This follows from the previous post about verge cutting.
A few weeks ago motorists driving towards Sheffield during the peak commuter time were approaching the notorious blind bend at Piper House, scene of a number of serious accidents including fatalities, had to apply their brakes suddenly because tractors wielding verge cutting attachments were busy at a critical spot. Anyone considering overtaking would have been taking a serious risk for themselves and anyone coming from the opposite direction.
At the same time another tractor was cutting the verge on the other side of the road.
Did the verge need cutting at all? And why does this stretch of road remain a 60 mph limit when much of the network in Derbyshire is now 50?
Friday, 12 August 2016
Tuesday, 9 August 2016
Verge Maintenance
Roadside verges, train embankments and cuttings, sundry bits of land someone's just forgotten, all these are valued by those who know as places mostly free from human interference. Wildlife in the form of flowers and insects, sometimes small mammals, learn to thrive outside the blight of management.
Last year the Streets Ahead programme came along numerous roads on the outskirts of Sheffield, inside the land referred to as a national park, and sprayed weedkiller at the base of walls leaving the ugly brown stains of dead plants conspicuous to all who travelled this way. Other parts of the verges were mown early in the year. Previous years the more relaxed management had allowed many wild flowers to bloom. Eventually some officers with relevant jobs in conservation and the city council, responding to complaints from the public, let it be known that they had struck some kind of agreement with the highways people. Cutting would be done in a new way and weedkiller avoided.
We can now see the difference. No brown stains and a wide swathe of short mown grass alongside the road; a narrow area further back has been allowed to go its own way, for now. Some may find this pretty, or perhaps tidy.
Compare with this from August 15th 4 years ago.
This was at the lay-by on the other side of the road.
It's now just short grass.
Last year the Streets Ahead programme came along numerous roads on the outskirts of Sheffield, inside the land referred to as a national park, and sprayed weedkiller at the base of walls leaving the ugly brown stains of dead plants conspicuous to all who travelled this way. Other parts of the verges were mown early in the year. Previous years the more relaxed management had allowed many wild flowers to bloom. Eventually some officers with relevant jobs in conservation and the city council, responding to complaints from the public, let it be known that they had struck some kind of agreement with the highways people. Cutting would be done in a new way and weedkiller avoided.
We can now see the difference. No brown stains and a wide swathe of short mown grass alongside the road; a narrow area further back has been allowed to go its own way, for now. Some may find this pretty, or perhaps tidy.
Compare with this from August 15th 4 years ago.
This was at the lay-by on the other side of the road.
Sunday, 7 August 2016
Flagging Up Hazards
Several people have slipped on the new flagstones across Cowsick bog. These were installed at great expense using helicopters and a dedicated team from the National Trust.
The winter hazards in freezing conditions are well known. Now, during a dry summer spell, most of the flagstones are wet and greasy.
What seems to have happened is that rushes growing right up to the path are shading over the route giving little chance for drying out. Previously the route taken by people was less narrow leading to a broadening out which kept vegetation down and allowing a slightly wider pathway to dry out.
The winter hazards in freezing conditions are well known. Now, during a dry summer spell, most of the flagstones are wet and greasy.
What seems to have happened is that rushes growing right up to the path are shading over the route giving little chance for drying out. Previously the route taken by people was less narrow leading to a broadening out which kept vegetation down and allowing a slightly wider pathway to dry out.
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
Abundance
Now the freezer is at capacity level there's no motive for keeping quiet about it any longer. There is more than enough for everyone from the casual browser to the determined producer of bespoke preserves. There has never to my knowledge been a better year for bilberries. Not just bilberries either. Almost ready are the lingonberries or mountain cranberries. All due to the calm conditions in early spring.
Rowanberries and blackberries still to come. A veritable cornucopia.
Monday, 1 August 2016
Political Scrapping
Conservation and land management are seriously political activities. Being so a lot of money goes into the warfare between contending parties not to mention in-fighting and backstabbing among those who are supposed to be on the same side. Diplomacy occasionally makes an appearance but soon gets derailed by the scuffles, the misinformation and the fog of war.
Already mentioned has been the petition from Mark Avery against driven grouse shooting and the letter to Marks and Spencer from Chris Packham.
No single interest group is better resourced than the grouse shooting industry, well linked as it is to the old money of landed gentry and the new money of the London business and financial sectors. Its expertise and its energies are well known, an education to anyone wishing to understand the British establishment. They lobby like nobody else, are impeccably 'well-connected' and know just how to wield influence. While they prefer to remain in the background, when a major issue surfaces in relation to game shooting they move swiftly to discredit their critics and flood the media with press releases littered with phony statistics and dodgy claims; truth is of no importance beside the power to get your message across to the right people. When we listen to them we may soon find ourselves believing the UK is the envy of the world and incredibly lucky to have such enlightened and saintly landowners. They also are proof that their propaganda scores well with many of the sub-species who troll in social media as seen below Chris Packhams's Youtube video.
