E

WelcomeTO THE’SASHULANDVUURTORENWEIDENNATURE DOMAIN’

BLANKENBERGE

ZEEBRUGGE

RAMSKAPELLEWESTKAPELLE

HEIST

KNOKKE

1

2

34

5

6

78

910

11

12

13

14

16

15

RETRANCHEMENT

Nederland

België

Noordzee

CADZAND

CADZAND-BADNIEUWVLIET-BAD

KNOKKE-HEIST

1Fonteintjes2Baai van Heist3Sashul4Vuurtorenweiden5Clay Pits of Heist6Palingpotweiden7Willemspark8Park 589Golf course

(Brabantse Panne)

10Blinkaartbos11Inner dunes of the

old Hazegraspolder12Zwinbosjes13Zwin14Dievegat15Reygaertsvliet (De Vrede)16Verdronken zwarte

polder

DUNES AND OTHER NATURE AREAS BETWEEN BLANKENBERGE AND BRESKENS

From the coastal road a sharp contrast in landscape is immediatelynoticeable between Heist and Zeebrugge. The low pastures andponds surrounding the old lighthouse (‘De Vuurtorenweiden’) arein sharp contrast to the new, more westerly artificial plateau (‘DeSashul’), which stands a full five meters higher. They are separatedby the ‘Barnse Vaartje’, a tree-lined drainage ditch carrying run-off from the coastal road.

‘De Vuurtorenweiden’are a vestige of the historical polder grass-lands of Heist and Ramskapelle. They have known a turbulenthistory: after a period of peat formation, silt was deposited whenthe sea broke through and flooded the area (3rd-4th century),then, from the 11th century onwards, the land was gradually

reclaimed from the sea, and finally peat was extracted(from the Middle Ages until the beginning of the 20thcentury). This gave these microrelief-rich, low pasturestheir typical pattern with a multitude of pools and ditches. When the technique of reclaiming land by buil-ding dikes was developed in the 11th century, theEvendijk was thrown up between Uitkerke andKoudekerke (parishes located to the south of the presentBlankenberge and Heist respectively). A vestige of theEvendijk still crosses the low meadows (see map). The‘old’ lighthouse was built in 1907 in Art Nouveau style.As one of the first high-rise constructions in reinforcedconcrete in Belgium, it is, together with the small lightsignal standing closer to the sea, now a protected monu-ment.

SITUATION

REGULATIONS

SASHUL AND VUURTORENWEIDENNATURE DOMAIN

The nature domain is managed by the Nature division ofAMINAL in accordance with Flemish and European legislationon nature conservation. The main rules governing publicaccess to the nature domain are displayed at the entrances.The flora and fauna in the ‘Sashul and Vuurtorenweiden’nature domain are very fragile. In order to protect this valu-able wildlife, we ask visitors to abide by the following code ofconduct:

•DO NOT PICK FLOWERS OR DAMAGE PLANTS•DO NOT DISTURB ANIMALS•DO NOT TOUCH OR FEED PONIES,

CATTLE AND HORSES•KEEP TO THE PATHS•DO NOT LIGHT FIRES•DO NOT DROP LITTER•DO NOT DIG HOLES•KEEP DOGS ON A LEASH•DO NOT MAKE NOISE•MOTOR VEHICLES PROHIBITED

The nature domain is freely accessible via the footpaths. A footpath also crosses the grazing unit. Visitors are kindlyrequested not to touch or feed the ponies. The pools andsurrounding grasslands can best be observed from the per-manently accessible bird observation hut.

Ministerie van deVlaamse Gemeenschapafdeling Natuur

WHAT GROWS AND FLOWERSIN THE ’VUURTORENWEIDEN’?The abundance of species in the ‘Vuurtorenweiden’ is largely due to a series of small differences in level and theresulting gradual transitions from wet to dry. The pondsturn white in spring when the common water-crowfootcomes into flower, and red in late summer when the waterfern, originating from tropical America, flowers. The poolsare bordered with marsh plants, including reed,bulrush,common spikerush, blue water-speedwell, water mint,common fleabane, great willowherb, water plantain andfool’s water-cress. The salt-loving marsh arrowgrassisfound in the depressions, close cropped by the cattle. Thehigher, drier bumps display attractive polder grasslandswith dogtail grassand meadow barley.

