Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust

Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust
Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust Limited
FormationOctober 9, 1964; 60 years ago (1964-10-09)
TypeConservation charity
Registration no.Registered charity 239863
HeadquartersSt Albans, Hertfordshire
Region
Hertfordshire, parts of North London
Chief Executive
Lesley Davies
Main organ
Local Wildlife Sites Newsletter
Parent organization
The Wildlife Trusts
Websitewww.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk
Formerly called
Hertfordshire & Middlesex Trust for Nature Conservation

Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust manages over 40 nature reserves covering nearly 810 hectares (2,000 acres) north of London, in Hertfordshire and the historic county of Middlesex, part of which is divided between the London boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, Harrow and Hillingdon. It has over 21,000 members, and is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts across the UK.[1][2] It is a Registered Charity, with its Registered Office in St Albans, and had an income in the year to 31 March 2014 of over £1.5 million.[3]

The trust's activities include managing nature reserves, advising landowners on how to manage their land for wildlife, commenting on planning applications, advising planning authorities and campaigning to protect wildlife. The trust also encourages people to be active volunteers helping to maintain nature reserves.[4]

The first preparatory meeting of what was to become the trust was held on 16 November 1963, and the Hertfordshire & Middlesex Trust for Nature Conservation was incorporated on 9 October 1964. By 1970 it had twenty reserves and in the same year it took over management of its first Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Blagrove Common. In 1987 it changed its name to the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.[a] In 2007 it purchased Amwell Quarry, and started restoration which has now made the site internationally important for its wetland birds.[5]

Two of the trust's nature reserves are Ramsar sites, internationally important wetland reserves; fifteen are SSSIs, and five are Local Nature Reserves. The first site was Fox Covert, donated by Mr Fordham of Letchworth on the trust's foundation in 1964.[5] The largest is King's Meads, at 96 hectares (240 acres); this is water meadows where 265 wildflower species have been recorded, and it is an important site for overwintering European stonechats.[6] The smallest is Alpine Meadow at 0.8 hectares, which has been designated an SSSI as an example of unimproved chalk grassland.[7]

  1. ^ "Home". Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Find Your local Wildlife Trust". Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b "The Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust Limited: 2014 Annual Return and accounts". Charity Commission. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  4. ^ "What we do". Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Timeline". Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference King was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference SSSIAlpine was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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