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Article on the front page of 

Cumberland & Westmorland Herald 

29 May 2004

Text of article: 

Safe road crossing for red squirrels in unique haven

THE valley of Mallerstang this week became the proud owner of a red squirrel rope bridge in the ongoing fight to protect the threatened species. The specially spliced bridge was installed above the B6259 in the village of Outhgill on Wednesday, and Mrs. Annie Hamilton­Gibney, chairman and founder of Mallerstang red squirrel protection committee, said: "We hope the addition of the rope bridge will mean an end to the needless loss of red squirrel lives at this point of the road in Outhgill."

The committee was set up in June last year by Mrs. Hamilton-Gibney, bringing together many concerned residents of the valley following a spate of red squirrel road deaths on the B6259 in the small village of Outhgill.

      CORRIDOR 

"We were becoming increasingly aware of the fact that our valley provides a hugely significant corridor from the southern grey squirrel-dominated region and the remaining red area to the north," said Mrs. Hamilton-Gibney. "We came to realise that protecting the lives of our red squirrels could help maintain the population in the region, reducing the relentless onslaught of the greys. Shortly after we were established, Red Alert Cumbria Wildlife Trust NW designated the valley as an official refuge site, which makes it unique, as it is the only refuge area which doesn't contain a large per­centage of coniferous forest. Red Alert has supported and advised us with all our plans.

"We decided to install a rope bridge at the road death hotspot, as well as road warning signs at various strategic points of the valley, and the development of squirrel protection areas.

"A plot of land in the village, once the site of the Travers Institute, is held in trust for the benefit of the valley. This will be designated as a squirrel protection area. The walls are to be made good, a bench and feeding boxes will be installed, and some squirrel friendly trees will be planted.

WARNING SIGNS

"Neil Buck, at Cumbria County Council, has given us permission to install four red triangular road warning signs later in the year, the wording ‘red squirrels’ beneath. We wanted them to depict squirrels, like the ones at Warcop and Appleby, but were not allowed.  "According to the Transport Department, a picture of a squirrel will confuse and distract drivers, so we will only be allowed to install exclamation marks!"

The project has been funded by donations from people of the valley, the sale of red squirrel cards, cour­tesy of Red Alert Wildlife Trust NW, and donations from Cumbria County Council, arranged by local councillor Tim Stoddard. It also received a neighbour­hood development grant of £200, while North Eastern and Cumbrian Co-op Dividend Fund donated £255, and another £100 came from the Conservation Foundation Parish Pump Priming Award.

The bridge was installed without charge, but with much skill and expertise, by Paul Holroyd and Nick Venning, of Eden Conservation.

Bruce Baldwin, of Lux Traffic Management, volunteered his time and road signs to control the traffic while the bridge was being suspended across the road.

The rope, which had to be more than 20 metres high to avoid all risk to traffic, was specially spliced in Gateshead by Nationwide Splicing and Rope Services, and is composed of two 27-metre ropes with a smaller rope zigzagging along the length to provide a ladder effect. Previously, bridges have been installed in forested areas, so the squirrels were able to access the structure at tree level. The east end of the bridge is be in a spruce tree in a small wood, but the west side is situated in an ash tree which squirrels first have to climb.

IMPROVISATION

"We have added guide ropes from ground level to the bridge, and coated them with peanut butter in the hope this will attract them up the tree," said Mrs. Hamilton-Gibney. "We were going to use pecan oil that acts as squirrel nip, but this comes from America and unfortunately could not arrive in time, so we had to improvise. "Once at the top, they will find feeding boxes at each end of the bridge. These have been cunningly devised by two of our com­mittee members, Simon Etheridge and David White, and are Heath Robinson ­type gadgets on a pulley system, so they can be raised and lowered for refilling." Janet Davies, who owns the land on which both the trees stand, has volunteered to restock the boxes. "We hope that once our squirrels have established the bridge as a safe route, they will teach their young, and so it will help genera­tions of squirrels to come," added Mrs. Hamilton-Gibney.