Editing Ouse Washes (section)

==Ownership and conservation==

[[File:Peter scott in 1954 arp.jpg|thumb|[[Peter Scott]] in 1954|upright=0.75]]

The Ouse Washes are important as one of only two remaining large regularly flooded washlands in Britain, the other being the nearby [[Nene Washes]] in Cambridgeshire. When at [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]], [[Peter Scott]], who would become a [[Natural history|naturalist]] and founder of what is now the [[Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust]] (WWT) became a regular visitor to the washes, and in 1967 he purchased {{convert|100|acre|ha|order=flip}} for £4000{{efn|About £77,000 at 2021 values using [https://www.measuringworth.com/index.php MeasuringWorth] }} to form the core of what is now WWT Welney Wetland Centre. The [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] (RSPB) also actively purchased large areas of land, and the Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Naturalists' Trust (now the [[Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire]] (WTBCN)) bought {{convert|186| hectare|acre}} .<ref name= BB115/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wildlifebcn.org/reserves/ouse-washes  |title=  Ouse Washes|publisher= Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire|access-date =  4 August 2022}}</ref> 

By 2010, the three conservation bodies owned {{convert|1540|ha}} of the site. {{convert|200|ha}} is held by other organisations, including the Fenland Wildfowlers Association ({{convert|132|acre|ha|order=flip}}, the Spalding & District Wildfowlers Association ({{convert|62|acre|ha|order=flip}} and private individuals. The wildfowling clubs work closely with the conservation bodies to protect breeding birds.<ref name= BB115/><ref name="fwa">{{cite web |title=Fenland Wildfowlers Association |url=https://www.fenlandwa.org.uk/inshore |website=Fenland Wildfowlers Association |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="sdwa">{{cite web |title=Spalding & District Wildfowlers Association |url=https://www.spaldingwildfowlers.co.uk/ |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref>

The [[Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership]] scheme (OWLP) was a £1&nbsp;million, 3-year project supported by the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]] which ran from 2014 to 2017. The scheme focused on the promotion of the area surrounding the Ouse Washes, the heart of the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Fens, and on encouraging community engagement with the area's diverse heritage.<ref name="owlp">{{cite web |title=Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership |url=https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/cy/news/ps1million-investment-ouse-washes |publisher=Heritage Lottery Fund |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref> The area is mostly within {{convert|1|km}} of the SSSI but outside the barrier walls. A survey of the ditches showed that they were important for [[amphibian]]s [[European water vole |water voles]], [[odonata|dragonflies and damselflies]]. More than 100 [[water beetle]] species included five for which the Fens are their national stronghold, and the 175 drain plants included eight of conservation concern.<ref name=ditch>{{cite report|title=Investigating ditch biodiversity and management practises in the arable landscape of the Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership Area: a survey of vegetation and aquatic Coleoptera|first1=Jonathan |last1=Graham|first2=Martin|last2= Hammond|year=2015|publisher= Fens for the Future}}</ref>
===RSPB Ouse Washes===
[[File:Rickwood Hide and Old Bedford River - geograph.org.uk - 587147.jpg|thumb|An RSPB hide overlooking the [[Old Bedford River]]]]
RSPB Ouse Washes is a nature reserve, managed by the [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] at Welches Dam. It is signposted from [[Manea, Cambridgeshire|Manea]] village which is {{convert|6|mi|km|order=flip}} east of [[Chatteris]] on the [[A142 road|A142]]/[[A141 road|A141]] between [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]] and March.<ref name=rspbouse>{{cite web|url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/find-a-reserve/reserves-a-z/reserves-by-name/o/ousewashes/|title=Ouse Washes|publisher=Royal Society for the Protection of Birds|access-date=  4 August 2022}}</ref> The RSPB facilities also cover the area owned by WTBCN.<ref name="WTBCN">{{cite web |title=Ouse Washes |url=https://www.wildlifebcn.org/nature-reserves/ouse-washes |publisher=Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire |access-date=12 August 2022}}</ref>

The reserve is on the western side of the washes, south of the [[A1101 road]]. Its unstaffed visitor centre is open from 9&nbsp;am to 5&nbsp;pm, the car park, toilets and the reserve itself are always open, but there is no shop. There are two birds hides south of the visitor centre, the nearer, {{convert|300|m}} from the centre, is wheelchair accessible, the further is {{convert|850|m}}. there are six hides north of the visitor centre, the furthest being {{convert|2800|m}} from the centre. In wet conditions, the path along the bank can be very muddy.<ref name=rspbouse/><ref name="hides">{{cite web |title=Ouse Washes trail Guide |url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/documents/reserves/ouse-washes-trail-guide.pdf |publisher=RSPB |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref>

===WWT Welney Wetland Centre===
[[File:Welney Wetland Centre - geograph.org.uk - 590132.jpg|thumb|Welney Wetland Centre: the bridge accesses the hides]]
The {{convert|1000|ha}} of the Welney Wetland Centre is one of ten wildfowl and wetland reserves managed by the [[Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust]] (WWT). It lies north of the A1101 road where it crosses the washes. It has a visitor centre and café, and viewing facilities include an observatory with two wing hides. There is a further bird hide south of the observatory and four to the north. All the main hides are accessible except the third to the north. There are also some two-person hides accessed by steps. Road access to the reserve car park is via Hundred Foot Bank, [[Welney]], Norfolk.<ref name=welney>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/welney/|title=Welney Wetland Centre|publisher=Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust|access-date=  4 August 2022}}</ref> 

There is an entry charge for non-members of the WWT. The visitor centre is open from 10&nbsp;am to 4&nbsp;pm, although the café closes at 3.30&nbsp;pm.<ref name=welney/> The centre received 29,372 visitors in 2018.<ref name="ALVA 2018 visitor numbers">{{cite web |title=ALVA – Association of Leading Visitor Attractions |url=http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423 |website=www.alva.org.uk |access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref>

===Extensions===
Increased summer flooding led to declines in the numbers of breeding waders from the 1970s onwards, and to counteract this areas of former farmland adjacent to the washes were acquired and converted to wet grassland. The WWT's Lady Fen is adjacent to the Welney Wetland Centre and was converted from farmland between 2007 and 2013.<ref name="ladyfen">{{cite web |title=Lady Fen |url=https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/welney/experience/lady-fen/ |publisher=WWT |access-date=15 August 2022}}</ref>  The RSPB, WWT and WTBCN have also modified land adjacent to the RSPB reserve. The eventual aim is to expand this to {{convert|1000|ha}}, although as of 2022 only  {{convert|135|ha}} had been acquired. The total additional area of the "new"  meadows is {{convert|350|ha}}.<ref name= BB115/>