West Somerset Area Group March Newsletter

Before you start reading , here is a photo of some of the volunteers who are running the Somerset Wildlife Trust Area Groups. Between them they cover most of this very large county from Exmoor to the Mendip Hills

I've just been reading the latest newsletter from the West Somerset Area Group. (I should have been writing up our own newsletter but this one proved very readable). They operate much as we do except they have been going a bit longer than us and perhaps because of their years of experience they are very well established. Here is an extract.

West Somerset Area Group

NEWSLETTER

March 2008

THE MONTH AT A GLANCE

Monday 3^rd – Area Group Committee Meeting

Thursday 6^th Climate Change Meeting 7 – 9 p.m.

Friday 7^th – WSCV Hopcott Common Project

Saturday 8^th – WATCH Group Meeting 10.00 a.m. at Nettlecombe Court

Tuesday 11^th – Bovine TB 7.30 p.m. Taunton Library

Monday 17^th – Area Group Committee Meeting

Friday 21^st – WSCV Hopcott Common Project

Thursday 27^th – 7.00 for 7.30; Two Woozles and a Wizzle

WATCH Group

On Saturday 1^st February Janet and I attended the WATCH Group Meeting at Nettlecombe Court. It was a rather noisy morning as the youngsters were building nest boxes which they then erected in the grounds. It was good to see youngsters enjoying themselves constructively and we hope to see the WATCH Group go from strength to strength.

The next meeting is on Saturday 8 March when they will have a look to see what is using their nest boxes and whether there any eggs; plus an eggstravanza of other Easter Eggy sorts of fun and games. Just the sort of thing to take the grandchildren to.

Minehead RNLI & Porlock Coastguard save deer off Culvercliffe

Following a call from a member of the public HM Coastguard requested Minehead's new Atlantic 85 Lifeboat launch at 12.00 hrs with volunteer helmsman Adam Bonar in command. The crew arrived on scene just off Culvercliffe and quickly spotted a young deer about 100 meters off shore. It was evident that the animal was extremely tired and distressed so a decision was made to "coax" it back to shore where a team from Porlock HM Coastguard was waiting.

As soon as the deer got back on dry land it immediately returned to the water where the Lifeboat crew again tried to encourage it to go ashore. On this second attempt the startled animal made for some bushes just off the beach where it stayed for a considerable time.

After struggling to catch the animal it made a third attempt to swim away when the Lifeboat managed to get alongside and recover it and secure it for the short journey back to Minehead Lifeboat Station.

The animal stayed onboard until the Lifeboat was recovered before being checked over by a local vet. Once confident that the deer was in good health, albeit wet and tired the crew took it to North Hill and released it.

Volunteer Helmsman Adam Bonar commented "we get called to a wide range of incidents but this was one of the more unusual. The deer proved quite tricky to recover and didn't seem overly appreciative of its trip in a Lifeboat".

Source: Minehead RNLI website

WSCV Hopcott Common Work Days

On the 8^th February we were blessed with glorious weather. The clear visibility across Minehead and up and over the Channel gave a brilliant backdrop to our labours and we were delighted by little flocks of Crossbills and Siskin amongst many other birds. It’s a while since we have seen any deer whilst working but they leave their evidence everywhere.

On the 22nd the weather wasn’t bad either. We were visited by Patrick Watts-Mabbott the Exmoor National Park Authority officer responsible for volunteer activity, amongst many other roles. He was accompanied by a colleague from ENPA and two representatives of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, who seemed impressed with what we were doing, and more importantly the way we were doing it.

The purpose of the visit was to check on the suitability of our project for a visit by some youngsters who have to shoulder responsibility for looking after an infirm or disabled relative. The Wildlife Trust, BTCV and the National Park have all individually agreed to lay on fun/respite days for these very deserving and often overlooked youngsters and it so happens that all three organisations come together on Hopcott Common.

Banish the Bags

I was pleased to see the Daily Mail's new 'Banish the Bags' campaign, in an effort to rid the UK of plastic bag litter - see the Mail's website for details, which includes lots of advice, statistics and images provided by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). You can also read more about plastic litter on the MCS Adopt-a-Beach website.

Otter Monitoring

A number of members are involved locally in monitoring our resident otters on behalf of Somerset Otter Group. All seems to be well with the population very stable which means we probably have just about the optimum number of otters in West Somerset. As a rough yardstick one can say there is an otter for every 5 miles or so of ‘fishable water’ – but what you might think of as fishable and what an otter can find food in are very different things. Quite large eels can be found in very small rills for example; and at this time of year an otter will take frogs as well as fish.

