Deer and Managers

In SWT’s first management plan for Blacka Moor the existence of red deer was not even acknowledged!

They were occasional visitors to the site even then but unknown to the trust and the majority of visitors. But since then the deer have established themselves as not just regular visitors but as a permanent presence and numbers have increased year on year. Their influence on the site’s vegetation is also increasing and will continue to do so. They browse on the low vegetation including birch and they occupy the bracken stands in ways that the cattle are unwilling to do.

They are there throughout the year and have started to breed on the site, at least one fawn having been born here this year. They are looked on by local people as their own wild animals however much SWT goes on about “Beautiful Beasts of Blacka” in various publications – meaning the cattle!!!

The astonishing admission from a 'wildlife' trust is that they don’t think that deer will do ‘the job’ properly. In other words deer don’t obey orders and conform to the management plan; more evidence if it was needed of the impoverished imagination of the trust. They seem incapable of the imaginative thought which means that wildness does not always give you just what you demand; in fact that’s almost a definition of it. But then what can you expect of those who want always to be ‘in control’?

Statement

Blacka Blogger has made it clear that, despite his great affection for SWT, he is no lover of these signs. But he draws the line at vandalism. The person who has been practising his sawing technique here gets no support from this blog. Putting up one or two notices of one's own may be one thing but wilful damage is another.

Yes, it would be better if SWT were to take the things down themselves, ....and yes, SWT have disgracefully already removed (and stolen) excellent notice boards installed by Friends of Blacka Moor .....and yes, some of the other things done on the site by SWT could legitimately be described as vandalism..... but damage is damage and it's not right, whoever does it.

What is more such action puts ammunition in the hands of small-minded people with a sanctimonious streak who wish to justify unacceptable and draconian action. But Blacka Blogger is naming no names.

On-Site Worker or Central Team?

Until the 1970s there was a man, sometimes two, permanently assigned to Blacka Moor. He had a small hut for his tools, the ruins of which can still be seen from the path along the northern extremity, between the boundary wall and the new barbed wire amenity feature(joke intended).

His job was to maintain all aspects of the site, paths, bridleways, walls etc, and also to cut back birch spreading onto the heather. His job was axed, presumably in an economy drive. The theory was that it was more efficient to have centrally based teams who would come out from headquarters to deal with maintenance issues as and when necessary. This theory doubtless could be shown to save money and I'm sure the person whose idea it was made sure the figures fitted to prove just that. But in other ways it was disastrous.

Those who promote the central team idea of maintenance just don't get the point of on-site workers because the sites themselves matter less to them than the bottom line. This is also the problem with advocates of 'sustainability' who similarly occupy desks in offices, just venturing out occasionally to get evidence for a new report - and then they make sure they find the evidence that fits.



Here's a simple example. Bridleways on Blacka are often steep and so prone to fast water causing erosion. It's not easy (maybe not possible) to tell exactly what will work to divert the water from sudden downpours in specific locations. The obvious thing to do is try something and see how it goes - on a small scale. This is how a small landowner does a job. No major investment of time and effort, just ongoing work and careful observation. An on-site worker is ideally placed to do this. A team is plagued with desk manager problems from the outset. Scheduled for this area one week and that for another, it may be a month or two before they get round to a place. Then when they come they do too much, trying to take advantage of the time they have. There is no trial and error and often what is done proves not to work anyway. So much more time is spent to no effect at all.



The blog last month praised some work done by SWT in improvising a drainage channel for running water on the main bridleway (Canons' Path). It needed to be left to see how well it worked. If it was useless then so be it, try something else. If it worked then add some more at other suitable places. But instead of waiting to see, they had the people on the site and went ahead and did lots more. It's easy to see how this happens. The man in charge has got people to manage and wants to ensure they are busy, so they can just as easily be getting on with something appropriate or inappropriate. The first priority is that they should be working. None of this applies to the on site worker who, alongside these advantages, has chance to develop an attachment with the place and a sense of personal pride.

This one may work, some others are unlikely to. Best to go slow and wait and see.

Press Releases and How Much Do You Believe?

In The Sheffield Star on 19th June there was an item based on a press release from SWT. In it is this quote:

Following a lengthy process of consultation, plus the commissioning of a grazing impact assessment, the conclusion is that this is the most sustainable way of conserving the heathland and improving conditions for
wildlife, which has been tried and tested throughout the UK.

People who don't read carefully might be left with the impression that it says:

The conclusion of a lengthy process of consultation was ...........etc etc.

This of course is what we are meant to think. But we would be wrong. It carefully and deviously does not say that.

"The conclusion is...." doesn't say whose conclusion. Consider the mindset of those who would go to such lengths to leave such a false impression.

Blacka Blogger's position is clear. He doesn't believe these people one bit, not a single word they say. In fact not even the spaces between the words. To go further, anything he's believed all his life, unquestioningly.....if he heard them saying it, he would cease believing it on the instant.