Specialist nature work improves homes for wildlife
Local wildlife will soon be enjoying some 'home improvements' thanks to nearly £500 being spent on specialist nature work.
The Newgate Lane/Racecourse Area Neighbourhood Management Team has awarded Mansfield District Council's Parks department £480 for specific heathland and acid grassland management at Racecourse Park.
The habitat management work is being carried out by BTCV; the UK's leading conservation charity and everyone is welcome to come along to help out.
The work will include:
- thinning out gorse bushes to create different ages and heights, making it more suitable and appealing for butterflies, moths and nesting birds;
- opening up some of the old sand bunkers to show the bare ground. Basking lizards, insects and bees enjoy this environment as do some birds who like to nest in the sand;
- removing some non-native trees making way for native heathland trees such as oak and silver birch.
Racecourse Park is home to lowland heathland and acid grassland habitats which are nationally important. In 2006, a section of the site was classified as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) because of the high number of different species of acid grasses found there.
The work will take place on Wednesday 5th and Tuesday 11th March from 11am to 3.30pm. Anyone is welcome to go along and help out or observe. Racecourse Park is off Epsom Street, Mansfield.
A management plan for the site is also being put together by the Sherwood Forest Trust which has expertise in these habitats. The council would then use the plan to help maintain the site and develop its optimum potential – for example rotational coppicing of the gorse and heather scrapes.