Stanage and Iconography

I don’t think I’ve used the word ‘iconic’ to describe Blacka Moor on this blog, mainly because the word itself tends to make me nervous. In a letter to the Sheffield Telegraph last week Terry Howard of the Ramblers does use the word iconic more than once to describe Stanage and the North Lees Estate. The word always makes me think of Russian Orthodox priests and their icons. But then………….

Leaving aside the word it’s worth saying that Terry and the Ramblers do a good job in fighting for access rights across the region. They are also right to worry about the policy of hiving off public land and assets to outside groups who might have designs on the land that don’t always correspond with our values.

My perspective is not so much access pure and simple – being allowed to get onto the land unrestricted, important though that is – as what it is that we’re getting access to. The place has to be worth getting to and has to be memorable. If I’m told I can have unlimited access to a field of cabbages I might, in common with Miles Davis, say “So what?”. ( In the interests of inclusiveness I should say I do really like cabbage by the way) But a field full of sheep or cattle that have chewed and nibbled everything has limited appeal to people beyond those who see profit in it; and that goes for grazed moorland too.

North Lees is quite likely to be sold off by the owners, the National Park to whoever makes the best bid. The estate sits below Stanage Edge and few local places can have a more promising setting because the natural looking and imposing rocky edge forms a backdrop to an area where human influence has come from those who occupied the land and therefore looked after it fairly well. And that tradition continues to this day. In that it differs from the featureless moors on the other side of the edge which was owned by those who didn’t live there simply coming up for the grouse shooting season – the worst kind of exploitation, giving rise to the most depressing kind of landscape. Most of North Lees is farm land with some attractive residences, historic associations and a fortunate aspect. One of its biggest advantages is being quiet and self-contained and mainly away from busy roads. It is one of the areas targeted by the Sheffield Moors Partnership for their Master Plan.

Why PDNPA feel they have to sell it off I don’t understand. In hive-off situations there’s usually someone making an argument that the public authority have not made a particularly good job of managing an asset like this, although in this case I don’t know. Bureaucracies can be strangled by regulations at times but if that’s the issue which are the regulations that any incoming manager would be allowed to ignore? This could be the point – that organisations that are not public bodies can be more dynamic and more flexible because they don’t have to conform to rules and procedures that have been devised to safeguard the public. So what exactly are we going to lose? And will those in authority within the public body be frank and open in explaining that? What exactly can another organisation do that the public authority can’t? Because the only precedent here is Sheffield Wildlife Trust and that’s hardly a reason for being enthusiastic about hiving off. Remember that the argument made for that hive-off was the access to funding wildlife trusts had. That proved to be wrong. And the funds that SWT have obtained have not been used for the things that local people would have prioritised

Well he would, wouldn't he......?

According to the Eastern Moors Partnership it’s justified to call the moors wild because it’s ‘a description that most people use of the moorlands.’

That then must make it alright. As managers you simply follow the lead of the ill-informed and ignorant, shrugging off any responsibility to use terms accurately. In fact you encourage them in their mistake; I wonder why they would do that? Very commendable. Where was it they were talking of their educational role?

They also point to the use of the term wildlife to describe ‘many non domesticated creatures’ that are ‘dependant on the human management of the moors’.

On this count they are of course setting themselves up to play God. “Without us,” they say, “with our management plans and farm grants and bureaucracies these poor creatures would simply die out.” Well, in Mandy’s words managers would say that wouldn’t they? How on earth did nature and wildlife cope before man came along?

To Be Charitable....

Being charitable to the local conservation charities, we find amounts to listing their negative virtues. The list of the evils that they don’t do brings them more credit than the list of the goods that they do. Their activities frequently proclaimed as well intentioned have a habit of becoming compromised early on. It’s rare to find an unqualified success in their achievements. So what they don’t do on land they control can start with some of the more serious pollution that the irresponsible landowners may commit and move down from there to numerous petty crimes. We had better not start on those things they do that are plain wrongheaded and mean spirited as we are trying to be charitable in that meaning of the word.

Now the media is preoccupied with the terrible impact of new rules on charitable giving and the ending of the tax relief that it has brought to some millionaires. Much of the comment had focused on the effects on the giver, the usually wealthy person who hands over something to his favourite charity and gets tax benefit for doing so.

But what about the charity? Some of them are squealing because such funding from the wealthy donors may now start to dry up. One argument for the clamp down is on the grounds of transparency and accountability. Not all charities can be assured of universal approval and some that claim to be benign and altruistic don’t frankly bear looking into. If monies that would otherwise be going to the exchequer are being diverted to charities with no scrutiny built into the system apart from by the ‘donor’ who may anyway only be handing over the dosh for his own tax benefit, should we not be concerned? If it’s up to the donor to check that his money’s well spent that could work but not if the money hardly even belonged to him in the first place. Well from our experience of SWT there are many reasons for concern and it’s hard to resist the conclusion that it illustrates the problem very well: a charity that largely exists for the benefit of those employed by it.

Elegance

Sometimes it's the deep brown eyes that impress. At others it is the sense of style and elegance allied to alertness.

A touch aristocratic, even a certain hauteur?

Springing

The change in Spring from one day to another is its defining characteristic. One natural feature that chronicles this well is the birch tree. Many birch together add a feathery edging to the previously hard outline of the woods once April has got underway. It's a treat to watch individual specimens slowly put on their new clothing. Morning sunlight enhances as do the songs of willow warblers, this week's welcome new arrivals.

Contrast

The hinds were luckier today, enjoying the sun after yesterday's rain. It seemed to put them a better mood, some times relaxed and others frisking.

Leggy shrubs are fine for them. They seem more at home running through them than on smooth grass.

Early morning brightness brings other contrasts making picture taking more of a challenge.

Watching these beautiful and natural animals wild and free it's not possible to avoid the questions. Who should decide that the 'sex ratio' is wrong? And who should then decide what to do about it? Would they even dare to contemplate grazing with cattle while planning to cull deer? And would it be these hinds that would be targetted - because that is where the controllers could make most impact? There are many more questions and there is no doubt at all that some of the people in the role of managers here are capable of that. You cannot know them for long before coming to the conclusion that they have a cold enough attitude towards natural beauty (if that is they can recognise it).

Boglife

I posted about blanket bogs, Natural England and the grouse moor owners here on 22nd March. There is a much more thorough commentary on what's going on in this article and it should be read by all who really want to understand the conservation industry's realtionship with grouse moors and the shooting lobby.