Anvil Discussion Group

Local naturalist Deon Warner will describe how a decade of management of an abandoned
railway line has allowed nature to reclaim and turn the area into a reserve brimming
with wildlife.

The Nature Reserve is situated in the area adjacent to the A303 Cartgate
roundabout. This talk is particularly pertinent since a planning application has been
made by Welcome Break to develop land adjacent to the Nature Reserve into
a service area for the A303. We will discuss the possible implications of this
development for the Nature Reserve and the existing facilities.

Deon has carried out an extensive study of this area over many years. As well as
being a skilled naturalist, he is an accomplished artist and has made many beautiful
drawings and paintings depicting the wildlife of the area, some of which he will show.

The session will be chaired by Ed Lorch, who has helped Deon to describe and
depict his work. We feel this session has more than just local interest because it is
not only concerned with the local issue of the development of the site but also has
wider implications concerning commercial exploitation of a site that has intrinsic
value as a natural habitat which may be lost if the development goes ahead.