Committee Matters

At their Meeting on Monday 3 March your Committee started to look at the implications of likely shortfalls in funding resulting from changing Government policy towards the allocation of Heritage Lottery cash and grants for environmental work.

In future it would seem that the Wildlife Trusts will have to rely more and more on their members to provide volunteers to carry out tasks heretofore performed by paid staff. Here in West Somerset we are fortunate in already having our highly skilled, multi talented, super-fit, motivated and eager team of Conservation Volunteers who have demonstrated their ability to perform miracles in exchange for a burned sausage; but we are going to need more people willing to have ago at a multitude of interesting projects.

Our Programmes Sub-Committee has already been looking at ways of bringing our programme closer to the membership – not easy in an Area that is 43 miles long by around 10 miles wide on average. You will notice changes in the months ahead as the new ideas start to kick in – it will be some time ahead as events are planned and speakers etc. booked well in advance.

We also need to take our displays to more events across and around the Area and anyone willing to have a go at staffing these at a fete or fair or show in your own local community please let me know.

That’s all for now, folks.

Happy wildlife watching!

Contributions to this blog

I am hoping to invite other members of the Wildlife Trust to post contributions to this blog and hope we will get some results soon.
I also hope that anyone reading this far will know how easy it is to communicate with me as editor and welcome comments using the comment button at the bottom of this post. I look forward to hearing from you.
Questions:
what is happening to wildlife where you are?
have you seen a Stag Beetle ( Lucanus cervus) recently?
have you visited a nature reserve recently and was it a guided visit?
what is your favorite bird, butterfly, wildflower, mamal, insect?
are you a volunteer on a reserve and if so what activites do you carry out?

Good luck with the quiz!

Langport Walking Festival 14th and 15th June 2008

In my previous post I gave details of an event our local area group is supporting as a way to raise some funds to help with the cost of organising our public meeting programme which is in danger of running at a loss! Several of our committee have agreed to take part and to find sponsors. As chair of our group and editor of this blog I am hoping to use this opportunity to find my own sponsors for the benefit of local wildlife. This will be the third year running I have taken part in this Festival. You can give your support by using the comment feature on this blog. I look forward to hearing from you all!

You can find details of the Festival by clicking here.
I've included a photo of one of the check points on the walk and a wild orchid close to the path.

English International Walking Festival, Langport 14th and 15th June 2008

EVENT	LANGPORT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF WALKING
Organised by	Somerset Levels and Moors Strollers (BWF 103)
Start	07.30 to 14.00 - Huish Episcopi School, Langport (Map 129: GR: ST428268)
Distances	5/10/20/42 Km
Entry Fee	£4.00. Discounted fee for 2 days. Family group entry fees
Contact	Rick Coldicott, LADT Langport, Bow Street, Langport,Somerset. TA10 9PR Tel: 01458 253567 Mobile: 07772258065 Email: rickladt@onetel.com

Local Group news

Our recent public meeting on the 10th was well received with an audience of around 30 members.
Our speaker, Den Bridel, gave a stimulating and wide ranging account of wildlife in Somerset by showing and describing photographs from his personal collection taken over recent years. Recently Den moved onto digital photography and has started to make good use of its attractions for such work.

I've uploaded a couple of photos I took last year on Feb 15th in Snowdrop Valley on Exemoor. As spring flowers are showing early this year we will be visiting this lovely site again by the end of January with some friends living near London just to give them a special treat!!

Within a week and just by coincidence I was able to visit the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2007 exhibition in Bristol. Of course the very best equipment had been used for most of the exhibits and they were truly remarkable. However just as Den Bridel had recounted from his experience many photo opportunities come about as a result of spending a long time in the most appropriate places and waiting for wildlife to come within range of the camera.
My encounter with good wildlife photography links in very well to a topic discussed at our members meeting on the 16th Jan.
It was one of several ways to be aired by means of which our group could get a new impetus and a new direction to our activities. The suggestions included :

Adopting one of our nearest nature reserves to give a sense of belonging to an area.

Wildlife Gardening with links to local gardening clubs.

Establishing a link to one of our local schools to make contact with a younger generation of children and their parents.

Events based on practical activities such as willow weaving.

Discussion evenings or open forum meetings.

Workshops on Art and Photography for wildlife.

Personally I believe this last idea could be very rewarding.
To consider all this we are hoping to get a committee meeting next week to decide on how we proceed for 2008 and not least to welcome 2 new committee members joining as a result of the 16th Jan meeting. That is great news.
There was much more to report on from that meeting which will follow.

