Over the past four months, the Southern Water owned land at St Catherine’s Hill has been a hive of activity in our quest to restore the chalk grassland.

In October, vegetation was cut-back under the supervision of an ecologist to deter reptiles from the area ahead of hibernation season, to allow works to proceed over winter. Surveys during 2022 revealed the site is used by low numbers of slow worm and grass snake. Large logs were also removed from the work area by the ecology team and have been used to create a new log pile suitable for a range of species away from works. 

This month, an excavator, courtesy of GroundLord, has been busy scraping back the top layer of vegetation to remove the nutrient rich soil, namely containing nettle rhizomes. Nettles have dominated the slope creating limited habitat diversity. The excavator has exposed the chalky soil below which will provide the bed for seeding which will occur in the spring using local chalk grassland donor site.

Fencing is also being installed to allow the site to be managed through conservation grazing. The aim is to restore the formally nationally important chalkland, creating a more connected chalk grassland landscape and an important stepping stone for wildlife. 

We extend our thanks to GroundLord for their invaluable expertise and dedication in helping carry out the vegetation clearance.