The two floating tern rafts at Fleet Pond have been restored and installed at Moor Green Lakes, recycling at its best!
Blackwater Valley Countryside (BVC) were commissioned by the Chairman of the Moor Green Lakes Group (MGLG) to assist the group with the restoration of the two rafts. The rafts provide several benefits for nesting terns over the existing Moor Green Islands namely; mink-proof fence, suitable small gravel, and mobile so easier to maintain by volunteers. At Fleet Pond the rafts have a proven history of being used by terns for nesting and preventing predation of chicks by terrestrial and aquatic predators. The tern rafts were no longer needed at Fleet Pond as they now have had permanent islands built.
The restoration work was carried out by BVC rangers & volunteers, Merrist Wood students and volunteers from MGLG. A special thank you to Tony Elston and Chris Bean for leading the restoration of the rafts.
This was a great example of recycling tern rafts which were no longer need at Fleet Pond and installing them at Moor Green Lakes where they will provide a substantial increase in suitable breeding sites for terns. The approximate £400 of materials spent on both rafts represents a clear saving of around 75% of the cost of purchasing them new. The rafts were large and heavy which meant that loading and transporting them was a major undertaking. Also Towing out first finished raft the restoration took a surprising amount of time, with lots of fiddly work by volunteers at Ash Lock. This resulted in the tern raft restoration becoming a major project for Moor Green Lakes, with a large input of volunteer and staff time. Thanks to the efforts of all our volunteers we now have two great additions to the reserve.
Stuart Croft, Blackwater Valley Countryside Ranger. 5/3/2013.
Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership. www.blackwater-valley.org.uk Tel: 01252 331353
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