Dunnington Conservation Group and the Hassacarr Nature Reserve

Hassacarr Nature Reserve is to the south of the village of Dunnington and can be reached along Hassacarr Lane, which runs off Common Road to the north of the industrial estate. Whilst the reserve is largely owned by the Parish Council, small areas are owned by Simpsons Joiners and Yorkshire Water.

Hassacarr Nature Reserve has been given a statutory designation as a Local Nature Reserve by Dunnington Parish Council under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.

Whilst the principal focus for Dunnington Conservation Group is the management of the reserve, the group was in the past instrumental involved in the creation of small areas of wildflowers in the Millennium Garden area of the village green, to help increase numbers of pollinators and to make better use of the largely sterile areas of close-cropped grassland which dominate the centre of the village. These areas were absorbed into the larger area now managed by a contractor. Whilst it was hoped that this work would lead to the creation of further permanent wildflower areas on Parish land, these were not popular with some village residents and the Conservation group is no longer involved.

Whilst the principal focus for Dunnington Conservation Group is the management of the reserve, the group has also been instrumental in initiating the creation of a small area of wildflowers in the Millennium Garden area of the village green, to help increase numbers of pollinators and to make better use of the largely sterile areas of close-cropped grassland which dominate the centre of the village. The Conservation group has worked with the “In Bloom” group and the Friends of Hagg Wood on this project, and its success should lead to the creation of further wildflower areas in the future.

The work of the Conservation group in managing the reserve is consistently praised by visitors, and the area has earned high marks from the Britain in Bloom or Yorkshire in Bloom judges when they have assessed the village’s entry into those events.

Dunnington Conservation Group aims:

• To manage and enhance biodiversity in the village of Dunnington , particularly through the management of the Hassacarr Nature Reserve, but also by involvement more widely in the village
• To work with the landowners and Natural England to secure and retain statutory local nature reserve status
• To provide people, especially young people, with opportunities to learn about nature conservation and biodiversity through direct contact with the huge number of species found at Hassacarr Nature Reserve.

Information

All of the people involved in Dunnington Conservation Group are volunteers.

The work at Hassacarr is overseen and directed by the Voluntary Warden, with the work being largely done by a group on Wednesday mornings and a small group on some Sunday mornings. The aim is to hold them each month but it is not always possible.

Support is provided by Natural England, for example by providing machinery and staff to cut the meadows and fell trees.

Further details can be found on the Facebook page.