Member Article

Teesside reserve to receive exciting facelift

RSPB Saltholme is embarking on an exciting project to revitalise parts of the reserve, improving the visitor experience and enhancing the wonderful wildlife spectacle.

Starting this month, the wildlife and discovery park, near Stockton-on-Tees, is having three of its wildlife viewing structures refurbished, pools re-landscaped, and a new dragonfly boardwalk installed, which will weave visitors through meadow and grassland. There are also plans to create three new scrapes and construct a brand new viewing pod.

Dave Braithwaite, Saltholme’s Site Manager, said: “We’re all very excited about the changes coming to the reserve. The improvements will not only make the wildlife viewing spectacle even better than it already is, but also improve the surroundings for birds and other wildlife.”

Last Wednesday (15 February), Dr Therese Coffey PM, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defra, visited Saltholme and saw some of the work underway at the Wildlife Watchpoint, one of the structures being updated.

Environment Minister Therese Coffey said: “It is wonderful to see reserves like Saltholme bringing people even closer to nature and the rare species that come here.

“I want to thank the RSPB team, the Teesside Environmental Trust and their volunteers for their hard work creating this project which I’m sure will be enjoyed by adults and children alike.”

The first two hides to be updated – Paddy’s and Wildlife Watchpoint – are expected to be completed by the end of March, in time for the busy Easter season. Saltholme Pool’s hide, and the pools surrounding it, will be upgraded during the summer.

The hide improvements have been designed by Norwegian-based architects, Biotope, and include some exciting new features such as: ‘Houdini windows’, designed to give an almost mirrored effect from the outside so birds and wildlife will see less movement in the hides; newly configured entry ways, which will let in less light, again to minimise the impact of movement within the hides; new wood cladding inside and out, to blend with the landscape; new, sound-proof flooring; and landscaping works around both hides to alleviate damp issues and prevent puddles forming.

The roof on Paddy’s hide will be replaced with a grass roof - most likely wildflower meadow, to reflect the surrounding landscape – and there will also be a new set-in seating area outside Paddy’s.

The planned re-landscaping and creation of new scrapes has been designed to improve the habitat for some of Saltholme’s rarer species, but will also provide more opportunities for visitors to see them close up.

Saltholme has been fortunate to receive over £300,000 in funding from the Teesside Environmental Trust, the RSPB’s long-term partners at the reserve, to carry out these works.

Dave said: “We’re extremely grateful to TET for providing this funding, without which, these improvements wouldn’t be possible.

“We’re not expecting any of the works to have a significant impact on the wildlife visiting the reserve, so would encourage everyone to continue visiting and take a sneak peek at the works as they unfold.”

The full programme of works will take three years to complete. There may be some disruption in the short term, but measures will be put in place to ensure this is kept to a minimum.

For further information, and to keep up to date with progress, follow Saltholme on Facebook or visit the website.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by RSPB Saltholme .