From John Willmott, Gurnard:

I am writing in response to last week’s letters concerning Newtown National Nature Reserve.

As James Allway rightly says, it has been my privilege to enjoy and be involved with the recording of bird numbers at Newtown since the early 1950s.

At this time numbers of breeding waders, namely oystercatcher, ringed plover, lapwing and redshank were fairly well represented.

With the threat of a nuclear power station being built at Hamstead in 1957, a group of dedicated Island naturalists — one being Bill Shepard, who many readers will know — opposed this proposal.

They were successful and in 1966 the Newtown Local Nature Reserve was born overseen by the IW Council, the National Trust and the War Department, who were all involved land owners together with various others forming the consultative committee.

In 1995, Newtown Local Nature Reserve was declared Newtown National Nature Reserve, I believe partly for its added protection. The reserve is now run jointly by the National Trust and Natural England.

However, the management plan prepared by Jonathan Cox for the National Trust continued the emphasis on protection of the numbers of breeding waders mentioned above and, in particular, the relative solitude that Newtown offered be maintained. Sadly, these numbers have diminished considerably.

As far as blame is concerned it must be pointed out that nationally numbers of these breeding waders are diminishing.

However, it is now even more important and has been for many years these birds that remain at Newtown to breed be granted extra protection and extra provision of suitable breeding habitat where possible.

In particular, visiting canoeists and paddle boarders really should not be encouraged and if, as is their right, they do visit then signage explaining areas to avoid reducing possible disturbance to breeding birds must be provided. This applies to walkers and walkers with dogs too.

This cannot be achieved if the National Trust encourages more and more people to visit a reserve that is already at its breaking point.

The proposed changes under way at the visitor centre would not sway the average casual visitor in their choice to visit Newtown anyway.

So please, I urge the National Trust and Natural England wake up and attack the features that really matter in a Nature Reserve.