Explore the freshwater wildlife of the New Forest

26th June 2017

Explore the best and most unpolluted freshwater habitats in the UK with us throughout July

New Forest Sowley Stream

The New Forest is an iconic landscape; the heather, the great oaks and the ponies – but did you know that it’s a stand out place for freshwater plants and animals too?

A New Forest pond (c) A Welstead

The ponds, rivers, streams and ditches of the New Forest are surrounded by heathland, woodland, grassland, and mire. These high quality habitats are maintained by traditional and extensive grazing. It’s the perfect recipe for clean water. And where you have clean water, you have lots of freshwater wildlife – some of it very rare indeed.

It’s a landscape very dear to our hearts here at Freshwater Habitats Trust. So this July, we’re inviting you to explore the forest with us – welcome to the New Forest Water Wildlife Month!

Our quick and easy Clean Water for Wildlife kits give immediate feedback on nutrient pollution (c) David Rees Roberts

We’ll be taking a stroll around special ponds including Flagship Ponds – the best ponds in the country.  There’ll be WaterBlitzes where we will test the pollution levels of as many ponds, streams and ditches as we can using our Clean Water for Wildlife kits. And there will be PondNet survey days, with people coming together to find and record some of our rarest pond wildlife.

There’s something for everyone – take a look at our packed events calendar.

The New Forest Water Wildlife Month adventure begins on Saturday 1st July. Dr Naomi Ewald, New Forest devotee and People, Ponds and Water project manager, will introduce the forest’s freshwater wildlife, then lead a walk to explore some special watery places.

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