Annual Report 2010/11
From the Director
Despite concerns about the economic climate and spending cuts in the public sector, 2010/11 has proved to be another successful year for Norfolk Wildlife Trust with new acquisitions and the completion of a number of projects.
Our work on Living Landscapes and Living Seas has continued to develop as has our education work with the completion of Natural Connections and the recent commencement of ‘Wild Norfolk - engaging communities with local wildlife and wild places’.
The year also brought many difficult challenges internally, due to high staff turnover and, in particular, the sad death of Steve Henson, our Conservation Officer.
In spite of these setbacks we have soldiered on and finished the year in a strong financial position and with the completion of a new Business Strategy to guide our work and development over the next five years.
My thanks to all our members, supporters and partners who have enabled us to take great strides over the past year.
Brendan Joyce
Download the Annual Report 2010/11 as a PDF (1mb)
Download the Statutory Accounts 2010 / 2011
Nature Reserves
Over the last few years, we have made huge strides in improving and restoring the many habitats on our nature reserves across the county; 2010-11 has been no exception. We have continued to maintain and develop the infrastructure to enable the practical management of these sensitive, often multi-designated reserves while at the same time improving facilities for visitors and for the delivery of our education programme.
Most of our reserves now have active Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreements that fund the delivery of significant environmental benefits over a ten-year period. These agreements are managed by Natural England and enable us to plan and manage our resources effectively for the long-term benefit of wildlife and people. We are also continuing the process of transferring a number of our nature reserves into the Forestry Commission’s English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS), which promotes the creation and sustainable management of woodlands to deliver social benefits including improved public access, and environmental improvements such as biodiversity and climate change mitigation.
Grazing
The NWT Flying Flock grazing operation continues to develop and expand both in reach and in actual numbers of sheep, cattle and ponies, though as usual the weather played its part in confounding our best-laid plans: the early dry summer, wet late summer and record breaking cold early winter all conspiring to challenge livestock and wildlife alike. We have continued to improve our grazing infrastructure, including the completion of major fencing replacement programmes at NWT Cley Marshes and NWT Hickling Broad. Recent additions to our Dartmoor pony herd at Buxton Heath and NWT Scarning Fen have settled in well and have become part of the landscape.
While the use of grazing animals is primarily for the conservation of our sites, the sustainability of our grazing operation is also very important and during the year we continued to develop and trial wool and meat products; we hope to evaluate these further in future.
New Reserves
The generosity of our members and supporters has again allowed us to expand our nature reserves. As a result of our Living Landscape Appeal, we were able to purchase 15 hectares of grazing marshes at South Walsham and two hectares at Upton Doles, both welcome and important additions to our Bure Valley Living Landscape initiative. We will restore the grazing marshes and raise water levels to benefit wintering wildfowl and breeding waders, particularly redshank and lapwing.
Also as part of the Bure Valley Living Landscape, we are delighted to have entered into a partnership with the Cator family to manage an area of fen, reedbed and wet woodland at Ranworth Marshes. This exciting development and the commencement of a new HLS agreement, takes us a large step closer to achieving our vision for the Bure Valley Living Landscape and secures another sizeable area of the valley in long-term conservation management.
2010 also saw negotiations commence to secure our first urban nature reserve and whilst it is still in its initial stages of development, we are pleased that we now have a new 25 hectare reserve at Thorpe Marshes on the eastern outskirts of Norwich. This reserve incorporates the recently created St Andrew’s Broad and is already a haven for wildlife, including good numbers of winter wildfowl, dragonflies and aquatic plants.
Since the purchase of 28 hectares of woodland close to NWT Thursford Wood, we have undertaken ecological assessments to determine the most effective way of developing and managing the new site for wildlife and people. We have engaged with the local community to establish a volunteer group, and are seeking support from schools and other groups for an education programme based around our North Norfolk Woods Living Landscape area. This work will inform our restoration programme.
In the Wissey Valley Living Landscape, the success of obtaining planning permission for the first phase of our Fenland wetland creation project with the Environment Agency was overshadowed by the sudden death of Steve Henson, NWT’s driving force for the project. Construction of dykes and reservoirs started in the autumn and continued through the winter. Subsequently, the Trust secured 45 hectares of adjacent arable farmland, which will be converted into reedbed, fen and wet grassland, and woodland.
Heaths
North Norfolk Heaths
Work on our North Norfolk Heaths has been dominated by a major heathland restoration project taking place at Holt Lowes. 15 hectares of mature scrub have been cleared to restore both heath and mire, though works have been excluded from sensitive areas of the site with large areas cleared by hand. Adders will be just one of the species to benefit from the project.
