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Durham Wildlife Trust
Durham Wildlife Trust, founded in 1971, is a registered charity which aims to protect wildlife and promote nature conservation in parts of County Durham and Tyne and Wear, England. It is one of 46 such organisations that together constitute The Wildlife Trusts Partnership. The Trust owns or manages 37 nature reserves, covering more than 782 ha, operates two visitor centres, and is actively involved in raising conservation awareness through educational activities. Status and scope Durham Wildlife Trust is a registered charity, which depends to a large extent on the support of its members, many of whom participate as volunteers in various conservation activities. The Trust's Patron is the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and its President is Professor David Bellamy. The Trust's activities cover the present unitary authorities of Durham and Darlington in County Durham and the metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland in Tyne and Wear. Activities Dur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rainton Meadows
Rainton Meadows is a nature reserve just to the west of East Rainton, County Durham, north-east England. The reserve, which covers 60 ha, and the adjacent Joe's Pond Site of Special Scientific Interest, are managed by Durham Wildlife Trust. Geography The reserve occupies the site of the restored Rye Hill surface coal mine and now provides a wide variety of habitats including grassland, scrub, mature woodland and several ponds. Wildlife to be seen here includes mute swan, skylark, lapwing, short-eared owl and brown hare; roe deer, water voles, dragonflies, common frogs, common toads and smooth newts are also present. At the southern end of the reserve are damp meadows with hemlock and willowherb, and a dry meadow, which contains cowslips in the spring. Rainton Meadows is the headquarters of the Durham Wildlife Trust, which also operates an educational centre, including a purpose-built classroom and a community wildlife garden. Directions Rainton Meadows can be found by f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also responsible for Forestry in Wales and Scotland. However, on 1 April 2013, Forestry Commission Wales merged with other agencies to become Natural Resources Wales, whilst two new bodies (Forestry and Land Scotland and Scottish Forestry) were established in Scotland on 1 April 2019. The Forestry Commission was established in 1919 to expand Britain's forests and woodland, which had been severely depleted during the First World War. The Commission bought large amounts of agricultural land on behalf of the state, eventually becoming the largest manager of land in Britain. Today, the Forestry Commission is divided into three divisions: Forestry England, Forestry Commission and Forest Research. Over time the purpose of the Commission broadened to includ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Water Vole
The European water vole or northern water vole (''Arvicola amphibius''), is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often informally called the water rat, though it only superficially resembles a true rat. Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep brown fur, chubby faces and short fuzzy ears; unlike rats their tails, paws and ears are covered with hair. In the wild, on average, water voles only live about five months. Maximum longevity in captivity is two and a half years. Appearance Water voles reach in length, plus a tail which is about half the length of the body. Weights reported for adults are variable. It is possible for large, optimal adults to weigh as much as However, these are peak weights. Elsewhere, the mean body mass has been reported as , although this figure includes immature water voles. The minimum weight to successfully breed as well as to survive winter is reportedly in females and in males.Yavuz, Güliz, Ercüment Çolak, and Teoman Kankılıç. ''Investig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Crested Newt
The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to long. Its back and sides are dark brown, while the belly is yellow to orange with dark blotches. Males develop a conspicuous jagged crest on their back and tail during the breeding season. The northern crested newt spends most of the year on land, mainly in forested areas in lowlands. It moves to aquatic breeding sites, mainly larger fish-free ponds, in spring. Males court females with a ritualised display and deposit a spermatophore on the ground, which the female then picks up with her cloaca. After fertilisation, a female lays around 200 eggs, folding them into water plants. The larvae develop over two to four months before metamorphosing into terrestrial juveniles (efts). Both larvae and land-dwelling newts mainly feed on different ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms when these minerals precipitate out of water containing dissolved calcium. This can take place through both biological and nonbiological processes, though biological processes, such as the accumulation of corals and shells in the sea, have likely been more important for the last 540 million years. Limestone often contains fossils which provide scientists with information on ancient environments and on the evolution of life. About 20% to 25% of sedimentary rock is carbonate rock, and most of this is limestone. The remaining carbonate rock is mostly dolomite, a closely related rock, which contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite, . ''Magnesian limestone'' is an obsolete and poorly-defined term used variously for dolomite, for limes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Durham County Council
Durham County Council is a local authority administering all significant local government functions in the unitary authority area of County Durham in North East England. The council area covers part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, excluding those parts which now form part of the Borough of Darlington, Borough of Hartlepool and the part of Borough of Stockton-on-Tees north of the River Tees. Between its establishment in 1889 and major local government reforms in England in 1974, the council administered the historic county of Durham Following the 2021 Durham County Council election the council is under no overall control. A Conservative/Liberal Democrat/Independents coalition was formed at the 2021 Annual General Meeting. From 1919 to 2021 the council was under the control of the Labour Party, who held a majority except from 1922 to 1925. At the time of the 2011 census the council served a population of 513,200, which makes it one of the most-populous local au ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hamsterley Forest