FAUNAThe ‘Vuurtorenweiden’and the ‘Barnse Vaartje’score wellas nesting grounds for water rail, moorhen, coot, mallard, northern shoveller, greylag goose, reed bunting, reed warbler,sedge warbler, and bluethroat,and since 2001 also for theexotic Canada goose. During the winter and migration pe-riods the pools and water meadows around the old light-house are a favourite spot for quite a number of water birds,including northern shoveller, common teal, garganey, gad-wall, mallard, common shelduck and common snipe.

THE SASHUL: AN ARTIFICIALLIME-RICH DUNE LANDSCAPEThe raised soil of the ‘Sashul’ mainly consists of shell-richcalcareous sand. The — admittedly artificial — physicalenvironment of the ‘Sashul’ is therefore quite similar tothe natural physical environment of the young, calcareouscoastal dunes. This is clearly reflected in the vegetation.The shallow depressions, which are mostly flooded in win-ter and spring and dry in late summer, are covered with atype of pioneer vegetation normally found in moist dunevalleys. Here you can find knotted pearlwort, lesser cen-taury and brookweed, along with species reminiscent ofthe salty origin of the raised sand: sea pearlwort, straw-berry clover, buck’s-horn plantain and sea aster. The mod-erately or very dry ‘dune’ ridges are covered with dunegrassland vegetation with rue-leaved saxifrage, seamouse-ear, lesser hawkbit, bearded fescue, bulbous blue-grass, bird’s foot-trefoil, blue fleabane, rough clover andfield madder. These moderately wet to dry dune grasslandsalso host attractive funguses, including various species ofthe brightly coloured waxcap. An outsider is the smoothrupturewort, a calcareous plant probably imported with

Smooth rupturewort Viper’s bugloss

’Vuurtorenweiden’

Photos: Michel Decleer - Jean-Louis H

errier

When, at the end of the 1970s, more than two thirds of the pas-tures between the Heistlaan and the ‘Sas van Heist’ (the mouth ofthe Leopold and Schipdonk canals) were raised with sand from thebeach and the sea – despite being classified as a ‘buffer zone’under the regional town & country planning map – the basis waslaid for the creation of the ‘Sashul’. Practically the whole surfaceof the artificial sandy plateau was strewn with crushed limestoneso that it could be used as a goods marshalling yard. Most of theraised land was subsequently used as a parking area for transitingcars and containers. Only 14ha of the raised land was designatedin 1996 as ‘N: nature area’. This area is now managed by the Naturedivision as a nature domain and is known as ‘De Sashul’. ‘Sas’ refersto the ‘Sas van Heist’ (‘sas’ meaning ‘lock’), while ‘hul’ means ‘hill’in western Flemish dialect.

Ministerie van deVlaamse Gemeenschapafdeling NatuurVLIZ

Caterpillars of the cinnabar

Twisted moss Sea buckthorn

Koen Maréchal, Nature GuardMobile phone: (0479) 89 01 05

Ministry of the Flemish CommunityNATURE DIVISIONCoastal Zone CellZandstraat 2558200 Sint-Andries (Brugge)tel.: (050) 45 41 76fax: (050) 45 41 75

The Nature Division of the Ministry of the FlemishCommunity is responsible for the preparation and imple-mentation of Flemish nature policies and the managementof nature reserves owned by the Flemish Region. It alsoprovides financial assistance for the purchase and man-agement of land by recognised nature associations.