We are delighted to see that the major works completed at Buxton Heath over the last few years are bearing fruit. The work and subsequent grazing with ponies have produced conditions that have led to the return of two rare bryophytes at the site: marsh clubmoss (Lycopodiella inundata) and Fossombronia foveolata. The grazing regime has also benefited the mire sward, particularly flowering plants.
Breckland
Staff and volunteers were again busy clearing large areas of scrub at NWT Thompson Common and NWT East Wretham Heath, in most cases turning areas back to grass heath. The oxbow diving beetle has particularly benefited from the clearance work around Fenmere. The restoration of pingos has continued at NWT Thompson Common helping many species including the scarce emerald damselfly.
At NWT East Wretham Heath, Scots pines, grown from our own seed (collected from the ancient trees on the reserve) have been planted to replace those being lost to old age. Visitor infrastructure has been further improved too with three ‘mini-hides’ being installed: one at Thompson Water and two at East Wretham. Species often seen from the new hides include lapwing, little grebe and green woodpecker.
During the year, we appointed a Brecks Heathland Project Officer to oversee the management of seven sites within the Tomorrow’s Heathland Heritage Project: Brandon, Cranwich Heath, Cranwich Camp, Hockwold Heath, Warren Hills, Harling Heath and Lains Farm. Working in partnership with the Forestry Commission and Natural England, the project will seek to restore these sites to heathland through a programme of scrub clearance, sward management, grazing and capital improvements. An early positive outcome has been the successful breeding of two pairs of stone curlew on the sites.
West Norfolk
Our Grimston Warren II heathland restoration project, part of the Gaywood Valley Living Landscape, has entered its second phase with the installation of access trails, gates, interpretation and signs. We have also installed the final elements of the grazing infrastructure and introduced Dartmoor ponies. Bracken growth is now being controlled as most of the heathland species require more open vegetation including heather (Calluna vulgaris), which has begun to successfully recolonise the site. This restoration work has, amongst other successes, produced six churring nightjar, with broods of young being seen. Breeding nightjars and woodlarks were also recorded at NWT Roydon Common and NWT Grimston Warren.
At NWT Syderstone Common we were pleased to observe more natterjack toads than had been seen for the last ten years, and at NWT Narborough Railway Line there was a fabulous show of autumn gentians.
The Coast
A major fencing renewal programme was undertaken at NWT Cley Marshes, as well as the clearing of dykes and improvements to water level controls. The reserve had another exciting year for birdwatchers including a record site count of 25 spoonbills during the summer. 2010 saw the reserve’s best breeding success for bearded tits for many years and a pair of little egrets nested for the first time, adjacent to the reserve. Rare visitors included a Baird’s sandpiper and blue-winged teal from America, and Norfolk’s second-ever trumpeter finch – a vagrant from North Africa.
At NWT Holme Dunes our annual management programme was assisted by volunteers who helped clear a large area of sea buckthorn on Lavender Marsh. The reserve had an excellent year for bearded tits and marsh harriers, and at least one pair of bittern fledged a chick. Visiting rare birds were also in evidence including pectoral sandpiper, arctic warbler, pallid harrier and red-flanked bluetail.
More unusual still was a species of extremely scarce nail fungus, Poronia erici, discovered on rabbit droppings in October – this species has been found only once before in Britain, on Scolt Head Island in 1933.
Living Seas
NWT has continued to engage with Netgain (the North Sea Marine Conservation Zone project) in order to identify a network of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in the North Sea. This work springs directly from the Marine Act which commits the government to the creation of an ecologically coherent network of protected areas by the end of 2012. Work during the last year has involved engaging directly with other marine stakeholders to formulate an agreed list of MCZs to be presented to government in summer 2011. This has been a difficult process but one that has been greatly aided by working in partnership with other Wildlife Trusts. One of the MCZs under consideration has been highlighted by Seasearch East divers whose recent work has revealed the extent of marine chalk off the Norfolk coast. Excitingly, this now appears to be one of the longest underwater chalk ‘reefs’ in the world and a marine habitat of great importance – a story that was widely reported nationally and internationally.
A series of events was organised in support of the Wildlife Trusts’ National Marine Week in August including Coastal Capers at Cley which attracted over 300 people. Our education team ran a number of very successful family rock-pooling events at West Runton during school holidays. In November, the innovative Living Seas screen show at Fusion in The Forum, Norwich, attracted more than 3,000 visitors. Inspirational underwater photography from Seasearch East diver Rob Spray was very effective at generating interest in otherwise hidden marine habitats.
Broads
Across our Broads nature reserves it was a good year for swallowtails, bitterns and common cranes with all breeding successfully. Other success stories included the ’re-capping’ of NWT Hickling Broad’s historic Stubb Mill, marking the end of a successful preservation and part restoration of the Grade II listed mill, delivered in conjunction with the Broads Authority and their Heritage Lottery-funded bursary apprentices.
