Foulshaw Marsh Habitat Improvement
The Association was keen to create three flashes on Foulshaw Marsh as part of its Wetland Habitat Improvment Scheme....
In 2009 five volunteers from the WWA membership started the wetland habitat improvement work on the vegetation choked Foulshaw saltmarsh. Three flashes were created to make them more attractive to wildfowl, waders and many other non quarry species e.g Jack Snipe, Redshank, Lapwing and Curlew. Margins were shallowed and depths were purposely varied to create a range of shallow muddy margins and deeper areas of about 45cm in parts. The pictures show in sequence the overgrown flashes in 2009 when work began. The members carrying out a work party to remove the vegetation and the same flash rejuvinated a year later after some strimming and scything of the emergent marginal vegetation. This is one example of how a low biodiversity area of marsh can be transformed into a small productive wetland that is already seeing a return of the native Kent Estuary fauna.