MORE INFORMATION

WelcomeTO THE’SASHULANDVUURTORENWEIDENNATURE DOMAIN’

E

Welcome TO THE’SASHUL ANDVUURTORENWEIDEN NATURE DOMAIN’

BLANKENBERGE

ZEEBRUGGE

RAMSKAPELLEWESTKAPELLE

HEIST

KNOKKE

1

2

3 4

5

6

7 8

910

11

12

13

14

16

15

RETRANCHEMENT

Nederland

België

Noordzee

CADZAND

CADZAND-BADNIEUWVLIET-BAD

KNOKKE-HEIST

1 Fonteintjes2 Baai van Heist3 Sashul4 Vuurtorenweiden5 Clay Pits of Heist6 Palingpotweiden7 Willemspark8 Park 589 Golf course

(Brabantse Panne)

10 Blinkaartbos11 Inner dunes of the

old Hazegraspolder12 Zwinbosjes13 Zwin14 Dievegat15 Reygaertsvliet (De Vrede)16 Verdronken zwarte

polder

DUNES AND OTHER NATURE AREAS BETWEEN BLANKENBERGE AND BRESKENS

From the coastal road a sharp contrast in landscape is immediatelynoticeable between Heist and Zeebrugge. The low pastures andponds surrounding the old lighthouse (‘De Vuurtorenweiden’) arein sharp contrast to the new, more westerly artificial plateau (‘DeSashul’), which stands a full five meters higher. They are separatedby the ‘Barnse Vaartje’, a tree-lined drainage ditch carrying run-off from the coastal road.

‘De Vuurtorenweiden’ are a vestige of the historical polder grass-lands of Heist and Ramskapelle. They have known a turbulenthistory: after a period of peat formation, silt was deposited whenthe sea broke through and flooded the area (3rd-4th century),then, from the 11th century onwards, the land was gradually

reclaimed from the sea, and finally peat was extracted(from the Middle Ages until the beginning of the 20thcentury). This gave these microrelief-rich, low pasturestheir typical pattern with a multitude of pools and ditches. When the technique of reclaiming land by buil-ding dikes was developed in the 11th century, theEvendijk was thrown up between Uitkerke andKoudekerke (parishes located to the south of the presentBlankenberge and Heist respectively). A vestige of theEvendijk still crosses the low meadows (see map). The‘old’ lighthouse was built in 1907 in Art Nouveau style.As one of the first high-rise constructions in reinforcedconcrete in Belgium, it is, together with the small lightsignal standing closer to the sea, now a protected monu-ment.

SITUATION

REGULATIONS

SASHUL AND VUURTORENWEIDENNATURE DOMAIN

The nature domain is managed by the Nature division ofAMINAL in accordance with Flemish and European legislationon nature conservation. The main rules governing publicaccess to the nature domain are displayed at the entrances.The flora and fauna in the ‘Sashul and Vuurtorenweiden’nature domain are very fragile. In order to protect this valu-able wildlife, we ask visitors to abide by the following code ofconduct:

• DO NOT PICK FLOWERS OR DAMAGE PLANTS• DO NOT DISTURB ANIMALS• DO NOT TOUCH OR FEED PONIES,

CATTLE AND HORSES• KEEP TO THE PATHS• DO NOT LIGHT FIRES• DO NOT DROP LITTER• DO NOT DIG HOLES• KEEP DOGS ON A LEASH• DO NOT MAKE NOISE• MOTOR VEHICLES PROHIBITED

The nature domain is freely accessible via the footpaths. A footpath also crosses the grazing unit. Visitors are kindlyrequested not to touch or feed the ponies. The pools andsurrounding grasslands can best be observed from the per-manently accessible bird observation hut.

Ministerie van deVlaamse Gemeenschapafdeling Natuur

WHAT GROWS AND FLOWERSIN THE ’VUURTORENWEIDEN’?The abundance of species in the ‘Vuurtorenweiden’ is largely due to a series of small differences in level and theresulting gradual transitions from wet to dry. The pondsturn white in spring when the common water-crowfootcomes into flower, and red in late summer when the waterfern, originating from tropical America, flowers. The poolsare bordered with marsh plants, including reed, bulrush,common spikerush, blue water-speedwell, water mint,common fleabane, great willowherb, water plantain andfool’s water-cress. The salt-loving marsh arrowgrass isfound in the depressions, close cropped by the cattle. Thehigher, drier bumps display attractive polder grasslandswith dogtail grass and meadow barley.

