Houghton Regis Marl Lakes
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Area of Search | Bedfordshire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TL008235 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 20.1 hectares |
| Notification | 1988 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Houghton Regis Marl Lakes is a 20.1 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire. It was notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in 1988.[1][2]
The site is a large disused chalk quarry, and it is listed by Geo-East as a "Chalk Place to Visit" due to its exposure of Totternhoe stone.[3][4] It is a rare example of standing water in chalk. It is important both ornithologically and for its range of dragonflies. There are two marl lakes, one deep and one shallow, which have aquatic plants and molluscs, with fens in a waterlogged area between the lakes.[1]
The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire took over management of the site in 2011,[5] and a Trust noticeboard on the site names it as Houghton Regis Chalk Pit, but as of September 2015 the site is not listed on the Trust's website as the management contract is short term.
There is access by a footpath from High Street North.
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References
- 1 2 "Houghton Regis Marl Lakes citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ↑ "Map of Houghton Regis Marl Lakes". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ↑ Chalk Places to Visit in Bedfordshire, Geo-East
- ↑ Geo-East, The East of England Geodiversity Partnership
- ↑ Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (January 2015). "A Nature Conservation Strategy for Central Bedfordshire" (PDF). Central Bedfordshire Council. pp. 27–28. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
Coordinates: 51°53′56″N 0°32′10″W / 51.899°N 0.536°W