Alan Hersey Nature Reserve central streams

The Alan Hersey Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located on the north east coast of the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

between Springvale and Seaview. On a flood plain, fluvial water runs down the valley into the reserve and a culvert passes under the old toll road and down the beach, through which salt water also enters the reserve on the rising tide. Water can only drain into the sea at low tide and as a result, a brackish lake has formed inland along with marshland and reedbeds. No dogs are allowed. The

Isle of Wight Council The Isle of Wight Council is a unitary authority covering the Isle of Wight, an island in the south of England. It is currently made up of 39 seats. Since the 2021 election, there has been an 'Alliance' coalition administration of Independents, ...

acquired and manage the site on a 50-year lease along with

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

, the Environment Agency and local residents. Part of the site is developed for public access, there is a hide for bird watching and the reserve is noted both for its wading birds and wildfowl. The reserve is named after Alan Hersey, a former parish, borough and county councillor who had a great interest in the history and environment of Seaview. The site is a Ramsar site and forms part of the Ryde Sands and Wootton Creek SSSI.

References

External links

Isle of Wight Council entry
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009091956/http://www.coastalwight.gov.uk/coastaldefenceschemes.htm#seaview , date=9 October 2021
Hersey Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserves on the Isle of Wight