Merry Christmas from Legacy Habitat Management Ltd

Wishing everyone a great Christmas & New Year from all at Legacy Habitat Management Ltd.

Great crested newts, licensing and mitigation - 27th-29th November

Legacy Habitat Management Ltd will be carrying out a newt fencing demonstration at the 2012 Great Crested Newts, Licensing and Mitigation Course - 27th-29th November 2012.

This course is run by Jim Fairclough, Senior Ecologist with Golder Associates, in association with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC-Trust) to bring together the theory and practice of great crested newt mitigation.

Real life case studies and examples of best practice will be used to identify some of the pitfalls often encountered when developing great crested newt mitigation projects. The course will give participants a thorough understanding of Natural England form WML-A14-2 and the skills needed to manage a great crested newt mitigation project from start to finish.

Further information can be found on page 9 of the ARC-Trust 2012 course programme.

Temporary Newt Fencing Repair Tape

I still see a lot of duct tape out on sites, used to repair temporary newt fencing with, and see it flapping around in the wind, not doing the job for which it was intended, leaving gaping holes in a newt fence.

Duct tape, or gaffer tape (apparently they are different) are no good for the purpose of mending holes, tears, or to make joins in polythene newt fencing. They are both great tapes for other purposes but are not UV resistant, or waterproof and don't stand up to the British weather for long periods of time. The adhesive on duct tape very quickly dries out when exposed to the elements and very quickly fails to retains it adhesion to the plastic newt fencing membrane.

Caudon Waterproof UV Repair Tape does exactly what it says on the tin, its waterproof, UV stabilised.... and it sticks. It can even be used when the newt fencing polythene membrane is wet. We didn't believe this at first but it does work and now always carry some when on temporary newt fencing contracts. Its tough stuff and retains it adhesion to the newt fencing membrane when exposed to the British climate and should continue to do so for up to 2 years.

If you're an ecologist, or site manager and have the responsibility of looking after a temporary newt fence and maintaining its integrity, get yourself a roll of Caudon Waterproof UV Repair Tape.

       

Caudon 50mm Newt
Fencing Repair Tape

Caudon 100mm Newt
Fencing Repair Tape

Available in 50mm or 100mm wide rolls, both are approximately 33m in length.

A tweeted photo of Caudon Waterproof UV Repair Tape in action from site

New Caudon Badger Gate Light (from £45)

We are now offering a new refined badger gate design for use with long or short term badger access and exclusion projects.

Caudon Badger Gate Light

This new badger gate design offers the same functionality and durability of the standard Caudon Badger Gate:

• Two way gate opening
• Locking facility for One-way or No-way operation
• Can be installed vertically in a badger-proof fence or at an angle in a badger-proof ground covering, over a sett entrance.
• Incorporates fixing holes to tie into surrounding badger proof mesh.
• Robust design & all galvanised steel construction.

The new gate design lowers the manufacturing costs by reducing the number of welds and the amount of material wastage. This is a cost saving that can then be passed onto the end customer. The main frame and gate components are laser cut from a single piece of 3mm thick sheet steel with the only welding required to affix the leg mounts, hinges and captive nuts for the locking mechanism.

Caudon Badger Gate Light
with legs

Caudon Badger Gate Light
Legs removed & gate
partially open

The new leg design means that the legs slide through the mountings making it easier to position the gate in the required location and then tap the legs into the ground without upsetting the position of the gate. This also makes installation easier in rocky ground where it is not always possible to tap the legs all the way home, potentially leaving a traditional gate design in the wrong position.

The legs can also be removed altogether as they are not always required, especially when fitting the gate into a badger-proof ground covering.

The weight of the new designed gate is also reduced and takes up less room in storage meaning that we can offer slightly better delivery costs than for the standard badger gate.

We recognise that some people don't like change and would still prefer to stick with a product that they are more familiar with, so we will still be offering the standard gate at the same time, for the foreseeable future.

Buy both types of Caudon Badger Gate at www.wildlifefencing.co.uk

We welcome any feedback about our products, new or old, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

0114 261 9478 or sales@wildlifefencing.co.uk

ACO @ wildlifefencing.co.uk

Wildlifefencing.co.uk & Legacy Habitat Management Ltd are pleased to announce the formation of a close working relationship with ACO Wildlife and the launch of ACO Wildlife products on the wildlifefencing.co.uk website.

ACO are a globally recognised brand in the supply, design, development and manufacture of surface water drainage systems. In conjunction with this, they produce a range of wildlife mitigation products under the ACO brand which offer innovative solutions for the protection of wildlife with a more long-term approach than traditional mitigation installations.

This approach makes the ACO range of products ideal for addressing issues presented to protected wildlife species by more permanent infrastructure hazards such as roads, drainage systems, gullies etc or other man-made features from which wildlife has no means of escape, or that blocks their foraging paths.

