Next to the central meadow are some seasonal ponds shaded by willow carr. A panorama of these ponds viewed from the meadow (looking to the West) is shown above. In winter water drains from playing fields in background as the Rotherlands central meadow is lower than the playing fields. The geology here is alternate layers of sand and clay so that the water seeps out of the sand layer along a spring line and collects on the impervious clay. In summer, the area is heavily shaded by the trees and dries to leave deep muddy silt so that the ponds do not support a wide variety of plants.

Our management plan includes the restoration of open water in these seasonal ponds. Clearing some of the trees allows light in to the ponds and removing some of the silt provides all year round water, encouraging a wide range of plants and animals to colonise the ponds. We hope that when the ponds are recolonised they will provide a useful educational resource, as well as increasing the biodiversity of the site and adding to its amenity value.

Restoration

September 2003

The restoration task was far too big to start without the help of machines. A £5000 grant was obtained by the group from Awards for All, and another £2050 was provided by the East Hampshire ANOB organisation. The task was carried out in the first week in September 2003 by staff from Queen Elizabeth Country Park staff, supervised by the QE Park manager. As the first four pictures (right) show, it was still very dry when the work was carried out. To begin with the trees were cleared, and then the silt was excavated and transferred to the banks around the excavation. Below about 0.5 metres of silt there was a thick clay layer which was left undisturbed to help retain the water in the deepened pond. (Pictures 5-7)

Water began to seep into the pond immediately, and as can be seen in the eigth picture (right) taken about one week after the job was completed, soon covered all of the pond bottom.

October 2003

The pictures 9 and 10 show the pond in October, looking South and then North. The pond had filled to about 0.3 metres deep with no significant rain. The pond is about 15 metres wide at the widest point and about 36 metres long.

November 2003

Pictures 11 and 12 show the pond in in Early November, looking South and then North. The pond had filled to about 0.75 metres deep after heavy rain, and had flooded into adjacent areas of the meadow.

The last picture shows some small depressions in the meadow about 100 metres away from main pond which form additional warmer ponds in the spring. These were deepened at same time as the large pond was excavated to provide longer lasting ponds.