 Volunteers at work
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Although an urban park, the meadow gives it a country park feel and the landscape and vegetation management reflects this. Wildflower meadows are declining habitats yet are very important and can support a wonderful variety of wildlife. The Hailey Park meadow is an ex-landfill site and was a mass of willow, bramble, and buddleia when we set up FoHP. Today it is managed for biodiversity and stopping it from reverting to scrub – recognising the mosaic of habitats found there. This has been achieved by FoHP and other groups. Active conservation to promote biodiversity involves: clearance of some willow and buddleia (allows other species a chance to grow); creation of habitat piles; sections of meadow cut once a year. Rustic log benches are used to good effect within the meadow. However, it is quite labour intensive and each year it all grows back again in the spring – it is still quite satisfying work to do on the park. For all details of events and workdays, click HERE. An increasing number of individuals and groups (including businesses and schools) from around Cardiff join in with voluntary work and using the site as an educational resource Wildlife walks are run to help promote the area. Visits are encouraged by wildlife specialists and more recently we have begun an annual Bioblitz in the summer. Press coverage, this website, twitter, and noticeboards are used to communicate key messages, voluntary work, and events. Access to the meadow is good and area is well served by public transport and the Taff Trail. |
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A comprehensive survey of grasses was completed in 2009. Other wildlife and flora have been noted and recorded but not extensively. Consequently, in 2009, the meadow area of Hailey Park was granted SINC status – a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.
We now have an interpretation board in this area, and will continue to manage the scrub during the autumn and winter, maintain the paths and ensure that the entrance to this area is reasonably tidy and inviting. Broad aims for future management of the meadow are to maximise biodiversity of the site and to communicate and educate everyone in the local wildlife and its importance to the future. |
Tidying up the Ty Mawr Rd entrance next to the meadow area
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Hailey Park Management Plan & Grassland Report
We have now been able to put together a management plan for the meadow area (available as a downloadable pdf file HERE; NB species in this report are only those discovered on survey days but others have been sighted on a regular basis at other times of the year). |
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