Some of the products from the ACO Wildlife range such as the ACO Amphibian Guide Fence, ACO Amphibian Tunnel Systems and the ACO Wildlife Kerb can form part of the permanent hard landscaping on road build projects through wildlife or amphibian sensitive territory, or can be retro-fitted to existing roads or infrastructure.

The ACO One-Way Amphibian Fence Panel creates an impenetrable one way amphibian or reptile fence for use as a long term installation. The curved panel profile allows amphibians or reptiles to pass over the fence in one direction but ensures there is no chance of movement in the return direction.

ACO Amphibian Guide Fence

The ACO Amphibian Guide Fence is designed to create an amphibian or other wildlife proof barrier by acting as a retaining wall providing a permanent step in the landscape This barrier helps to guide species to safe habitat, or to a safe crossing point, such as provided by the ACO Amphibian Tunnel Systems and preventing amphibians from entering hazard zones such as roads.

ACO Guide Fence installed

The pre-formed polymer concrete panels are free-standing and can sit directly onto a hardcore or concrete sub-base, slotting together to form a vertical barrier. This can be then back-filled up to the top edge to create robust, weight bearing wall. The anti-climb surface incorporating overhangs, prevents amphibians from breaching the barrier.

The panels can also be left free-standing without the back-fill as an alternative to more traditional, 'trenched-in' newt fencing structures. This makes it a viable option for creating an amphibian or reptile proof barrier across hard standing surfaces.

As well as straight panel sections, additional components are available to create internal & external curves, as well as dealing with changes in gradient.

ACO Amphibian Tunnel Systems

ACO Tunnel Systems are designed to create safe crossing points on roads where amphibian populations are present and may need to cross the road to reach spawning grounds. Used in conjunction with ACO Amphibian Guide Fence Panels acting as a funnel to direct amphibians to the tunnel this can prevent amphibians from venturing onto roads or remove the need to create new wetland habitat on the amphibian side of the road.

ACO Amphibian Tunnel with ACO Guide Fence

The polymer concrete tunnel sections incorporate 'climate holes' in the exposed top surface so that the atmosphere inside the tunnel remains equalised with the external ambient conditions. This eliminates the problem of 'drying out', a symptom of other tunnel systems where amphibians can become dehydrated mid-tunnel and die.

This tunnel system is installed flush with the road surface meaning that the tunnel doesn't have to be as deep as other tunnel systems. This requires less excavation to install and reduces the chance of the tunnel flooding with high ground waters.

ACO Wildlife Kerb

Amphibians are known to proceed along any vertical surface that they meet. Roadside kerbstones act in this way, potentially directing amphibians towards roadside drain openings and gullies. The ACO Wildlife Kerb incorporates a recessed channel into its design and when installed inline with other kerb stones at a drain opening, can provide a safe passage for amphibians around the hazard.

ACO Wildlife Kerb installed

A recent study conducted over 2 years in Scotland had shown that 60-70% of drain gully pots contained some form of wildlife, the majority of which were amphibans. With no means of escape, this means certain death for these creatures. This study and the piloting of ACO Wildlife Kerbs was recently featured on the BBC News website:

Wildlife 'friendly' kerbs pilot in Blairgowrie

ACO Wildlife Kerbs are made from Vienite, an extremely tough recycled polymer concrete and are designed to replace a standard HB2 kerb unit.

Amphibian Stop Channel

The ACO Amphibian Stop Channel provides an amphibian proof vehicle crossing. Where it is necessary to provide a break in an amphibian or reptile proof fence, or ACO Guide wall for vehicle access, the ACO Amphibian Stop Channel can be installed to allow vehicles to drive over but amphibians drop safely through a grid. They are then guided along the channel, back to the amphibian side of the barrier.

ACO Stop Grid Channel

The weight bearing grating of the grid is designed in such a way that makes it almost impossible for amphibians to cross without falling through the apertures to the channel below.

The channel component is cast from reinforced concrete, whilst the grid and side rails are cast iron. The grid is bolted down to prevent theft.

One-way Amphibian Fence Panel

The ACO One-way Amphibian Fence Panel provides a very robust fence system for the protection of amphibians, great crested newts, reptiles and small mammals. The curved profile of the panel creates an over-hanging fence that allows species to pass over the fence in one direction to exit an exclusion area but not return in the other direction.

ACO One-way Amphibian Fence installed

The overhang also provides a cool shaded environment to protect amphibians navigating along the fence  from strong sunlight and the possibility of dehydration. Used in conjunction with the ACO Recycled Plastic Stake to provide additional support to the overhang, earth spoil can be banked up to the external curved face to provide maximum chance of amphibian movement over the fence.

Amphibian movement over
ACO One-way Amphibian
Fence

The ACO One-way Amphibian Fence Panel is made from 100% recycled plastic.

