GET YOUR WALKING BOOTS ON TO WATCH WATERVOLE, DRAGONFLIES AND OTTERS

Walkers who want to watch watervole, hang out with hairy dragonflies or even ogle an otter are invited to get their walking shoes on and experience the latest phase of a project designed to open up one of Gwent’s hidden marshland jewels.

A new circular route, complete with timber walkways crossing water-filled drainage ditches, or reens, has been officially opened on the 30 hectare (75 acre) Great Traston Meadows reserve on the Gwent Levels, south of Newport.

The trail has been created following a collaboration between the private, public and voluntary sectors, and aims to encourage further the public to access the reserve, of which some 20% lies within the Nash and Goldcliff Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The reserve is being developed on land owned by Solutia (UK) Ltd, which manufactures a range of chemicals at its adjacent plant which find their way into products as diverse as car windscreen safety glass, paints, floor coverings, varnishes and washing powders.

Solutia leases the reserve to the Gwent Wildlife Trust, which has co-ordinated much of the work to create the trail, supported by Newport City Council. It forms part of the Council’s plan to promote 20 easily-accessible walks in the Newport area for all levels of fitness.

The circular path project follows on from a major restoration programme undertaken last year by the Gwent Wildlife Trust with funding form the Welsh Assembly. Working with the Caldicot and Wentloog Internal Drainage Board (IDB), nearly 700m of ditch were dug out allowing water to flow again in the dried out reens.

Amy Mulkern, Partnership Development Manager with the Welsh Wildlife Partnerships, which brought all the parties together for the project, said the new nature trail and reopened reens were the latest in a series of practical conservation tasks Gwent Wildlife Trust had carried out with Solutia.

“The Trust works locally to make Gwent richer in wildlife through managing land, influencing decision-making and championing the natural environment’s contribution to everyone’s well-being,” she said.

“Their work on the Solutia reserve means that the reens have become havens for watervole, hairy dragonflies and otters, and the wet fields are perfect for orchids and will hopefully be used by lapwing and other bird species that have been steadily in decline as their habitat has been lost.”

Solutia site manager Steve Westhead said he was delighted that Gwent Wildlife Trust had worked with Newport City Council to create the new nature trail for the use of the local community.

“This is a fantastic example of how the public, private and charitable sectors can work together to create something for people and wildlife,” he said.