Plea to help canal wildlife thrive

Wildlife habitats along the Calder and Hebble canal have been given a boost thanks to public support.
The Calder and Hebble canal in DewsburyThe Calder and Hebble canal in Dewsbury
The Calder and Hebble canal in Dewsbury

Last year, the Canal & River Trust, which looks after the waterway, launched a £5,000 fundraising appeal to make a six-mile stretch of the canal in Dewsbury more wildlife-friendly.

Now the cash will be spent on a range of new bird and bat boxes, as well as installing motion sensor webcams for monitoring.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And the trust is calling on local volunteers to help support the wildlife which uses the waterway network for feeding, nesting and breeding. Roles include habitat surveying and monitoring, event organisation and helping to improve towpaths.

Kirklees College students have already been helping to build the boxes.

Rebecca Dent, Dewsbury Waterlinked project officer, said: “Thanks to the generosity of local people and others who have supported the Canal & River Trust, we’re now able to start work in delivering these important wildlife enhancements.”

Jonathan Hart-Woods, environment manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: “Local ownership is vital to the long term future of our waterways so we hope that people in Dewsbury will help us in our efforts along this waterway corridor.”

Related topics: