LWVP Winter Talk programme

Lower Windrush Valley Project

Programme of Winter Talks

 

Wednesday November 6^th 7.30pm at the Methodist Church Hall Witney

‘SWIFTS-Love Them or Lose Them’ a talk and film ‘Swift Stories’ by Chris Mason Co-ordinator of the Cherwell Swift Conservation Project

Thursday December 5^th 7.30pm at Ducklington Village Hall

‘Why Birds are so Different’ a talk by Dr Graham Lenton     (www.gml-art.co.uk)  about why birds have different bills, feet and wings and how they are adapted to their food and environment. Bird calls and song will be discussed together with the colour of birds and its meaning

Tuesday January 21^st 7.30pm at Stanton Harcourt Village Hall

‘Water Voles in the Windrush Valley’ a talk by Julia Lofthouse BBOWT Water Vole Project Officer

 

Wednesday February 19^th at Northmoor Village Hall

          Talk TBC.

 

For more details contact: jane.Bowley@oxfordshire.gov.uk tel: 01865 815426 or just arrive on the night. There is no charge for these talks.

Rushy Common and Tar Lakes aftercare monitoring visit

Taking a good look over Rushy Common Nature Reserve

 

It's October, so time again for the annual monitoring visit with Oxfordshire County Council Minerals and Waste Team, the OCC Ecologist Planner and the Planning and Estates Manager from Smiths Bletchington to review progress. All mineral extraction sites have a five year period of aftercare following the completion of restoration to whatever landuse was agreed in the planning application for the site. This was the final aftercare visit for the nature reserve which now goes into a twenty year period of long term management before it is returned to the landowner.

 

An example of decisions made in these meetings is this pond which is one of two that were created in the nature reserve attached to a ditch that takes runoff from the neighbouring fields. It was realised that the ditches would be affected by this nutrient rich run off so they have now been separated from the ditch. Other aspects to consider when reviewing the management of the site include; the frequency and effectiveness of mowing the grasslands; weed control; hedgerow management; how to manage the vegetation on the islands in the lake, and many more that arise as the site develops..

The original plans for this site were designed in 1994-97 and it is interesting to hear how the plans would have been very different if the site had been designed today. However, it is very pleasing to be able to record nesting success by common tern and barn owl, good growth of a wide variety of plants and grasses and the successful establishment of areas of trees and scrub.

 

Tar Lakes is now in its third year of aftercare as an amenity lake with unrestricted public access. There are different issues here largely to do with the public access which can create problems that require unwanted solutions. For example, it was planned to have a conservation area between the two smaller lakes and special wild flower seed mixes were sown to create this special area. However, dogs and their owners were walking through the area so extra fencing had to be installed. The visual effect is not the most pleasing but, as time goes by, the bushes will grow and hide the fence. The positive side is that the flowers are growing and birds are using the site in greater numbers, such as these goldfinches enjoying feeding on the seeds of teazels.

 

The rest of the site is developing well with good establishment of trees and shrubs around the edges and there has been a great profusion of invertebrate life with thousands of damselflies in the summer months. The site is proving to be more and more popular with local people and will have many more delights to offer as it develops.

Part of the Bigger Picture

My days at the Lower Windrush Valley Project are rarely routine and Wednesday 25th September was no exception. I spent the  morning with the volunteer group at Standlake Common Nature Reserve coppicing hazel to provide stakes and binders for the hedgelayers to use the following week. It is always satisfying to be able to use our home grown produce for projects. It was also the first time that Louise had done coppicing and she quickly developed an eye for it and a good technique.

Then it was time for an hour at my desk and a quick change before I headed up to London for an evening reception to celebrate the work of RESTORE; a new European funded partnership, headed by the RSPB set up to restore mineral sites for biodiversity, people and the economy across North West Europe. Surrey County Council and organisations from Belgium, Holland and Germany are the other partners. The project began in 2012 and runs to 2015 and can already showcase some very positive restoration sites with a view to influencing future practice.

The speakers were all very interesting and although I haven't the time to cover them all the following three made a big impression on me as they related to specific aspects of our work at the LWVP. Sue Armstrong-Brown, head of Conservation Policy at the RSPB, highlighted how many targets for the maintenance and improvement of threatened habitats and species are already being delivered on these sites and their huge potential for the future. She also talked about how important many of these sites are for people, for their recreation and enjoyment of the natural world.
Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive of the Mineral Products Association was very positive about the willingness and, in many cases, the enthusiasm of the minerals operators to engage with the highest standard of restoration to secure maximum benefit for wildlife. He also said how much he regrets the loss of the Aggregates Levy Sustainable Fund Grant Scheme that was such a good resource for many environmental projects and enabled some really useful work to be done here in the valley. He has written to the minister to express his frustration about this.
Even the MEP Catherine Bearder had some pertinent points to make. Apparently she is known as the 'Bees and Elephants MEP' as she is always trying to include her passion and concern for the environment in whatever portfolio she is working on. She said how even at that level people's eyes glaze over at the mention of 'biodiversity'. They don't understand the concepts or the issues and how important care for the environment is for the future of our everyday lives. There is clearly a great need for more environmental education which is an aspect of the LWVP that I hope to develop in the future.
On the train on the way home it was time to reflect on the threads that connect these top policy makers with those who prefer to make local efforts to improve biodiversity on the ground. This was an international celebration of the work that is going on around us in the Lower Windrush Valley ranging from the companies like Smiths Bletchington that want to leave a positive legacy for the future to the individual volunteers like Louise who want to do their bit to make a difference.