Student Placement for Biodiversity
The Sustainable Development Team has been successful in securing a student placement for biodiversity from Askham Bryan College in York.
Nick Henderson who's doing a degree course in the sustainable development field will be based at HMP Full Sutton, carrying out a water vole project as well as looking at wetland and local terrestrial habitats. Nick whilst being based at Full Sutton will visit other prison sites such as HMP Whitemoor and HMP Frankland to asses similar sites and compare research, which will eventually be used to benefit the Service's Biodiversity Action Plan for water voles and other terrestrial habitats. Nick will be under the watchful eye of the Farm Manager who's responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the grounds at HMP Full Sutton.
Nick seen here above left, will be working with the Farm Manager locally whilst supervision of the overall project will be with the Sustainable Development Team HQ, this will also include technical input from the Environment Agency who are leading on Water voles and surveying wetland habitats.
Newts at HMYOI Guys Marsh
As part of the ongoing efficiency for the Prison Service, many of the Service's sewage treatment works are being de-commissioned and connected to mains sewage. This has highlighted several interesting biodiversity projects; one such project is at HMP YOI Guys Marsh involving newts.
At an early stage it was identified by local staff at the sewage plant that there were newts present in several old disused water tanks, however, they were unsure locally which of the three species they had, but they were all agreed there was a large colony present. The next step was to send an ecologist to Guys Marsh to identify the newts and see what steps needed to be taken before any decommissioning works took place.
The report from the sustainable development teams ecologist agreed that a large colony of palmate newts were present in the tanks. Although the palmate newt does not receive the same legislative protection as the great crested newt, the recommendation was, because of the large colony size, to implement a transfer programme and set up alternative ponds for a breeding colony, close to the original site prior to decommissioning works.
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