Nest Box

The ACO Nest Box can be built into the brickwork course of a new building, or be retro-fitted to an existing brick wall. This provides suitable roosting habitat for small birds such as blue tits.

ACO Nest Box incorporated
into brick wall.

The nest box occupies a space in the brickwork of 3 bricks high by half a brick wide, with the front face sitting flush with the surrounding brickwork. The front cover is removable using 2 screws to allow for cleaning.

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All ACO products offer high quality and high performance and we look forward to supplying these products for your project. We hope that incorporating amphibian and wildlife protection into the core design of infrastructure development helps to protect these species.

Visit our website www.wildlifefencing.co.uk for further information or please feel free to give us a call on 0114 256 0106

More information can also be found at www.legacy-habitat.co.uk and www.aco.co.uk

We're on a roll!

At wildlifefencing, we are continually developing our products to improve product performance and reduce product prices where possible.

Our Caudon Semi-permanent Newt Fencing panels have proved to be a popular product over the last few years as these provide an extremely robust mitigation fence compared to Temporary (polythene) Newt Fencing but without incurring the expense of most permanent newt fencing systems.

Caudon Semi-permanent Newt Fencing On-a-Roll

To improve this product further, we are now able to offer this material in a continuous length, for up to 200m (approximately).

Caudon Semi-permanent Newt Fencing On-a-Roll

This massively improves its strength as it eliminates the need for any joins over this length, a common weak point in most panel type newt fencing systems.

We believe that this product, if installed correctly could easily go head-to-head with any permanent newt fencing system for strength and durability but at a fraction of the cost.

Our Caudon Semi-permanent Newt Fencing 'On-a-Roll' works out at about 25-30% of the cost of permanent newt fencing, depending on the quantity purchased.

The material is identical to that used in the semi-permanent panels and comprises of a 1mm thick UV-stabilised polypropylene at 850mm wide. As with the panels, there is a scored groove at the top to allow the installer to create a 50mm top return, and one at 100mm from the bottom so that an underground return can be made, if required.

Caudon Semi-permanent Newt Fencing
installed from a continuous roll.

Palletised deliveries of Caudon Semi-permanent
Newt Fencing On-a-Roll

GCN Success Story from Cheshire

Our recent great crested newt fencing works in conjunction with Whitcher Wildlife in Beeston, Cheshire has produced some very pleasing results in terms of species rescued from the site.

Caudon Temporary Newt Fencing and stock
fencing installed at Beeston, Cheshire.

1.4Km of Great crested newt mitigation fencing as well as 1.5Km of stock fencing was erected along the railway embankment of the site. This was to enable essential works to stabilise the embankments without endangering resident amphibian & reptile populations.

At the time of writing 2,103 Great Crested Newts have been collected from the location of the works, along with numbers of Smooth Newts, Frogs, Toads, and a couple of Grass Snakes.

Collected species are being translocated to adjacent suitable habitat away from the proposed works.

Thanks to Derek of Whitcher Wildlife for keeping us updated on news from the site and for acting as a sponsor for our PTS training.

New Yard - Filling Up

Our new storage yard is now complete and is slowly filling up with timber materials.
Although so far materials are swamped by the slightly overwhelming size of the yard, I'm sure we'll soon manage to fill it.

Finishing off the perimeter fence

Completed perimeter with a lone pallet of stakes in the distance.

Stock of timber arriving in yard

We hope that this will enable us to carry more timber materials in stock, providing a faster turn around of timber stakes and other materials to our customers. This also frees up more space in our main warehouse for other stock and equipment and makes better, more efficient use of all storage space.

Ongoing Training & Development

Legacy Habitat Management Ltd continue to invest in staff training & development.

Jarek and Darek recently acquired PA1 and PA6 W for herbicide application, Rob and Darek are in the process of training for their trailer tests (B+E) and later this month all site staff are sitting the PTS initial training for working on rail schemes.

Many thanks to Whitcher Wildlife Ltd for being our sponsor for this.

Expansion

Legacy Habitat Management is developing it's storage capacity in the adjacent yard to the offices and warehouse adding 6000 square feet to our operations. This space will be used to develop timber fencing storage both for our projects and retail/internet sales through wildlifefencing.

We are installing 2.3m palisade security fencing around the yard (after getting planning permission) with double steel gates and drop kerb for forklift access.

Photo shows the first stage of palisade fencing installation.

Buy Electric Fencing Online

Our electric fencing products are now viewable online and orders can be placed @:

stocking a complete range of:

• Electric Fence Energisers
• Electric Fence Posts
• Electric Fencing Conductors (Wire, Tape & Rope)
• Electric Fence Insulators
• Tools & Testing Equipment
• & more.

For further information relating to Gallagher electric fence products, visit www.electricfencing.uk.com