Tactics used by the grouse shooting lobby are sophisticated and include making themselves look bigger than they really are and disguising themselves in identical clothing to their opponents. One way they do this is by setting up multiple pressure groups. So the GWCT (Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust) has, I'm convinced, a membership composed of largely the same people as the BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) and the Heather Trust and the Moorland Association; and all share membership with the Countryside Alliance. But the aim is to speak as separate entities in lobbying governments and government agencies thus appearing to represent an overwhelming rural voice. It's easy to see: "We, the So and So Association represent x thousand members and we think thus ....." and at the same time "We the Such and Such Trust" have y thousand members and ... etc." Yet how many members are common to both and others lobbying for the same thing?
The RSPB with an enormous membership has recently been engaging with these other interests, mostly shooters, in an effort to get some kind of compromise agreement. The RSPB has now withdrawn, realising there's no progress to be made with these groups.
It would perhaps be easier for the RSPB to put across a consistent case against the excesses of the shooting interests if it did not itself shoot foxes and other entirely natural predators.
Already mentioned has been the petition from Mark Avery against driven grouse shooting and the letter to Marks and Spencer from Chris Packham.
No single interest group is better resourced than the grouse shooting industry, well linked as it is to the old money of landed gentry and the new money of the London business and financial sectors. Its expertise and its energies are well known, an education to anyone wishing to understand the British establishment. They lobby like nobody else, are impeccably 'well-connected' and know just how to wield influence. While they prefer to remain in the background, when a major issue surfaces in relation to game shooting they move swiftly to discredit their critics and flood the media with press releases littered with phony statistics and dodgy claims; truth is of no importance beside the power to get your message across to the right people. When we listen to them we may soon find ourselves believing the UK is the envy of the world and incredibly lucky to have such enlightened and saintly landowners. They also are proof that their propaganda scores well with many of the sub-species who troll in social media as seen below Chris Packhams's Youtube video.
Tactics used by the grouse shooting lobby are sophisticated and include making themselves look bigger than they really are and disguising themselves in identical clothing to their opponents. One way they do this is by setting up multiple pressure groups. So the GWCT (Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust) has, I'm convinced, a membership composed of largely the same people as the BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) and the Heather Trust and the Moorland Association; and all share membership with the Countryside Alliance. But the aim is to speak as separate entities in lobbying governments and government agencies thus appearing to represent an overwhelming rural voice. It's easy to see: "We, the So and So Association represent x thousand members and we think thus ....." and at the same time "We the Such and Such Trust" have y thousand members and ... etc." Yet how many members are common to both and others lobbying for the same thing?
The RSPB with an enormous membership has recently been engaging with these other interests, mostly shooters, in an effort to get some kind of compromise agreement. The RSPB has now withdrawn, realising there's no progress to be made with these groups.
It would perhaps be easier for the RSPB to put across a consistent case against the excesses of the shooting interests if it did not itself shoot foxes and other entirely natural predators.
Introductions and Removals
While consideration is being given to reintroducing lynx in the north east and border country the recent accidental reintroduction of a lynx to the uplands of Dartmoor has been brought to an end by its recapture. I wonder how much this operation cost? Yet very few people suggested it should be left or even joined by a few more. The usual cries of agony from sections of the farming industry meant that no expense would be too great. Despite very few sheep being targetted by lynx, who like to stay in the woods, these privileged lobbyists are quick to speak out while few dare to bring up the question of sheep dying through bad practice and poor husbandry.
There's always been a tendency for humans to want to kill off wild animals either directly or by destroying their natural habitats.
Lynx were native in these islands until about 400 AD.
The wolf existed until the 16th century in England and Wales and the 18th century in Scotland.
The brown bear was here until about 1000 AD
Beavers could be found in Britain until the 16th century.
The beaver of course is now being reintroduced as a trial in Scotland and Devon. I can imagine there are shooters around anxious to have the chance to intervene if the trial is halted.
The common thread with any reintroduction of animals that once had every right to be here is the opposition from farmers. In my experience most farmers like to use their guns. The victims are often crows and rabbits, not to forget the pheasant a bird that has no native right to be here, thousands being imported (don't say 'reintroduced') each year to satisfy the shooters.
I've noticed that SRWT tweets about beavers on the River Otter where Devon Wildlife Trust are in on the project. But nothing as yet about lynx although the Scottish Wildlife Trust is supporting reintroduction. They (the Scottish WT) are, of course, a separate organisation and not part of the RSWT.
There's always been a tendency for humans to want to kill off wild animals either directly or by destroying their natural habitats.
Lynx were native in these islands until about 400 AD.
The wolf existed until the 16th century in England and Wales and the 18th century in Scotland.
The brown bear was here until about 1000 AD
Beavers could be found in Britain until the 16th century.
The beaver of course is now being reintroduced as a trial in Scotland and Devon. I can imagine there are shooters around anxious to have the chance to intervene if the trial is halted.
The common thread with any reintroduction of animals that once had every right to be here is the opposition from farmers. In my experience most farmers like to use their guns. The victims are often crows and rabbits, not to forget the pheasant a bird that has no native right to be here, thousands being imported (don't say 'reintroduced') each year to satisfy the shooters.
I've noticed that SRWT tweets about beavers on the River Otter where Devon Wildlife Trust are in on the project. But nothing as yet about lynx although the Scottish Wildlife Trust is supporting reintroduction. They (the Scottish WT) are, of course, a separate organisation and not part of the RSWT.
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