Dams to create wildlife corridors in Spen area

Sustrans volunteers and local staff have created three new dams on the Spen Valley Greenway to help attract frogs, birds, bats, insects, and wildflowers.
The three new dams on the Spen Valley Greenway will attract wildlife.The three new dams on the Spen Valley Greenway will attract wildlife.
The three new dams on the Spen Valley Greenway will attract wildlife.

The team built the dams, which were up to 18 foot wide, from logs removed from another greenway and mud from the surrounding wetland.

UK charity Sustrans owns the popular walking and cycling path which is a haven for wildlife, and recently widened the wetland to help prevent flooding.

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Spen Valley Greenway is part of a network of traffic-free wildlife corridors on the National Cycle Network, which are managed to help boost biodiversity.

The charity holds regular wildlife workdays and events on the path, and there will be a free guided bird walk on the route on Sunday, June 9.

Sarah Bradbury, Sustrans Greener Greenways officer in Yorkshire said: “We had great fun building dams to enable pools to form in this wetland area to help local wildlife.

“We could see on the day that pools were already starting to form due to our efforts and an inquisitive blue tit was taking a look at them.

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“You can find out more about the wide variety of birds which use the Spen Valley Greenway at our bird walk on 9 June.”

Find out more about the guided bird walk and other Sustrans events in Yorkshire at SustransYorks on Facebook.

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