Chris Packham opens How Hill National Nature Reserve
A 7' high dragonfly was unveiled by wildlife presenter Chris Packham to celebrate the designation of How Hill National Nature Reserve by English Nature on Monday 15 May at 11.00am.
The stainless steel sculpture, with filigree wings fluttering in the breeze, was created by Norwich artist Sally Adams and assembled by FW Hall & Son Ltd, of Norwich. It marks the beginning of the wildlife nature trail.
English Nature Chief Executive Andy Brown handed the certificate of declaration to John Packman, Chief Executive of the Broads Authority, which owns the reserve.
Chris Packham, legendary presenter of BBC’s 'The Really Wild Show', took pupils from Norwich High School, who were staying at How Hill house for a week’s residential study of the Broads, for a spot of dyke dipping. Guests were taken out on the Broads Authority’s ‘Electric Eel’ for a ‘Really Wild’ trip across the river to look at the wetlands and some of the management work and wildlife after lunch.
National Nature Reserves are among the finest wildlife and earth heritage sites in England and are considered the jewels in the crown of the SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) series. How Hill, near Ludham, part of the Ant Broads and Marshes SSSI, meets all the requirements for NNR status.
A unique microcosm of the Broads, it is buzzing with nationally and internationally important wildlife, including the rare swallowtail butterfly, which in Britain is only found in the Broads. It is a place where high quality land management and ecological research take place, and the majority of the reserve has been classified as in 'favourable condition', while Crome’s Broad is in 'unfavourable recovering' condition following successful mud-pumping carried out by the Broads Authority.
How Hill attracts over 25,000 visitors a year who come to enjoy the nature trails, wildlife water trail, Toad Hole Cottage museum and information centre, moorings and riverside paths. Next to the reserve, Buttle Marsh, a newly restored wetland to attract bitterns, is encompassed by a circular walk.
The How Hill Trust, which owns the house and gardens, uses the reserve as an educational resource for its environmental study centre where children and adults come to learn about wildlife and the Broads. The trust even has its own ecology centre.
Andy Brown, Chief Executive of English Nature, said: “How Hill is a wonderful haven for wildlife and provides outstanding opportunities for people to visit the site and learn more about the wildlife and history of the Broads. The Broads Authority, through their careful restoration and management of the site have now brought it up to National Nature Reserve standards and English Nature is delighted to recognise this today."
Within How Hill’s 129 hectares are a mix of large areas of open fen, wet and dry woodland, rush pasture, fen meadow and two areas of open water. A further 12 hectares of grassland and water gardens are leased to the How Hill Trust.
Most of the reserve forms part of the Broads Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Broadland Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Ramsar Site internationally important for its birdlife. It becomes the eighth NNR in the Broads.
10/05/06
