 Alder
Hills Local Nature Reserve
Managed by the
Dorset Wildlife
Trust
Classification:
SSSI, 13 acres.
Types of Habitat: dry and humid heath, wildlife pond, fringing
carr woodland.
Location
and Access: from the end of Sharp Road, Parkstone, or Sainsburys car
park, Alder Hills.
Notable
for: heathland species including all six British Reptiles,
Dragonflies, Amphibians.
The History of the Reserve
This unusual reserve is set in the
middle of a highly urban area, and the large pond is itself an
industrial relic, having developed from a flooded clay pit abandoned in
1948.
 The
surrounding heathland is a tiny relic of the Great Heath which once
stretched from Christchurch to Dorchester. The clay from the Alder Hills
pits went to make many of the drainage pipes used as Bournemouth grew.
The largest claypit was filled in the 1950s to provide the land where
the Sharp road industrial site was built, and the 1980s saw proposals to
develop the remaining heath and pond area.
Local residents combined to
save the site, and in 1984 it was designated as a SSSI.
At the end of
the 1980s Sainsburys bought the land and built a store adjacent to the
reserve. In 1990 they donated the land to Poole Borough Council, and
generously provided funds for the Dorset Wildlife Trust to manage the
land as the Alder Hills Nature Reserve.
Inside the Reserve
The pond's remarkably pure water plays host
to Newts, Frogs, Toads and 13 different species of Dragonfly.
The Alder Hills Fishing Club
is run by Dorset Wildlife Trust to ensure the
preservation of the pond and its wildlife, which also includes a good variety of birds
visiting to feed and nest around the pond. Kingfishers, Woodcock and
Cormorants are known to use the site, and Finches and Warblers breed in
the fringe of carr woodland around the water's edge.
The heathland areas on the rising slope to the North of the pond are
ideally situated to provide the warm sunny conditions loved by reptiles,
and both the Smooth Snake and Sand Lizard may be seen basking here in
the spring.
The
Emperor Moth breeds here, and the sandy banks are home to Mining Bees
and parasitic Sand Wasps. Heathland colours are provided by Ling, Bell
Heather and Cross Leaved Heath, with splashes of yellow from Western
Gorse and Broom.
As with most heathland sites, the floral diversity is
poor, but interesting casual plants such as White Melilot often appear
on the fringes and paths.
Wildlife and the Community
Involvement from the local community
has helped to keep this vital refuge for threatened wildlife intact, and
the local management committee for the reserve has maintained this link.
Visitors are welcome, but are asked to use the reserve sensibly and with
regard for its wildlife.
Please
Remember
-
Keep
to the paths to prevent erosion.
-
Don't light fires, and dispose of cigarettes with care.
-
Don't
remove animals or plants.
-
 Take your
litter home.
Alder
Hills Fishing Club
Dug in the 1920’s to
supply clay to the local pottery industry, Alder Hills Fishery is a two
and a half acre lake. Extraction came to an end in 1948 and the flooded
clay pit has become home to a variety of fish and other wildlife.
For those who wish to
enjoy the natural fishing of the lake Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) runs the
Alder Hills Fishing Club (AHFC) and issues a limited number of annual
fishing permits - no more than 30 per annum in order to prevent damage to
the site.
The lake is low stock and
is known to be “hard to fish”. It will not be restocked due to its
designation as a SSSI. It includes around 35 carp up to 25lb, tench
up to 5lb, roach, rudd and the odd small pike.
Annual tickets are
available and run from 16th June to 14th March the
following year, by completing the application form, and posting it back
together with the items listed below. Please note the club is unable to
accept an application by e-mail.
Items to be submitted with
the completed application form include:
-
Passport sized photo of
the applicant
-
Photocopy of the
applicants national rod licence
-
Payment
-
A stamped self addressed
envelope
Anglers must read and
abide by the Conditions of Use each year you apply as they are
occasionally amended. Conditions of Use are listed on page 3 of the
application form (available to download below).
AHFC reserves the right to
withdraw permission to fish from anyone not abiding by the Conditions of
Use.
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Download Application Form & Conditions of Use (PDF, 110kb) |
Download No Fishing Zones map (PDF, 270kb) |
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