A Living Coast Project
Following a
highly successful appeal we have now started to lift this project off the drawing board on to the ground. Connecting and improving 8km of nature reserves will enhance this important coastal and marine habitat and will be supported by the new flagship Simon Aspinall Wildlife Centre and an innovative programme to improve learning and understanding of wildlife and their habitats.
Simon Aspinall Wildlife Centre
Simon Aspinall was a naturalist and conservationist who made major contributions to ornithology and conservation. His love of the natural world, his personal and professional dedication to conservation of wildlife and wild landscapes, and his generosity in sharing experiences, ideas and knowledge about wildlife are recognised and reflected in our plans for a new wildlife centre at Cley Mashes.
Designer's impression
The building of the Simon Aspinall Wildlife Education Centre will start in May 2014 and the centre should be up and running by next Easter-time. The works include improvements to the existing Visitor Centre and the construction of a new viewing deck to provide even more panoramic views across the Cley Marshes.
Careful management will minimise disruption to the existing Visitor Centre and to our education and interpretation programme and the message is 'business as usual'. However, some disruption is inevitable: for example, the rear courtyard will be closed to visitors from the start of construction. We hope that visitors will bear with us during this exciting time of change.
Environmental sustainability has always been an important principle in everything we do and the visitor centre at Cley has been a great example. Because of the lack of space the existing wind turbine will be replaced with new forms of energy generation and heating will be introduced which will be even greener.
Pope's Marsh
The area of land known as Pope's Marsh was the missing piece in the jigsaw of salt and grazing marsh, freshwater and saline pools, reedbed and shingle bank along this special coast.
Pope's Marsh was used for intensive commercial wildfowling for decades and needs sensitive restoration. The plans include the draining and cleaning of dykes and pools and re-grading banks; fencing, bridges, paths and hides to protect and improve opportunities to access this habitat; and new interpretation. This will happen over two years or so and we are limited to when works can take place because of the breeding and migratory seasons.
The storm surge damage in December 2013 affected the site and our planning, but it has helped us understand the impact of storms and flooding, the encroachment of salt water, habitat regeneration and species recovery. On a positive note the breaches in the shingle bank have self-repaired and appear to have held during recent high tides. Changes to the shingle bank present opportunities for new habitats, for example for ground nesting birds such as oyster catchers, avocet and ringed plover.
Interpretation and education
Education, participation and interpretation are building blocks of our approach to connecting people with inspirational wildlife and wild spaces. Our ambitions for the Living Coast will develop this further. New audiovisual presentations are being commissioned, with subjects including Norfolk’s chalk feef, the local and international significance of Cley Marshes and 'Saving Species' a presentation demonstrating NWT's work in action.
The new wildlife centre will also enable us to increase our formal and informal education and awareness programmes.
The sustainability of our plans depends on the contributions that local groups or individuals can make through their photographs, videos and memories, all of which we can incorporate into our programmes.