Biofuels

A follow up to my last post must include the report just issued by the Royal Society on this subject.
The society's press release can be found here:

( http://royalsociety.org/news.asp?id=7367)

Here is a short extract.

Latest press releases Government needs to drive biofuels in right direction warns Royal Society 14 Jan 2008 Biofuels risk failing to deliver significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from transport and could even be environmentally damaging unless the Government puts the right policies in place warns a new Royal Society report today (Monday 14 January 2008).

John Pickett said: "In designing policies and incentives to encourage investment in and the use of biofuels it is important to remember that one biofuel is not the same as another. The greenhouse gas savings of each depends on how crops are grown and converted and how the fuel is used. So, indiscriminately increasing the amount of biofuels we are using may not automatically lead to the best reductions in emissions."

Three aspects of the conservation of wild plants

It never ceases to amaze me the complexity of wildlife issues and interrelated factors.

Starting from an Internet search for wild flower information to help my involvement in our local attempt to set up a nature reserve on a 4 acre field I have visited a number of web sites. The Wildlife Trusts have information on the NERC Act 2006 relevant to Local Councils; I found a book called " A year in the life of an English Meadow" set in Somerset; the Natural History Museum is useful for their data banks for plants; from there using a link to Plant Life UK I found info on their projects to rescue wild plants in danger of becoming extinct in the wild.


Plant Life UK makes interesting reading and here is a brief extract:

"Why conserve wild plants?

Conserving wild plants in their natural habitats is about more than plants, wildlife and ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. Two thirds of the ‘services’ provided by nature to mankind are now in decline worldwide, and the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted."

They have a nature reserve in Somerset.

Their web site is here:

The UK Gov is also saying a lot about the environment in planning documents and proposals to revise planning law. Their White Paper on the subject can be found here:
Their ideas will have a great deal of relevance for wildlife in Somerset.

A BBC report shows that governments are becoming aware of the problems arising from the use of bio fuels. The report titled "EU rethinks bio fuels guidelines" can be found here:
The changes developing in agriculture world wide because bio fuel for cars has been seen as a help in dealing with green house gasses are now being reassessed.

There is a lot to see in these reports but a brief review is sufficient to get an overview of many developments in the way our wildlife is being both put under pressure and being recognised as important for our future.

start of the new year

It is nearly a month since my last post!! That's not the best way to run a blog and I must get back to reporting on wildlife locally and things which affect us locally. That allows me considerable scope!
This is just a quick note to let you know we are still busy in our local group. In a few minutes I will be going to a local hall to get our first public meeting of 2008 underway. We have a speaker to talk abut wildlife in Somerset , showing slides from his own photographic collection and showing us many wildlife exhibits he has collected over the years.
It should be a good opportunity to learn more and to meet again many of our local friends that we only see from time to time.
I'll report back soon on how that went with news from the Wildlife Trust and much much more!!

Local news

For the last post on recent wildlife news I am reporting on three local activities which are wildlife related developments I have got involved in on a personal basis.

Firstly there is the 4 acre field owned by a group of local residents. This was briefly mentioned in a post on May 29th 2007 but otherwise has been neglected. Here is a summary report I prepared earlier for a management plan for the field and which gives some idea of the fields value.

"This field of unimproved grassland was purchased by a Syndicate of local residents on May 22^nd 2005 to ensure that it remained undeveloped. It has been submitted for registration as a County Wildlife Site at the suggestion of SERC. It is hoped that an adjoining similar sized field to the north of the meadow, with a similar flora, can be linked in part at least so as to add to the ecological importance of both .This adjoining field known as the Rugby Field is currently being transferred to the ownership of the Curry Rivel Parish Council. The adjoining land to the south of the meadow is owned and farmed in a manner sympathetic to the aims of the Syndicate and incorporates wildlife friendly measures in its management."

To establish the value of the meadow a survey of the flora was carried out in two stages in Aug 2005 and May 2006. The survey results showed that: “The field and hedgerows contain 105 higher plant species, including two orchid species. The number of grass species is particularly striking, totalling 24.” And also that “the hedges are classified as species rich with 15 different woody species present indicating they are several hundred years old.”

No formal survey has been made so far of butterflies or moths but observations made by members of the Syndicate have resulted in claims of sightings for the following butterflies.

