Friday 31st August 2007
(ref:
WLCT 18/2007)
The Pride in Your Parks campaign is now even reaching out to our four-legged and feathered friends in the wild.
Due to conservation work led by Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, Wigan Council and their partners the borough’s parks are now amongst the finest spots in the region to witness some of the UK’s rarest animal species in their natural habitat.
Graham Workman, Wildlife and Countryside Development Manager for the Trust, said:
“The ongoing conservation work in and around Wigan Borough’s parks and countryside has resulted in many natural ‘rarities’ now returning as more ‘regular’ visitors. Wigan Borough’s biodiversity strategy formally came into effect in 2006 and is starting to have a real impact on the development and protection of some of our rarer animals.”
Biological diversity, or, ‘biodiversity’ for short, is the name given to the variety of living things, the places where they live and how they work together.
Graham continued: “A good example is the roe deer. They have been appearing in Wigan for about twenty years, but over the last five years have become much more common and have been recorded in all of Wigan’s country parks and most of our countryside sites. They have even been seen crossing the busy road at Riverway!”
Other natural delights are being nurtured back to the borough’s green spaces:
The Bittern:
The Flashes at Wigan and Pennington, have in the past, provided a temporary home for one of the rarest member of the heron family – the bittern. Now thanks to years of habitat creation hopes are high that within the next few years bitterns will become breeding residents in the borough.
Red Squirrels:
The only place within Greater Manchester that you can encounter the elusive red squirrel is Wigan. Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust is working with partners at Orrell Water Park to help the small local population develop by planting tree species that will provide a food source for them.
Grass Snakes:
A project that has been ongoing for the last couple of years will eventually see grass snakes back in Wigan Borough. The reintroduction area for the grass snake is well off the beaten track and has no public access - so don’t panic! Grass snakes will remain one of Wigan’s rarest species for many years to come.
