Risley Moss - a mossland evolvingRisley Moss is one of the last remaining remnants of the Chat Moss raised bog system which once covered much of the Mersey Valley between Warrington and Manchester.Prior to restoration by the Warrington Development Corporation in 1975, the site was suffering from the effects of drainage and falling water tables, Birch and Willow encroachment and frequent fires were threatening to overwhelm the vulnerable mossland community. Added to this were the unsightly tips of pyrotechnic waste which had been dumped on the mossland during and after the Second world war. Despite all this neglect, the site was still recognised as a valuable local refuge for wildlife which eventually led to its development as a joint educational, recreational and conservation area to serve the needs of the rapidly growing new town population. Today, Risley Moss is recognised as a reserve which has successfully integrated the needs of recreation and education with that of conservation.
One of the first conservation objectives was to raise the water table which was achieved by the construction of a series of well placed sluices. Restoration of water levels halted the spread of invading plants whilst encouraging the regeneration of sphagnum moss, cotton grass and other mossland species. Removal of pyrotechnic waste also assisted recovery of the delicate mossland system whilst ongoing maintenance to remove invasive scrub was carried out then and continues at low level to this day.
The reserve was opened in 1980 and went on to become a very important local and regional nature reserve and educational centre of excellence. Despite all this effort invasive scrub and drying out is a constant problem for the mossland. By the late 1980s, the mossland was once again becoming dried out and covered in scrub, however by now it was no longer possible to raise the water table as was done previously, because of the high risk of flooding the local housing area which had sprung up in the meantime. What was needed was a new approach to the problem, and that was not too far away!
In 1994, English Nature in consultation with local groups and organisations came up with an innovative approach to the problem. The scheme - the first of its kind in t he UK, involved digging down to the water table and excavating a series of scrapes which would remain waterlogged for much of the year. Material removed from these scrapes was used to form a series of dry embankments. The initial project carried out in 1994, proved very successful and led to further phased work being carried out in 1999 and again in 2002 and eventually resulted in over 60% of the mossland being treated in this manner.
The second major habitat at Risley Moss is the areas of secondary woodland which have colonised much of the remaining area of the reserve. Management of this birch dominated habitat focussed on thinning and clearing out the undergrowth to open up the canopy and has subsequently involved thinning out and coppicing to maintain structural divesity. Along the northern edge the woodland is dominated by Oak, Ash and originally Elm before it was ravaged by Dutch Elm disease. Here much of the work has been directed towards replacing the Elms with an understorey of Hazel, Cherry and Holly and creating a series of glades to encourage growth of ground flora.
Grassland management has been designed to encourage grassland communities which is reinforced by different mowing regimes thus providing habitat to attract birds and insects. Marsh orchids and Snakes Head Fritillary among other plants are doing well in these areas.
Three distinctly different ponds lie within the woodland and these support an important and diverse range of aquatic life which provide an excellent educational experience as well as supporting the occasional Mallard or Kingfisher.
The visitor centre is located in a very attractive woodland setting and provides some amenities and information about the site and its natural history as well as acting as an informal community centre, it also houses the Mersey Forest. |
