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St Aidan's is a 400 hectare nature reserve between Leeds and Castleford〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://harworthestates.co.uk/latest-news/st-aidans-becomes-a-new-rspb-nature-park/ )〕 in West Yorkshire, England. The land was formerly an opencast coal mining area that was flooded after the riverbank collapsed. Repairs and remediation required its own act in Parliament to allow the necessary works to go ahead. Mining ceased at St Aidan's in 2002. The reserve opened on to the public in May 2013 under the care of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). However, the car park and visitor centre were subsequently closed in July 2013 due to unresolved land issues. The reserve remains open for those on foot, but the RSPB have dramatically scaled back their presence. == History == St Aidan's Nature Reserve comprises the former St Aidan's opencast site, Lowther North opencast site and parts of the former Savile Colliery, Methley. In March 1988, there was a slope failure on the banks of the River Aire, resulting in a massive flood of of water. Mining operations were suspended and remedial works costing £20 million were required to drain the site and re-route the river. The resultant deluge created a lake that was in size and deep.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Aire_and_Calder_Navigation )〕 RAF Chinook helicopters were used to ferry sandbags into the breach, but it did not stop the water cascading in. Not only did the downstream river flow into the site, but the River Calder actually flowed upstream from Castleford until the water found a natural level. Government documentation states that it was the Aire and Calder Navigation, whilst others list the Aire as being the source of the water that flooded St Aidan's. The failure came about just south east of Lemonroyd Lock〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://canalplan.org.uk/cgi-bin/minor_edit.cgi?mode=history&comefrom=ev&id=44 )〕 where the two waterways converge. Mining was subsequently completed and then the site was converted into a wetland. The Pontefract and District Archaeological Society won the Pitt Rivers award for their work on the preservation of the ships and heritage that was found in the abandoned river bed after the water was diverted. The find provided a unique insight into river trade in the seventeeth century onwards, including the hulls of four boats (virtually intact), various pottery and evidence of a medieval weir. Ownership of the land was transferred in 2010 from UK Coal/Harworth Estates to St Aidan's Trust, a charity administered by Leeds City Council. The trust would then lease the land to the RSPB for 99 years on a Peppercorn Rent. The reserve officially opened to the public on 25 May 2013. Unfortunately, due to unresolved land ownership issues, the RSPB withdrew its staffing and support in July 2013. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「St Aidan's」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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