| HNT Facts | The Herefordshire Nature Trust is the local partner for The Wildlife Trusts in
Herefordshire It has 2000 members and over 50 nature reserves across the county, many of which are of national importance It runs a range of advisory, survey, campaign and
educational programmes. Membership is open to all The Wildlife Trusts care for more than 2300 nature reserves in town and country They campaign locally and nationally on issues affecting wildlife They have more than 300,000 supporters throughout the UK and have an extensive education programme including the
junior branch "Wildlife Watch" The Wildlife Trusts are campaigning nationally and internationally for wildlife through
education and events, which raise awareness The Trust locally can advise on grants and
conservation management
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With funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, ERDF Objective II funding and English Nature's Reserves Enhancement Scheme, an old building has been converted in to a "bat bungalow" and 255 bat boxes have been put up around the Trust's reserves as part of a bat monitoring scheme. "Every year bat roosting places are being lost with the conversion of old barns and buildings into residential properties and the felling of big old trees," said Phil Sutton, Management Planning Officer for the Herefordshire Nature Trust. "This work helps to redress the balance as well as providing us with much needed information on the type of bats that live in the county and on our nature reserves". The area known as the Doward, near Symonds Yat, is known as good bat habitat with some rarities such as greater and lesser horseshoe bats being present. There are only 5,000 greater horseshoe bats left in Britain, surviving in just 14 maternity colonies in south west England and south Wales. Nearby King Arthur's Cave nature reserve featured an old quarry building that had lied derelict for 40 years, so the opportunity to turn the old building in to a potential home for bats was quickly grasped. With the aid of local craftsman Jake Keogh, alterations were made at the beginning of this year to make the building more appealing to bats so as to provide more roosting and hibernation opportunities for the rare bats living nearby. Bats prefer dark humid places that have a consistent temperature, so all the old windows and openings were blocked up and a grille installed to let the bats in and out. Inside boxes were attached to the walls and some old jumpers and pyjamas were hung up providing places for the bats to hang from and crawl into. The scene is now set and the buildings first residents are eagerly awaited. Other recent bat work on the Herefordshire Nature Trust's nature reserves includes the setting up of a new bat monitoring programme to shed light on what bats species are living on its reserves. 255 bat boxes made of saw dust and concrete have been hung up on trees in a selection of reserves to provide additional roosting opportunities and will be monitored regularly to build up a picture of the species of bats that are using them. This information will then be used to better manage the reserves for bats and other wildlife. To find out more about the Trust's nature reserves, telephone 01432 356872 or visit the Trust's website. If you know of a bat roost near you or want to help out with bat surveys contact Herefordshire Action for Mammals on 01989 750790.
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