River is a corridor for wildlife (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

River is a corridor for wildlife

1:00pm Friday 19th October 2007

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The Aire Valley may not be the prettiest of the Dales but it certainly has its charms and there's no doubting some fantastic vistas open up of the hills and meadows as you travel along it either by car or train.
Having been despoiled by the ravages of industry over the past few hundred years, the valley is now recovering with nature returning to a once-dead river. Even otters have been spotted in its waters and fish are being encouraged to spread.
But, as the area is being lined up for more homes and development, there is a danger this resurgent wildlife could be marginalised again. Even now, management that could encourage flora and fauna, or at least stop it disappearing, doesn't seem to be being done.
For example, the moorland in the Bradford district in late summer is one of the jewels in its crown but the few patches that remain on the sides of the Aire Valley are being choked by invasive species like bracken and silver birch.
It's particularly sad to see the gradual destruction of Farnhill, Kildwick and Low Bradley Moors - a large area that is home to fantastic heathland species like red grouse and green tiger beetle but is being swamped by birch trees. In a few years this remnant of precious habitat will have been overgrown completely and turned into a woodland that you can see anywhere.
Who owns this patch, home to the distinctive stupa-shaped white jubilee monument for Queen Victoria? Do they care about it becoming overgrown? Have they any money to manage it correctly? Who knows, but it's a crying shame.
So what hope is there that former habitats could be restored to their former glory? The meadows by the river are a case in point. When the river spills over into these after heavy rain, you are suddenly transported back to what the valley must have regularly looked like a few hundred years ago - indeed how it must have looked for thousands of years before being 'improved' and the river confined and strait-jacketed within high banks.
With global warming leading to heavier rainfall and more flooding there is a chance that this wild landscape could be made more than just the odd occurrence. More permanent marshes and flood meadows will catch some of these deluges and hold them back and, at the same time, create new habitats for native species to exploit with reed beds and lakes attracting wildfowl, wading birds and water creatures that would turn the area in a haven.
Groups like the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust are involving local children and adults in preserving and improving the environment along the Aire Valley corridor so let's hope they can do something to enhance the valley's wild nature.

Green or obscene - the mileage counter

Thanks to a weekend train trip I'm clawing back some of my deficit but I am conscious that I am still doing a lot of travelling. It will be interesting to see how many miles I do in total in a year.
Miles by car: -484
Miles being driven: -18
Miles by train: +762
Miles on foot: +102
Miles by bike: +0
Miles by bus: +0
Total: +362 (running total: -1701)