and Toad, both Palmate and Crested newt species have been spotted at the site. There are species of Dragonfly's and Damselfly's, and the Medicinal Leech inhabits the waterlogged areas of the site.