Restoration work on Broads grazing marshes has continued and we are particularly pleased that despite disturbance from our own work, flood defence work and dredging disposal, the grazing marshes at Upton have played host to the successful breeding of lapwings and oystercatchers, with a pair of avocets successfully raising one youngster.
Natural England funding has also helped us to begin a major programme of red elder clearance at NWT Alderfen Broad. This invasive species has gradually been choking the carr woodland and we hope over the next few years to eliminate this unwanted visitor from the site.
We have continued our programme of fencing renewal and replacement, dyke reprofiling and scrape improvements at NWT Hickling Broad. As there is now upland available to evacuate grazing animals to in periods of high water, we are planning to introduce grazing at the northern end of Hickling Broad with highland cattle or Konik ponies which will to help us to manage the wet grazing marsh and adjoining fen.
Finally, we are pleased to have discovered a little-known species at NWT Hickling Broad: the fen mason-wasp (Odynerus simillimus). This insect is only known historically from a few coastal grazing marshes and fens in East Anglia and was presumed extinct until its rediscovery near Hickling in 1986. The females stock their nests with paralysed weevil larvae (Hypera pollux) collected from Fool’s water-cress and lesser water parsnip. In 2010 a large colony was discovered on site, remarkably thought to contain around a third of the known Western European population.
Promoting wildlife protection and enhancement in the wider community
County Wildlife Sites
There are now over 1,300 County Wildlife Sites (CWS) in Norfolk, most of which are in private ownership, with 25 new sites added during the year. NWT plays a key role in organising surveys of new sites, as well as assessing the condition of existing sites. NWT also gives advice on habitat management to CWS owners, with a view to improving the ecological condition of the sites.
The second phase of the CWS Fen Restoration Project has assessed site condition at 40 sites not visited for at least 10 years, provided management advice at 15 sites, and reintroduced management at five sites to date. In addition, six sites have entered into Higher Level Stewardship agreements in the past year. The Pingo Project also moved into a second phase with 35 sites assessed for condition and quality during the year.
NWT conservation officers also continued to give advice on heath and grassland sites, and work is due to start on a CWS grassland project in 2011.
Planning and Development
Much of NWT’s strategic planning work has focussed on the Greater Norwich area, where the majority of growth is planned. We have continued to press the importance of high quality green infrastructure in and around the city and have sought to engage at an early stage with proposals for large scale developments to ensure that biodiversity is fully taken into account.
NWT continues to take the lead in responding to planning proposals that may affect County Wildlife Sites. During the year, we objected to three planning applications that were likely to have a significant adverse impact on these sites and made detailed comments in relation to a further 12. We were able to withdraw two of the objections after mitigation measures were included.
Comments have been made at all stages of a number of offshore and onshore wind farm developments. Although in the past there have been few biodiversity issues relating to wind farms, we have objected to two proposals during the last year in West Norfolk which are located in areas of importance for wintering pink-footed geese.
Norfolk Wildlife Services
Norfolk Wildlife Services, the consultancy arm of NWT, has continued to support the Trust's core work by gift-aiding its profits during 2010/11, as well as engaging in positive advocacy with its customers to promote the protection and enhancement of biodiversity. NWS has also worked with a number of farmers and landowners on agri-environment applications to Natural England. Protected species work and ecological impact assessments were carried out for a broad customer base, as well as providing in-house technical expertise on NWT sites in the Wissey Valley Living Landscape. NWS also ran a number of successful professional training courses during the year, on a variety of subjects including managing small woodlands for wildlife and barn owl ecology.
People and wildlife
Our work with schools
Promoting outdoor learning to both teachers and pupils has never been more important; sadly, evidence shows that today’s children spend fewer hours than ever before learning and playing outdoors. Norfolk Wildlife Trust puts a high priority on working with schools to support outdoor learning both on our reserves and in Norfolk school grounds. We provide hands-on, inspirational, activities designed to develop understanding and appreciation of wildlife and the natural world.
Over the last year we taught more than 4,500 pupils providing sessions including pond dipping, habitat trails, sustainability challenges, wild art, environmental games and rock-pool wildlife and coastal studies.
During this year we gained the Outdoor Learning Quality Badge – a national recognition of the quality of the education work we provide on reserves for schools.
Two new partnerships were developed during the year. We worked with UEA on an innovative Ecopoetry project designed to help children connect to the natural landscape through creative writing. We also began working in partnership with the Gaywood Valley Project delivering outreach to schools in King’s Lynn and its urban fringe, raising awareness of the wildlife and landscape of the River Gaywood valley.
Family events and informal education
Over the course of the year we ran 50 family events attended by more than 1,000 children and 1,600 adults. In addition our Wildlife Watch programme attracted almost 500 adults and children to the year’s calendar of events. We attended major shows including Spring Fling, Wild about the Wensum, the Royal Norfolk Show and Wild about Norfolk, running activities for more than 7,000 adults and 3,000 children. The total number of children and adults reached face to face through our informal education events this year exceeded 14,000.
