Ouse Washes. RSPB Reserve

Acquisition of land at Ouse Washes, Cambridgeshire, in order to conserve the land as a bird reserve.This application for 85.4 acres of unimproved grassland lying between Old and New Bedford Rivers. The Ouse Washes, formerly known as The Hundred Foot Washes, were created in 1652 and total 2.403ha. It is the largest wash land system in Britain and is one of the most important lowland wet grassland sites in the country. The Ouse Washes area is jointly managed by the Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Naturalists'' Trust (CAMBIENT), the Wildfowl Trust and the RSPB, each of which take opportunities to make appropriate additions to their reserve areas. The RSPB purchased 7 extensions to the Ouse Washes nature reserve in 1980/81 ranging in size from 4 acres to 44 acres. These acquisitions have been incorporated into the nature reserve as a whole, which is managed for breeding birds and wintering waterfowl.