Earlier this year we received a very generous donation from parcel delivery company DPD towards our habitat management work at Langford... https://www.dpd.co.uk/content/about_dpd/press_centre/dpd-supports-rspb-with-wetlands-restoration-project.jsp
This donation covers the cost of replacing three of the sluices on site, these are crucial water control structures, which allow us to both move water between the different hydrological units, and to control levels within in them, maintaining higher or lower water levels within individual units as required. This hydrological control is essential for our management of the developing reedbed and allows us to keep the habitat as enticing as possible for the wealth of wildlife that calls it home.
Our old sluices are no longer fit-for-purpose and so DPD have funded the installation of some shiny, new, double-leaf penstocks. Work will be starting on Monday 21st August with Aquatic Control Engineering acting as the principal contractor. Installation should take a week. One of the sluices is located adjacent to the Visitor Trail, the current plan is for this to be the last one that'll be worked on, so in theory towards the end of next week a section of the Visitor Trail will be closed whilst the work is taking place. Signage will be up to make things clear, but it is likely to be the section between the Corfe Castle / 360 viewing area and the western end of the Boardwalk.
Photo below taken during a recent drone survey of the reserve by Jeremy Murfitt from Everything Is Somewhere www.everythingissomewhere.com