FAUNAThe ‘Vuurtorenweiden’ and the ‘Barnse Vaartje’ score wellas nesting grounds for water rail, moorhen, coot, mallard, northern shoveller, greylag goose, reed bunting, reed warbler,sedge warbler, and bluethroat, and since 2001 also for theexotic Canada goose. During the winter and migration pe-riods the pools and water meadows around the old light-house are a favourite spot for quite a number of water birds,including northern shoveller, common teal, garganey, gad-wall, mallard, common shelduck and common snipe.

THESASHUL: AN ARTIFICIALLIME-RICHDUNE LANDSCAPEThe raised soil of the ‘Sashul’ mainly consists of shell-richcalcareous sand. The — admittedly artificial — physicalenvironment of the ‘Sashul’ is therefore quite similar tothe natural physical environment of the young, calcareouscoastal dunes. This is clearly reflected in the vegetation.The shallow depressions, which are mostly flooded in win-ter and spring and dry in late summer, are covered with atype of pioneer vegetation normally found in moist dunevalleys. Here you can find knotted pearlwort, lesser cen-taury and brookweed, along with species reminiscent ofthe salty origin of the raised sand: sea pearlwort, straw-berry clover, buck’s-horn plantain and sea aster. The mod-erately or very dry ‘dune’ ridges are covered with dunegrassland vegetation with rue-leaved saxifrage, seamouse-ear, lesser hawkbit, bearded fescue, bulbous blue-grass, bird’s foot-trefoil, blue fleabane, rough clover andfield madder.These moderately wet to dry dune grasslandsalso host attractive funguses, including various species ofthe brightly coloured waxcap.An outsider is the smoothrupturewort, a calcareous plant probably imported with

Smooth rupturewortViper’s bugloss

’Vuurtorenweiden’

Phot

os: M

iche

l Dec

leer

- J

ean-

Loui

s H

errie

r

When, at the end of the 1970s, more than two thirds of the pas-tures between the Heistlaan and the ‘Sas van Heist’ (the mouth ofthe Leopold and Schipdonk canals) were raised with sand from thebeach and the sea – despite being classified as a ‘buffer zone’under the regional town & country planning map – the basis waslaid for the creation of the ‘Sashul’. Practically the whole surfaceof the artificial sandy plateau was strewn with crushed limestoneso that it could be used as a goods marshalling yard. Most of theraised land was subsequently used as a parking area for transitingcars and containers. Only 14 ha of the raised land was designatedin 1996 as ‘N: nature area’. This area is now managed by the Naturedivision as a nature domain and is known as ‘De Sashul’. ‘Sas’ refersto the ‘Sas van Heist’ (‘sas’ meaning ‘lock’), while ‘hul’ means ‘hill’in western Flemish dialect.

Ministerie van deVlaamse Gemeenschapafdeling Natuur VLIZ

Caterpillars of the cinnabar

Twisted mossSea buckthorn

Koen Maréchal, Nature GuardMobile phone: (0479) 89 01 05

Ministry of the Flemish CommunityNATURE DIVISIONCoastal Zone CellZandstraat 2558200 Sint-Andries (Brugge)tel.: (050) 45 41 76fax: (050) 45 41 75

The Nature Division of the Ministry of the FlemishCommunity is responsible for the preparation and imple-mentation of Flemish nature policies and the managementof nature reserves owned by the Flemish Region. It alsoprovides financial assistance for the purchase and man-agement of land by recognised nature associations.

MORE INFORMATION

Welcome TO THE’SASHUL ANDVUURTORENWEIDEN NATURE DOMAIN’

stable

Nature reserve’The Clay Pits of Heist'

Kustbaan

Vuurtoren-weiden

Sashul

Nature reserve’The Bay of Heist'

