Since the last government announcement updating advice and guidance, and with the release of the road map we have been working hard getting things into place to facilitate the reopening of the reserve. With the current advice as it stands, and on the premise that the lockdown will be easing by following what has been laid out in the governments road map, we are pleased to share that we will be reopening Tophill Low Nature Reserve on April 12th 2021.
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| The Gates will be open from 9am on the 12th April |
We will be starting a new membership season as of April 12th
with new cards lasting until the end of March 2022. For those who took out
membership last year and have Little Egret cards, they will remain valid until
March 2022 also. We recognise that these members paid for a year but only got
14 weeks to enjoy Tophill before we had to shut again, therefore you are not
required to renew your membership. This our way of saying thank you for
sticking with us and showing your continued support over the last 12 months and
helps us stay safe by reducing contact time and risk for all involved. Both the
new 21/22 cards and the old Little Egret cards will work when swiped through
the ticket machine. Both cards also give you access to the carpark gates, gain
you access to the Birders Reception Hide and the Izzard Hide, just like
previous years. Usually, we would hold the annual Tophill Low Nature Reserve Photography
Competition over winter and the winner would have the honour of having their
photograph on our membership cards, similarly to last year, for this year’s
membership card the photo was taken by one of our trail cameras.
For our 2021/22 membership form please follow this link: https://tophilllow.blogspot.com/p/in-print.html
Before we get ahead of ourselves, COVID19 will still be a
very real threat to many and therefore, there will still be COVID19 safety
restrictions in place upon our reopening so please read the following carefully,
so you are familiar with how the reserve must operate come April 12th.
One-way systems will remain in place around the reserve.
Some of you may have had your vaccines already but we are aware that not
everyone has, including Tophill Low staff, volunteers, and our operational
colleagues. To help protect us all, please adhere to the one-way systems.
Tophill Low has a wonderful and well-known reputation for
being a friendly place with knowledgeable, approachable members and volunteers.
It’s something we are proud of and hold close to our hearts. It’s important to
us all that we see this friendly nature re-establish soon after we reopen but
it is vital that everything is conducted at a safe distance so social
distancing rules will still be in place, just like they will be elsewhere.
All our hides will be open under the premise that only one
household bubble can be inside at a time. If we find this is not being
respected, we are under clear instructions to close the hides which will make
us have to reassess keeping the reserve open. With one bubble in a hide at a
time, it will be up to our visitors to be courteous and communicate safely with
one another to establish reasonable and fair usage of the hides to ensure
everyone has a turn.
One of the greatest things we recall from the summer season
last year were all the positive comments we received from visitors about other
people’s respectful conduct and the overall friendly, safe atmosphere felt
around the reserve. Even though there were a few occasions where we were let
down, we have no doubt our safety measures, our hides and our visitor’s health
will be respected when we reopen, and we are excited to welcome you back. Please
bear in mind that Tophill Low is an important site for many reasons, it is
loved and appreciated by so many and it would be a shame to have to put any
more restriction in place limiting people’s enjoyment unnecessarily. We will be
following the government's advice and hope to start removing the safety measures
as the lockdown eases and when it is safe to do so.
The site has been relatively untouched since we shut the
gates in early November. We survived another year of high flood risk with the
riverbank nearly buckling again, this time by North Lagoon. The long rainfall
coupled with the snow melt filled both the river Hull and Barmston drain and
with nowhere else for the water to go, the surrounding land has been inundated
for weeks. The new weak spot by North Lagoon had water spilling over and
through the bank into both lagoons, sending water north through the woods on
the red route and coming within inches of the Warden’s Hut, our workshop, and
the toilets. Fortunately, the weather broke and after a week of dry weather and
some sandbags diverting the flow through the southern marshes the lagoons and
the woods have returned to normal and the Warden’s Hut building has lived to
tell the tale!
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| Viewing screen at the bottom of the Reception Hide down ramp |
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| The Bug Hunting Area |
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| Red Route by Bug Hunting Area |
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| Start of the Yellow Route |
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| View from the river bank |
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| River bank at North Lagoon |
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| Start of the Blue Route |
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| Izzard Hide slipway |
Without humans on the reserve, our paths and hides along
with almost all our habitats have been left untouched and are very much doing
their own thing. As many of you will be aware, we brought in a crack team of
four legged specialists to help us manage the scrubs over winter hoping they’d
help nibble things back into shape. The Boer goats have done a fantastic job, and
will no doubt be overjoyed to have some company on the reserve once the gates
are back open. Their friendly nature will soon be experienced by our visitors
and the goats will waist no time in trying to make friends.
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| The herd will joined by at least 4 new babies soon |
We predict that they will also try to lure, befriend, and
trick you into feeding them, so despite their demands and carry on it’s
important to note please do not feed the goats, this is for several
reasons. Firstly, and most importantly, goats do not have top front teeth and therefore
are prone to choking. By finding their own food the risk of choking and
loosing any goats is vastly reduced. We also don’t want the goats getting into
the habit of scrounging as not all our visitors will want this kind of
attention and the goats are a valuable and effective tool in our arsenal when
maintaining our scrub habitats. If they start relying on visitors for food, they
will become less effective in the scrubs and likely become redundant. For their
safety, their health and the benefit of our habitats please let them find their
own food.
Over the coming weeks and once we have reopened, we will be
constantly reviewing our safety measures to make sure we stay in line with the
latest government advice and guidance. We will post updates about any changes
via our blog, Facebook and Twitter so be sure to keep checking in as the easing
of the lockdown progresses.
It’s a wonderful feeling being able to finally make this
announcement and we’re excited to have the reserve back open. We look forward
to having your support in ensuring we can do so safely.
See you all soon.