Hamsterley Forest is a commercial forest in County Durham owned and managed by Forestry England. It is the largest forest in County Durham and covers more than . Recreational activities within the forest are focused at the eastern end, around the visitors' centre. In addition to the visitors' centre, there is a cafe, toilet facilities and cycling, walking and running trails. History During the 1930s, the forest was planted and tracks were built by unemployed men supplied through the Ministry of Labour. Most came from the mining communities and shipyards of the North East of England. They were housed in one of a number of instructional centres created by the Ministry, most of them on Forestry England property. By 1938, the Ministry had 35 such centres across Britain. These were basically work camps, where unemployed men carried out heavy labour and lived on site in wooden huts. The centres were closed in 1938 as unemployment declined in the run-up to war, but some of the huts can st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derwent Reservoir (North East England)
The Derwent Reservoir is a reservoir on the River Derwent, on the border between County Durham and Northumberland, in England. It is west of Consett. It is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long) and covers an area of 4 km2 and has a maximum depth of 100 ft (30m) and when full, holds 11,000 million gallons (50,000,000m³). The reservoir is a key part of the water supply network in north east England (which is owned and managed by Northumbrian Water) as it is the principal water source for the Tyne and Wear metropolitan area supplying per day. The reservoir was first proposed in 1957 when the Sunderland and South Shields Water Company promoted the Derwent Water Order. Building work began on the reservoir in 1960, and it was opened in July 1967 by Princess Alexandra. Unlike other reservoirs in Northern England that are flooded valleys with a dam head, Derwent was dug out of the ground and the earth removed was used in its dam head. The flow of the River Derwent can be supplem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hylton Castle
Hylton Castle ( ) is a stone castle in the North Hylton area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally built from wood by the Hilton (later Hylton) family shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066, it was later rebuilt in stone in the late 14th to early 15th century.Whittaker, p.83 The castle underwent major changes to its interior and exterior in the 18th century and it remained the principal seat of the Hylton family until the death of the last Baron in 1746.Fry, p.246 It was then Gothicised but neglected until 1812, when it was revitalised by a new owner. Standing empty again until the 1840s, it was briefly used as a school until it was purchased again in 1862. The site passed to a local coal company in the early 20th century and was taken over by the state in 1950. One of the castle's main features is the range of heraldic devices found mainly on the west façade, which have been retained from the castle's original construction. They depict the coats of arms be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hylton Dene
Hilton or Hylton may refer to: Companies * Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc., a global hospitality company based in the United States that owns several hotel chains and subsidiary companies containing the Hilton name ** Hilton Hotels & Resorts, flagship hotel brand operated under Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. * Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, an American non-profit charitable foundation, established in 1944 by hotel entrepreneur Conrad N. Hilton * Ladbrokes, a British-based gambling company, known as Hilton Group plc from May 1999 to February 2006 Places Australia * ''Hilton'', Chatswood, a heritage-listed house in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood * Hilton, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Hilton, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth Canada * Hilton, Ontario, a township * Hilton Beach, a small village surrounded by the township in Ontario * Hilton Falls Conservation Area, located in Campbellville, Ontario Norway * Hilton, a farm near Kløfta, Ullensaker, known as the birthpl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham. Much of the town's early history surrounds the Bishops of Durham and the establishment of Auckland Castle's predecessor, a hunting lodge, which became the main residence of Durham Bishops. This is reflected in the first part of the town's name. During the Industrial Revolution, the town grew rapidly as coal mining took hold as an important industry. Decline in the coal mining industry during the late twentieth century has changed the largest sector of employment to manufacturing. Since 1 April 2009, the town's local authority has been Durham County Council. The unitary authority replaced the previous Wear Valley District and Durham County councils. The parliamentary constituency of Bishop Auckland is named after the town. The town is twinned with the French town of Ivry-sur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Witton-le-Wear (SSSI)
Witton-le-Wear (SSSI) is a Site of Special Scientific Interest located in the valley of the River Wear, immediately east of the village of Witton-le-Wear in County Durham, England. It is important as the only extensive body of biologically-significant open water in West Durham. SSSI status Until 1964, the area now designated as an SSSI was used for sand and gravel extraction. When extraction ceased, the area was taken over by Durham Wildlife Trust, which developed the Low Barns Nature Reserve, on the site. * The site was designated as Witton-le-Wear SSSI in 1966. Minor revisions were made to the boundaries in 1987. The nature reserve encompasses a visitor centre and a disused sewage works, neither of which is included in the SSSI. Geography, geology and ecology The site occupies an area adjacent to the River Wear, being bounded on the south by the river and on the north by a former river channel which was abandoned when the Wear shifted its course during a flood in 1771. Be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