Skippers	Yellows&Whites	Coppers, Hairstreaks & Blues	Vanessids	Browns
Small	Clouded Yellow	Brown Hairstreak	Small Tortoiseshell	Marbled White
Large	Brimstone	Green Hairstreak	Painted Lady	Gatekeeper
	Large White	Common Blue	Comma	Meadow Brown
	Small White		Red Admiral	Ringlet
			Peacock

Since that was written it has been confirmed by SERC that the field is now a registered County Wildlife Site which is very encouraging. There is now a chance that some or all of the adjoining field can be conserved in a similar fashion. We take an annual hay cut as late as possible in August or early September and so far we have decided to manage without stock grazing in the autumn.
We are considering an application for a grant to establish a hedge on one long side and perhaps plant a few small native trees in two or three groups to encourage birds and make the area more attractive.


Secondly as mentioned the adjoining field is of interest to local residents because it is now owned by the local council. A meeting of residents has been called for 10th Dec to discuss how the field might be used for the benefit of residents. You wont be surprised to learn that with others we have submitted a proposal to keep it more or less as a nature reserve. Here is a part of our proposal to be considered at the meeting.

"This proposal will provide our community with:

A) A pleasant and attractive place for residents of all ages and abilities

for recreational activities including walking and use of a fitness trail and the physical involvement in the development and management of the area.

B) A new and special educational resource for residents of all ages.

C) A rare opportunity for the community to have access to an unspoilt open area, close to the steadily increasing density of housing. It would use an area recently recognised by “The Somerset Environmental Records Centre” (SERC) as of significant conservation value and designated a County Wildlife Site.

These benefits will be achieved by managing the use of the land to meet all three objectives. A management plan will be prepared to include:

1. A plan for the planting of small to medium size trees, native to Somerset, in several small groups and likely to attract SSDC grants. This is important for encouraging birds into the area which will include woodpeckers, hawks and owls. Similar plans are being developed for the adjoining field.

2. A plan for a path on a winding route around the area taking account of the new trees. The path can also double up as a fitness trail not only for walkers but could also be used for a running and fitness club open to young people in the village. We anticipate gaining the support of the local running club in getting this established.

3. Ways in which the field can be used as a resource by the village school will be explored. A small area could be designated for School use for study or outdoor activities. The Education Manager for the SWT has expressed support for this proposal"

It will be of great interest to see how the meeting reacts to our proposal.

Finally in this report there is the initiative taken by people in Langport to join other towns in becoming a Transition Town. Totness in Devon was one of the first to start a move to reducing dependence on fossil fuels especially oil as oil supplies world wide both get more expensive and eventually start to run out. Its early days for Langport but two meetings have been held so far and another is arranged for Tuesday 11th Dec.

There is a web site for more info here.

News from the Wildlife Trust

Now for three key reports from the Wildlife Trust.
You can find more details of these items on the Trust web site or in the Trusts magazine. Web sites linked here for Somerset news,
and here for national news.


The Severn Barrage.

The Trust has expressed its concern about proposals to build a barrage across the Severn Estuary which is the subject of a report just issued. I received a copy in the post recently and it is 150 pages of detailed technical and economic considerations of whether the scheme is worth doing. They say it will generate 8.64 GW which would be 4.4% of the total UK electricity supply as it was in 2006 . Even the report says there are huge problems to be resolved before they will agree to the project so much remains to be debated. More info at: Sustainable Development Commission. Use this link.


Marine Protection.

The Somerset Wildlife Trust reported recently on its efforts to support a national campaign to persuade the Government to create Marine Environment legislation.
"The marine environment – our life support system – is on its knees, according to a new report by The Wildlife Trusts.
The report, Marine Reserves – TLC for our seas and sea life – was launched at the House of Commons on Wednesday. It explains the urgent action needed to allow UK seas to recover from centuries of over-intensive exploitation, for everything from food to building materials and oil. One of the key demands of The Wildlife Trusts’ ongoing campaign for a Marine Bill is the creation of ‘marine reserves’; places where all fishing and other damaging activities are prohibited. In the report, The Wildlife Trusts name 15 important wildlife areas around the UK coast to illustrate how marine reserves might protect wildlife and contribute towards healthy seas."
Go to DEFRA for the Governments view at this link.

Climate Change.

Following on from the Trusts Climate Friends campaign the Trust recently commented on, " the Government’s increasing recognition of the urgency for the country to adapt to climate change – through the Climate Change Bill published today (November 15). We urge that this must go hand in hand with our efforts to reduce carbon emissions."
There is a great deal of activity internationally not least at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali but there is still a long way to go before the man in the street begins to press our government to take strong action to reduce carbon emissions!

There are many organisations commenting on the UK Climate Change Bill and one that doesnt seem to get much attention in the media is Christian Aid. To get their views use this link for their web site.