Wildlife trail wins funding
The Big Lottery has chosen to fund just one project in Norfolk through its community wildlife programme: a nature trail around the UEA campus.
The trail will cover meadowland, marshland and woodland, with the oldest tree estimated to be hundreds of years old.
£9000 has been awarded to UEA Volunteers to develop a nature trail through the campus and along the banks of the River Yare. Information boards will draw on wildlife surveys carried out by Dr Iain Barr, lecturer in Ecology at the university. UEA landscape historians will also contribute information to trace ancient woodland, pathways, farms and other settlements..
Elaine Sherriffs from the project said: “Many people are not aware of the value of the site. In a relatively small area several different habitats exist – grass meadows, woodland, reed beds, river and Broad, marshland, lines of ancient trees – and each has its own unique wildlife. The oldest tree on the edge of the campus is estimated to be more than 400 years old.”
The trail, due to be established by autumn 2011, will be funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Wildlife programme, which aims to bring communities together to improve or protect the natural environment. The volunteers will work in partnership with groups such as the Friends of Eaton Park and the Yare Valley Society.
Guided tours along the trail may be offered to local school children. The trail will be signposted from both Eaton and Earlham Park.
To find out more or get involved, contact Elaine Sherriffs at volunteers@uea.ac.uk or call 01603 592103.
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