Bittern - Tim Stenton
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust urgently needs to raise £25,000 by 20 December 2013 to create a new nature reserve that will be a haven for the rare bittern.
Help to create a new nature reserve
We need your help to raise £25,000 to create the largest reedbed in Staffordshire and attract breeding bitterns to the county.
We want to raise the money to purchase Tucklesholme Quarry, currently a 130-acre sand and gravel quarry at the side of the River Trent near Barton-under-Needwood.
The Trust wants to buy the site before it comes to the end of its life as a working quarry, as this will enable us to work with the quarry company to shape restoration plans. If we buy now, we can ensure that the landscaping works are carried out to create the perfect habitat for wildlife.
Make history - bring breeding bitterns back to Staffordshire
Tucklesholme has all the right ingredients to become one of our finest nature reserves. At 130 acres, it is large enough to create an expanse of reedbed that wading birds need to thrive.
It is hoped that such a reedbed will encourage the bittern, a secretive member of the heron family, to breed in Staffordshire for the first time in over 100 years.
Historically, bitterns were relatively common in Staffordshire, but numbers plummeted during the 1800s as the reedbeds that these birds depend on were drained for farming.
Good news for people and wildlife
As well as being a sanctuary for wildlife, people will benefit from Tucklesholme Quarry becoming a nature reserve. It will become a fantastic visitor destination - a place to unwind and enjoy nature - as well as helping to reducing flooding in the area by providing natural flood storage.
The site will also become another key piece in the Living Landscape jigsaw - a major new part of the Central Rivers Living Landscape.
Make a donation today - it's easy!
- Online - use our online donation form
- Mobile phone - text TUCK13 £3 / £5 / £10 to 70070
- Post - fill in the donation slip and send, together with payment, to: Tucklesholme Appeal, FREEPOST WILDLIFE.
Watch our video to find out more about the appeal and see Tucklesholme Quarry for yourself