Our well-publicised Big Biodiversity Watch event in June involved more than 500 members of the public who between them recorded more than 1,000 species of wildlife in a 24-hour period on NWT reserves.
Engaging with people and communities
We successfully completed our three year Natural Connections project, exceeding all project targets. We gained funding for a new project – Wild Norfolk: Engaging communities with wildlife and wild places. This project began in February 2011 and will run until September 2013, working in King’s Lynn, Thetford and Great Yarmouth.
Volunteers
The dedication of our volunteers once again played a big part in helping us protect Norfolk’s wildlife. A new Volunteer Coordinator was appointed in October 2010 to continue the work already started. The completion of a volunteer handbook and new induction pack early in 2011 will ensure that all volunteers receive a welcoming introduction to the Trust and how we work.
Targeted recruitment led to the appointment of 22 new volunteers between October and April and we are always trying to identify new areas where volunteer support is needed. Volunteering is a great opportunity to learn new skills and meet new people and the success of NWT over the last 85 years is in large part due to the passion and enthusiasm of our volunteers. It is hoped that all who volunteered during the year, however large or small their contribution, will accept an enormous thank-you; we are extremely grateful to all.
Visitor Centres
Five of our largest and most visited nature reserves are home to our visitor centres. The largest and most well-known is the now iconic NWT Cley Marshes visitor centre which again saw visitor numbers over the year in excess of 100,000. This included people both visiting the reserve, and those calling in for lunch or a coffee to enjoy one of the best views in Norfolk. Cley’s visitor centre is open year-round, and provides something for everyone including: children’s interactive touch screens; wildlife and local gift sales including probably the best selection of natural history books in Norfolk; and a busy café offering local Fairtrade produce and an ever-changing menu.
The seasonal centres at NWT Hickling Broad, NWT Ranworth Broad and NWT Weeting Heath all underwent improvement programmes. In particular, Hickling visitor centre underwent a reorganisation over the winter to make best use of the space and to allow easier access to interpretation and information. All of the centres are child-friendly and provide comprehensive information about the reserves, habitats and species, as well as giving visitors the opportunity to purchase a wide range of refreshments, books, cards and gifts.
Our two new electric passenger boats at NWT Hickling Broad and NWT Ranworth Broad came into full service in 2010 and proved to be extremely popular with families, tourists, naturalists and birdwatchers alike. Boat trips at both reserves involve opportunities to visit otherwise inaccessible areas and are operated by experienced guides who have in-depth knowledge of the area, its history and its wildlife.
The programme of events based at the centres was improved for 2010 with more walks, talks and activities than ever before. We will continue to build on this programme for 2011.
Securing support and resources for our work
NWT has a range of supporters, all of whom are vital in helping to fund our conservation and education work. We are indebted to them for their support in 2010-11 and grateful that this is often a long-term commitment that allows our work to be sustained.
Membership
Over the course of the year we saw a slight 2% drop in member numbers. While this fall may in part be a symptom of the current economic climate, the decline has recently stabilised and, at the end of March 2011, our membership stood at a healthy 35,000.
Local Groups and the 250 Club
NWT continues to have valuable support from its eight Local Members Groups. The groups work on a voluntary basis to provide local events, promote the Trust’s work and raise funds. During the year more than 200 talks and events were held throughout the county raising over £6,000. The 250 Club is our lottery, open to members and non-members alike. Many join the club to “win for wildlife” and this year they donated around £9,000 to supporting the Trust.
Legacies
Increasingly, our supporters leave us legacy income in their wills. While we cannot anticipate the income given to us in this way, more and more people now notify us of their intention to do so by pledging support. These pledges are gratefully received as they allow the Trust to plan for its future.
Living Landscape Appeal and major donations
Our Norfolk’s Living Landscapes appeal was a major undertaking for the Trust launched in November 2009 with a £1million target. These funds, if secured, would be used to purchase new sites to begin to restore and reconnect many of its Living Landscapes. Four sites were identified as essential to developing a series of ecological habitat ‘corridors’ in which threatened species could grow; The Delft next to Grimston Warren, Gill’s Farm at Hilgay and two sites at South Walsham Marshes. To date, three of the sites have been purchased by NWT.
The appeal was phased over 2010-11 and received support from individual members, donors, corporate supporters and charitable trusts. By March 2011 it had raised over £900,000. A further £100,000 was donated singly to NWT supporting the purchase of land at South Walsham Marshes. The appeal represents the start of a long-term commitment to establishing, restoring and enhancing Norfolk’s Living Landscapes. As such it was a considerable success and will be built upon in the future.