Eieburg

Blau

wvo

etla

an

Evendijk

Barn

se V

aart

je

Gustave Van Nieuwenhuysestraat

Railway Heist-Brugge

entrance for pedestrians

Goods railway

0 100 m

N

water

thicket/wood

dike vegetation

built-up area

dune grassland

temporary pool

reed marsh

grassland with pools

arable field

marram dunes

hay land

Foot and bike path

Footpath

Discovery path

Main road

Road

Limit of the domain

Grazers fence

Railway

Tramway

Talus

Entrance/information

Parking

Observation hut

Lighthouse and light signal

Bench

LEGEND

FAUNADuring winter the ‘Sashul’ looks rather desolate. The stonysand bed of the pools contains too little food to attractmany water birds and waders. Nevertheless, the incon-spicuous jacksnipe often stops here to feed, while hismuch sturdier cousin, the woodcock, takes a rest in theundergrowth and bushes. From early spring to midsummerthe shallow pools and surrounding open land covered inshort grass witness an explosion of insect life, which inturn attracts many birds. The ‘shingle beaches’ aroundpools become very popular with the little ringed ploverand the pied wagtail, while the short vegetation of thebanks and shallow pools attract meadow birds (northernlapwing), coastal birds (oystercatcher and common red-shank), and water birds (mallard and coot). The seagullslove to preen themselves in the numerous pools. With a bitof luck you can observe not only the common black-headedgull, herring gull and lesser black-backed gull, but also therather rare Mediterranean gull. The thickets of sea buck-thorn and willow are also much in demand: turtledove,

MANAGEMENTDuring the winter of 1999-2000, AMINAL-Nature divisiontransformed the former goods marshalling yard into the‘Sashul’ nature domain. Traces of the industrial occupationand illegal dumping sites were removed, pools deepened andrelief added in the form of marram dunes made of sea sand.Clay-shell footpaths, a bird observation hut and bencheswere also provided. The previously planted exotic whitepoplars, whose root suckers endangered the valuable spon-taneous vegetation, were removed and replaced with indi-genous shrubs and trees. Shetland ponies keep the major part of the ‘Sashul’ land-scape open by grazing. Originating from the ShetlandIslands (off the northern coast of Scotland), they are accus-tomed to a rough climate and a meagre diet. An open land-scape is essential for several species of birds which breedhere in summer, such as little ringed plover, northern lap-wing, oystercatcher and common redshank, and in order tomaintain the species-rich dune vegetation. The grasslandsoutside the grazing unit and hayfields are regularly mown.The root-propagating sea buckthorn also has to be cut backand mown every year to keep it under control.

The ‘Vuurtorenweiden’ are extensively grazed by cattle andhorses.

limestone debris from Walloon stone quarries. The ‘Sashul’and the old railway line between Heist and Zeebrugge arethe only places where this plant has so far been foundalong the Flemish coast. The most striking plants in the drydune grasslands are the more vigorous calcareous plantsviper’s bugloss, common ragwort, and common and small-flowered evening primrose. Along the embankments youcan find bee orchid and wild teasel, which are typical for(disturbed) lime-rich soils. When the nature reserve wascreated, small dunes were created and planted with mar-ram grass. At the foot of the ‘Sashul’, along the ‘BarnseVaartje’, lime- and iron-rich groundwater seeps up fromthe sand mass. In this wet seepage zone a significant population of southern marsh orchid is to be found. Seabuckthorn and willow bushes shoot up spontaneously onthe plateau of the ‘Sashul’.

’SASHUL ANDVUURTORENWEIDEN’NATURE DOMAIN

Bee orchid

Little ringed plover

Northern lapwing

Common snipe

Rabbit Shetland pony

Southern marsh orchid

linnet, stonechat, rufous nightingale, common white-throat, willow warbler, grasshopper warbler, marsh warblerand icterine warbler come here to breed. The fan-tailedwarbler, originally a southern species, breeds more andmore often in the clumps of wood smallreed. The greypartridge also regularly breeds at the ‘Sashul’.

Since the ‘Sashul’ lies on an important migration route forcoastal birds, its thickets and bushes make an ideal resting-place for many songbirds during the spring and autumnmigrations. Regular travellers on the open plain are the smallTurdidae, northern wheatear and whinchat, while pied flycat-cher, firecrest and even wryneck are regularly observed in thethickets and bushes.

Rabbits also thrive on the ‘Sashul’ and help to keep the grasscropped short. Their natural enemy, the weasel, is also pre-sent. Many amphibians have also been observed in the‘Barnse Vaartje’, the ponds of the ‘Vuurtorenweiden’ and the‘Sashul’, including the common toad, common frog,European water frog and smooth newt.