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09
Dec 2021
Work has begun at Hell Wath Local Nature Reserve in Ripon to restore precious wildlife habitats.
The conservation work is part of the £2.5m four-year Skell Valley Project, a scheme co-led by the National Trust and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Skell Valley Project is working with Harrogate Borough Council to deliver the Friends of Hell Wath Nature Reserve management plan, which is part of a wider scheme of work to help nature thrive in the Skell Valley and Ripon.
Hell Wath (pictured below) is a wildflower-rich grassland, home to species such as common spotted orchid and cowslips as well as botanical rarities such as adder’s-tongue fern and bee orchid.
Invasive ‘scrub’ is spreading across the open grasslands, swamping out the wildflowers and reducing feeding opportunities for butterflies and other pollinators.
Councillor Andrew Paraskos, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:
The scrub removal is part of a wider scheme of work that will be delivered at Hell Wath as part of the Skell Valley Project.
During winter, a silted-up pond will be reinstated to restore habitat for amphibians and dragonflies. In coming years, the project will work to improve footpaths on the reserve, with better waymarking and interpretation.
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