Beds, Cambs, Northants and Peterborough with Highway Maintenance Area 8

Safeguarding Bedfordshire’s Chalk Grassland

The three sites chosen for this project, Pegsdon Hills, Barton Gravel Pits and Old Warden Tunnel, belong to a threatened habitat group called lowland calcareous grassland habitat. The sites all support a significant number of key species so survey data collected during this project is particularly important and will contribute to the implementation of the Bedfordshire and Luton Biodiversity Action plan.
	At Pegsdon Hills, scrub management work was carried out over the autumn and winter months to prevent the loss of species rich grassland, including a large population of the common spotted orchid. To encourage dormice to the area, coppicing and specific felling of small shrubs was carried out allowing the growth of honeysuckle, hazel and elderflower, which is a better structure, for dormice. Access improvements for visitors to the site included the replacement of a field gate (that had been stolen) and additional stile and kissing gates at key access points. A flock of rare breed Hebridean sheep was moved to the reserve to ensure that the most critical areas of the site are grazed.
Surveys at Barton Gravel Pit, confirmed that this is the only site in Bedfordshire where the long-stalked cranesbill plant grows. The site also supports a colony of the great pignut plant, a Red Data Book species that can only be found in this area of the UK and ploughing and harrowing was carried out to encourage their germination. At Old Warden Tunnel, improvements have been made to site access including scrub clearance, building steps and erecting fencing. Twenty Balwen and Manx Loghtan sheep belonging to a local member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust successfully grazed the reserve from October to Christmas 2002. On the 18th July Carillion staff attended a site visit organized by the Trust.