Project summary:
The Wildspace! grant was awarded to support the employment of a Community Biodiversity Officer who will be involved in a number of initiatives aimed at conserving and enhancing Stafford Borough’s wildlife and habitats. The main project objectives are to declare five new Local Nature Reserves within the Borough, to encourage new groups and individuals to get involved with biodiversity projects, to provide educational and training opportunities and to actively engage local people in Biodiversity Action Plan delivery.

The project will help to implement the Biodiversity Strategy for Stafford Borough and the Staffordshire Biodiversity Action Plan by contributing to the appropriate management of key habitats and species. A wide variety of activities will be carried out on the potential and declared LNRs. For example, scrub management and otter holt construction has already been carried out on Kingsmead Marsh and willow pollarding and hedgerow restoration will take place on the Stone Meadows during the coming winter. Access improvements will also be implemented on most of the sites. Local communities will be heavily involved in all stages of the project. Community Information Events will be held at all proposed LNRs and leaflets detailing proposed practical work will be distributed to local residences and businesses. ‘Friends of’ groups will be developed and local communities will be actively encouraged to participate in the project via volunteer conservation days and training events.

This project forms part of Stafford Borough Council’s Local Agenda 21 programme (www.staffordbc.gov.uk/la21), which aims to achieve sustainable development and a better quality of life for all, both today and in the future. The Stafford Borough Wildspace Partnership is made up of representatives from a variety of groups and organisations including Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency, Staffordshire County Council, Stafford Borough Council and local community groups.

Astonfields Balancing Lakes are a series of three lakes situated on the north-eastern edge of Stafford. The northern lake is mostly open water with a small amount of emergent vegetation. In contrast, the central lake is dominated by an extensive reedbed. There are records of numerous birds using the lakes including heron, lapwing, redshank and species of warbler. The steep, dry banks of the lakes support grasslands containing a variety of species such as False Oat-grass, Black Knapweed, Creeping Cinquefoil and Meadow Vetchling. The southern "lake", which has very little open water, contains a small area of inland saltmarsh. This is of particular botanical interest because this type of habitat has been found at only one other location in Staffordshire. The site also contains patches of Buttonweed, a species that is not found anywhere else in the county. The proposed LNR covers an area of approximately 4ha, and is already identified as a grade 1 Site of Biological Importance.

Kingsmead Marsh is a large wetland area close to the centre of Stafford town. The majority of the site is marshland, which contains common reedmace, pond sedges and marsh horsetail in the wettest areas. There are a number of ditches running through the site, and scrub and scattered trees are common, particularly around the site’s perimeter. The marsh supports a variety flora and fauna, including locally rare plants such as purple loosestrife, brown sedge and southern marsh orchid. In 1997 Staffordshire Wildlife Trust carried out a detailed ecological survey on the site. On the basis of the information that was gathered Kingsmead Marsh was designated as a grade 1 Site of Biological Importance. The site provides an excellent wildlife haven at the centre of a large town and at a size of approximately 6ha it is more extensive than many of the remaining marshes in Staffordshire.

Kingston Pool Covert (South) is 4.15ha of relatively undisturbed damp woodland on the eastern fringe of Stafford. The woodland has a fairly open canopy and is dominated by crack willow and alder, with scattered hazel and elder. There is a great deal of standing and fallen deadwood, which adds to the site’s biodiversity potential. A number of ferns and fungi can be identified at the site, together with species such as lords-and-ladies and bluebells. There is some evidence of water vole burrows in the banks of the Kingston Brook, which runs through the centre of the woodland.

Stone Meadows proposed LNR comprises a series of three fields, which lie alongside the River Trent as it flows through Stone, and cover a total area of 16.72ha. Over the years all three meadows improved agriculturally, but since 2001 they have been managed through Countryside Stewardship agreements to enhance their botanical value. The dominant broadleaved herb in the grassland sward is creeping buttercup, but common sorrel, hogweed, geranium species and vetches can be found in areas on Crown Meadow (the central of the three meadows). A stretch of damp marshy grassland containing rush species and occasional cuckooflowers runs along the western perimeter of the Southern Meadow. This culminates in a small area of willow-dominated wet woodland surrounding a pond. Landforms can be identified on northern meadow, which relate to its historical usage as a flood meadow.