CLA beaver talk and nature reserve tour

Join us for a free exclusive tour of Newchurch Moors Nature Reserve, plus a talk on proposed beaver project this month.

It will be held on Monday, 23 May, 2022, from 5pm to 6.30pm. The group will meet at Parsonage Farm (parking available), at Newchurch Shute, Isle of Wight, PO36 0NT.

The event is free but places must be booked here.

CLA members are exclusively invited by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) to visit Newchurch Moors Nature Reserve.

It is a site along the Eastern Yar river which the Trust believes has excellent wetland habitat that would make it a prime candidate as a release site for beavers. Newchurch Moors was created in 2019, made possible by the generosity of the Boswell family that enabled the Trust to acquire the land. 

The existing peat extraction pits, combined with the surrounding lush riparian vegetation, made it stand out as being a possible release site for beavers during a feasibility study in 2020. The Trust's Beaver Recovery Project Officer, who is leading the consultation on a potential introduction, will be on hand to guide you round the reserve and answer questions you may have on beaver impact and management.

Much of the reserve is not publicly accessible, and this guided walk offers the perfect opportunity to walk along the river and, according to the Trust, "see first hand how beavers could enhance the landscape, both through boosting biodiversity and delivering ecosystem services, but in the context of appropriate management of both tree foraging and water levels".

Given sufficient local support, and following the government's release of a nationwide beaver management strategy, HIWWT hope to submit a licence application in due course.

Logistics

The walk will take place from 5pm on 23 May, lasting approximately an hour and a half. We have been given access to park at Parsonage Farm by the Boswell family, from where we can access the reserve.

We will be walking across the wetland which can be boggy in places, so sturdy waterproof walking boots are recommended. We will amble at a gentle pace across the reserve, remaining on relatively flat ground, and there will be plenty of time available for questions.

We will be walking a circular route and will return to our starting point at Parsonage at approximately 6.30pm