Gwynedd Council’s Environment Service and Tidy Towns scheme have joined forces to create a haven for a shy, nocturnal animal.
The Council has secured a Tidy Towns grant to block off a redundant railway tunnel at the Lôn Eifion recreational route near Caernarfon, which will hopefully become a roosting site for bats, including the endangered lesser horseshoe bat.
These bats needs wooded areas in rural locations with roosting sites such as caves, buildings, disused mines and cellars. It is hoped that this old tunnel will be an ideal roost for lesser horseshoe bats and a place for bats to hibernate
This project at Lôn Eifion will improve the environment for local people as well – it will help preserve the old tunnel which is an important feature of Caernarfon’s industrial heritage. It will also help stamp out anti-social behaviour as the area has been misused in the past.
Mark Balaam, Gwynedd Council’s Senior Countryside Warden, said:
“This grant will allow us to secure the tunnel and close it off, with a bat grill at one end. This will create a clean and safe habitat and we hope it will become a permanent roost for bats.
“The tunnel is ideally situated near feeding sites and we are optimistic that this will help develop an already rich eco-system.
“Gwynedd is one of the most important areas for lesser horseshoe bats in Europe. This species is now extinct from parts of Britain because of a loss of habitat and breeding sites, so we hope this tunnel will become an ideal home for them.”
The Tidy Towns project is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government’s environmental improvement programme and administrated by Gwynedd Council, working in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy.
For more information about the scheme, and how to apply for a grant, contact Gwynedd Council’s Tidy Towns officer on 01766 771000 or go to: www.gwynedd.gov.uk/TidyTowns
