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News

Guided Heathland Walk to See Grazing Scheme At Site Of Special Scientific Interest

Sunday 15th November 1998 - 10am

POOLE’S Countryside Team are inviting members of the public to join them for a guided heathland walk to see new plans for extending the grazing site at Rushcombe Bottom.

Last year, after a break of 60 years, a grazing project was set up on heathland at Corfe Hills Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Four hectares of wet heath were fenced off to allow for grazing by New Forest cross ponies, during the summer months. It is now proposed to extend the project to include 4 hectares of wet heath at Rushcombe Bottom.

Nigel Douglas, Countryside Warden said: ‘Grazing is a traditional form of land management. It not only reduces the cost of long-term scrub clearing by chain saws but also makes way for new species to develop.

The grazing projects, which have been set up with the help of English Nature, involve 2 or 3 animals on each site (either cattle or hardy ponies) grazing between April and September. The grazing areas will include a wooded element to provide shelter from the heat of the day and refuge in the event of fire.

‘Every effort will be made to minimise the visual impact of the proposed schemes, where possible, fencing will pass through wooded areas, or follow natural landscape features,’ added Nigel.

Wildlife on the heathland includes endangered species such as the Sand lizard, Smooth snake and the Dartford warbler which are now almost exclusively restricted to the heaths of southern England. Only small fragments of this rare habitat exist, which once extended from Dorchester to Southampton.

For anybody wishing to learn more about these grazing schemes, are invited to join the guided walk. The group will meet where the Roman Road crosses the Higher Blandford Road in Broadstone, next to the Electricity station. Stout footwear or wellingtons are advisable.

Nigel Douglas, Countryside Warden, (01202) 261336