Can you help save and protect Nidderdale’s ponds?
Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is looking for volunteers for a project to survey Priority Ponds, which are ponds with high ecological value and that may support species of high conservation importance such as toads and newts.
The AONB’s new Priority Ponds project officer, Kate Wright, will survey toad populations next spring, as well as carrying out clean water tests.
Ms Wright hopes to recruit and train around 50 volunteers to survey a minimum of 100 ponds across Nidderdale.
She said:
“I’m hoping to share my passion for ponds and the excitement of discovering varied species in and around the water. I am particularly fond of toads, and hope that we can learn more about their distribution through the project. It’s also a joy to be working in beautiful Nidderdale AONB.”
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As well as providing training for the pond surveys, short courses will be run in specialist areas, such as dragonfly identification and pond management.
The project is thanks to funding through Yorkshire Water’s Biodiversity Programme and is in partnership with national charity, the Freshwater Habitats Trust.
If you’d like your pond to be considered for surveying contact the AONB here.