Houghton Regis Marl Lakes

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Houghton Regis Marl Lakes
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Houghton Regis Marl Lakes 20.JPG
Location Bedfordshire
Grid reference TL008235
InterestBiological
Area20.1 hectares
Notification 1988
Location map Magic Map

Houghton Regis Marl Lakes is a 20.1-hectare (50-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire. It was notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in 1988. [1] [2]

The site is a large disused chalk quarry, and it is listed by Geo-East as a "Chalk Place to Visit" due to its exposure of Totternhoe stone. [3] [4] It is a rare example of standing water in chalk. It is important both ornithologically and for its range of dragonflies. There are two marl lakes, one deep and one shallow, which have aquatic plants and molluscs, with fens in a waterlogged area between the lakes. [1]

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire managed the site between 2011 and 2015. [5] A Trust noticeboard at the northern and southern entrances to the site names it as Houghton Regis Chalk Pit. The Wildlife Trust BCN produced newsletters during their management period and these are retrievable online. Volunteers helped with tasks at various times. [6] Youth Ranger activities, [7] took place and these included tasks such as scrub-clearing using conservation tools and controlled bonfires. The Chalk Pit regularly appeared in Wildlife BCN's North Chilterns Chalk volunteer programme [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire</span> Charity in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (WTBCN) is a registered charity which manages 126 nature reserves covering 3,945 hectares. It has over 35,000 members, and 95% of people in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire live within five miles of a reserve. In the year to 31 March 2016 it employed 105 people and had an income of £5.1 million. It aims to conserve wildlife, inspire people to take action for wildlife, offer advice and share knowledge. The WTBCN is one of 36 wildlife trusts covering England, and 46 covering the whole of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totternhoe Stone</span> Hard chalk outcropping in England

Totternhoe Stone is a relatively hard chalk outcropping in the middle of the Lower Chalk in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, England. Geologically, it is located in the upper part of the Cenomanian stage of the Cretaceous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barton Gravel Pit</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegsdon Hills and Hoo Bit</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sewell Cutting</span>

Sewell Cutting is a 3.6-hectare (8.9-acre) nature reserve at Sewell in Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire. It is owned by Central Bedfordshire Council and managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totternhoe Knolls</span>

Totternhoe Knolls is a 13.1 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Totternhoe in Bedfordshire. It is also a local nature reserve, and part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The site is owned by Central Bedfordshire Council and leased to the National Trust. Most of the site is maintained jointly by the National Trust and the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (WTBCN), and is part of the WTBCN Totternhoe nature reserve, which also includes Totternhoe Chalk Quarry and Totternhoe Stone Pit. The SSSI also includes Totternhoe Castle, the earthworks of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle which is a Scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totternhoe Chalk Quarry</span>

Totternhoe Chalk Quarry is a 13.4-hectare (33-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Totternhoe in Bedfordshire. Part of it lies in Totternhoe nature reserve, which is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. The site is part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry Hinton Pit</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deacon Hill SSSI</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barton Hills, Bedfordshire</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundon Chalk Quarry</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totternhoe nature reserve</span>

Totternhoe nature reserve is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (WTBCN). The 31 hectare site is in Totternhoe in Bedfordshire, and it includes parts of three Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Totternhoe Knolls is a biological SSSI owned by Central Bedfordshire Council and leased to the National Trust. Most of it is managed jointly by the National Trust and the WTBCN, excluding Totternhoe Castle, the earthworks of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle which is part of the SSSI but not of WTBCN's nature reserve. Totternhoe nature reserve also includes the geological SSSI, Totternhoe Stone Pit, which is not open to the public, and other areas owned by WTBCN, including part of Totternhoe Chalk Quarry, another biological SSSI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mill Crook</span>

Mill Crook is a 5.9-hectare (15-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Towcester in Northamptonshire. Mill Crook and Grafton Regis Meadow are a 7.9-hectare (20-acre) nature reserve managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limekiln Close and East Pit</span>

Limekiln Close and East Pit is a 10 hectare Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Cherry Hinton, on the south-eastern outskirts of Cambridge. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire as Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits. East Pit is part of the Cherry Hinton Pit biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, which excludes Limekiln Close but includes the neighbouring West Pit.

References

  1. 1 2 "Houghton Regis Marl Lakes citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  2. "Map of Houghton Regis Marl Lakes". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  3. Chalk Places to Visit in Bedfordshire, Geo-East Archived 2016-08-09 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Geo-East, The East of England Geodiversity Partnership
  5. Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (January 2015). "A Nature Conservation Strategy for Central Bedfordshire" (PDF). Central Bedfordshire Council. pp. 27–28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  6. by-election. "Volunteering Opportunity". Hrnd.co.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  7. by-election (17 February 2014). "Houghton Regis Chalk Pit Youth Afternoon With Controlled Bonfire and A Chance to Learn New Environmental Skills 17 Feb". Hrnd.co.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  8. by-election. "North Chilterns Chalk volunteer programme for Jan to March 2016". Hrnd.co.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2021.

Coordinates: 51°53′56″N0°32′10″W / 51.899°N 0.536°W / 51.899; -0.536