Volunteers gave guided tour of district’s best hidden secret

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst OBE, Three Rivers District Council Leader, and Cllr Louise Price, Lead Member for Resources, were given a guided tour of the Maple Lodge Nature Reserve, just off Maple Lodge Close in Maple Cross, on Wednesday 4 March.

The 40-acre nature reserve consists of lakes, marsh, hedgerows, woodland and wet woodland. It is owned by Thames Water who lease it to the volunteer members of the Maple Lodge Conservation Society – which has more than 400 members and has been ensuring the nature reserve is a safe habitat for wildlife since 1983.

The councillors went for a spot of bird watching at the hides and saw a rich variety of wildlife, including waterfowl and woodland birds. They were also shown the wildflower meadows, wet woodlands and lakes and were briefed on how the volunteers, along with Thames Water, manage the site in accordance with the society’s management plan.

Cllr Giles-Medhurst said: “I thank the volunteers for giving Cllr Price and I a guided tour of this wonderful nature reserve. Thanks to amazing efforts from the society, such as creating a wildlife meadow and replanting trees, we saw firsthand how much the wildlife is thriving at the site. I was especially taken aback by the ‘Everglades look’ of the rare wet woodland that was so special and a wonderful outlook.”

Cllr Price added: “Maple Lodge Nature Reserve is truly one of the district’s best hidden secrets. The volunteers have created incredible hides so that we can watch the beautiful and unique wildlife from a safe distance without disturbing their environment.”

Anyone who would like to visit the nature reserve can join to become a member of the society.

More information can be found on the Maple Lodge Conservation Society’s website.