Here is Jonathan’s message
Greetings All,
There’ll be a volunteer session in Fairfield Orchard, Fauna and Flora this Saturday, November 9th, commencing at 10.00am and finishing at 1.00pm. Please do come along if you can spare any or all of that time out of your Saturday.
You may detect something of a Flora bias in this month’s list of tasks, as we make our first tentative moves onto our new land. By the end of play we should all be able to identify Fields 1, 2, 3 and 4, and how often do you get the chance to say that?
1.Plant Woodland Trust hedge saplings in
a) gaps in the Pads hedge alongside the Big Meadow
b) gaps in the Pads hedges alongside the Flora fields
c) and if we have spare saplings after the above, there is an obvious absence of hedge between Big Meadow and the Hay meadow.
2.Remove existing Flora boundary fence whilst preserving it for re-use. And in the unlikely event of time permitting, we can start to re-erect the fence as the woodland extension boundary with Field 3.
3.Mark out lynchets with posts.
4.Dig out and re-erect old boundary stone in the Flora fields.
5.Retrieve stone from damaged wall alongside Aldcliffe Road and store safely nearby.
6.Remove corrugated sheets in Field 3 and transport them to Fauna.
7.Move old fencing from Pony Wood. Also remove an old gate between Fields 2 and 3 to a dump we are creating.
8.Mark with posts
a) manhole covers in Fields 3 and 4
b) field drain in Field 1
9.Re-erect post in Field 1 knocked over by sheep.
Meanwhile at the Other Events Of Interest desk, I’ve been asked to pass on some information regarding Grange Fell Care Day, which takes place on November 13th.
“Join us in Grange over Sands for another large scale day of conservation volunteering and cake! There’ll be lots of activities in the woods including walling, coppicing, tree management and path work. It’s free to take part and there’s a task to suit all levels of fitness and mobility. Booking deadline Friday 8 November.”
For full information on this Friends of the Lake District event, follow this link…
http://www.fld.org.uk/grange-fell-care-day-volunteer-task-list.html
And that’s your lot from me for this month.
Do please come along this Saturday if you can possibly make it and let’s *really* get to grips with counting Flora Fields 1 through to 4 inclusively.
Best wishes,
Jonathan.
And this is what we did!
Our monthly Saturday morning session attended by 19 volunteers plus 13 students from Green Lancaster. We were fortunate – the heavy shower forecast did not arrive until 12.40 although everyone / thing got a soaking then. Otherwise bright and breezy (weather and volunteers).
This was our first volunteering foray in to the new Flora fields and much of the following was located there.
1. We planted saplings, donated by the Woodlands Trust, infilling gaps in the Pads footpath abutting both Fauna and Flora fields.
2. We made considerable progress removing the Flora fence between Fields 3 and 4. For much of its length it now lies uprooted, ready to be dragged in sections to form the new (temporary) boundary between the woodland extension and Field 3.
NOTE 1: To serve this purpose it will need new posts
NOTE 2: Historical note – there is evidence of a former iron fence (similar to boundary 7) running East from the northern tip of Pony Wood.
3. We marked out the lynchets in Field ¾ with posts
4. We dug out and stood up the old boundary stone in Field 3
5. We retrieved stone from the broken wall alongside Aldcliffe Road and stored it along side the wall.
6. We marked with posts manhole covers in Fields 3 and 4 and the field drain in Field 1.
7. We removed the corrugated iron sheets from the hedge side in Field 3. They are neatly stacked and ready for transportation to the cow shelter in the Gun Range.
8. Scrap iron was removed from Pony Wood (former iron railings) and Field 3 (old gate) and forms a dump near the main gates of Field 3 for future disposal.
9. Keith continues his pruning of apples trees, assisted by some young helpers on this occasion.
10. Thanks to Tony for bringing his refreshments all the way to our work site. Everything takes a bit longer in the far reaches of our enlarged nature reserve.