IN RESPONSE to the lead story in Chris Titley's Diary ("Newt protection depends on their postcode", June 17), the small pond he refers to is in the New Earswick Nature Reserve and has been created to reduce the amount of silt that enters the main pond.

Discussions about this project began nearly two years ago and were initiated by New Earswick Angling Club, which has the privilege of fishing the pond, and is represented on the reserve management committee.

While the plans for the small pond were being discussed, the committee suggested several ideas that might be incorporated into its design. These included a reed bed in front of the out-fall, the introduction of oxygenating plants and the creation of a suitable habitat for amphibians.

The management committee includes representatives of New Earswick, local schools, the parish council and individuals interested in nature and conservation, and has been responsible for the management of the reserve for many years.

Although it receives a modest budget from Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (which owns the reserve), it is responsible for deciding how best to use this money to maintain and improve the reserve and meet the objectives of providing an educational resource for the study of wildlife.

Most of the work carried out in the reserve is done by a group of hardworking volunteers.

I am saddened that neither Chris Titley nor his informant fully investigated the facts behind the management of the New Earswick Nature Reserve before writing his diary entry and that, in his efforts to argue about "New Osbaldwick", he seeks to tarnish the efforts of those who work towards the conservation of wildlife regardless of their personal views on the merits of the proposed development.

Mike Longhurst,

New Earswick Angling Club,

Pottery Lane, Heworth, York.

Updated: 10:17 Wednesday, June 23, 2004