Tuesday 31 October 2017

Cow Myers, Galphay: 31-10-2017

Halloween it might have been, but if you had ventured into Cow Myers SSSIGalphay  today there would have been no sign of any ghosts or witches (in spite of the nearby 'Witch-o'-the-Woods' cottage). You would have just seen a band of dedicated NCVs removing invasive scrub growth from the wildflower and insect rich meadows. Parts of the site are very wet so wellies were essential.

Osian reported....
After the trek to James' country pad, aka 'Witch-o'-the-Woods' we had our briefing and chose the day's weapons. Morning work was thinning out encroaching saplings and scrub in the form of the evil blackthorn. After lunch in and outside the Witch we headed through the maze of boggy ground to the enchanting glade to scythe and clear long grass and trim back encroaching scrub. 

The saplings can be seen just behind the NCVs.

And now the NCVs can just be seen in amongst 
the saplings as they got busy with bow saws and loppers.

Coffee below the tree.

Candle lit dining at lunch time.
(Thanks to Maggie for her 2 different types of delicious flapjack - Happy Birthday!!
Audrey sent some along too. Spoilt for choice!)

Phil warmed himself beside the non-existent fire.

Then it was outside again to get back to work.

Scythers at work in the matted rushes. 
Too many to clear completely but it will be interesting 
to see how the area fares next year.

Students helped to clear up the aftermath.

Meanwhile the blackthorn clearance 
generated a considerable habitat pile.

The area was cleared of saplings by mid afternoon...

...and then the long walk out began.

So - no ghosts or ghoulies. At least - not before the NCVs left the area. Who knows what happened when it got dark? .....
 .Whooooooooo

Another bit of news....

From next week there will be a second volunteering Oscar statuette in the NCVs' barn. Ros E. was awarded the Environment Volunteer Oscar at the 2017 Harrogate and District Volunteering Oscars ceremony last Friday evening. A most unexpected honour on her part!! Hopefully the two Oscars will get on well together. 


Tuesday 24 October 2017

Fishpond Wood rides again: 24-10-2017


24th OCTOBER

Apparently, in the USA,  24th October is given over to "National Make a Difference Day", the largest national day of community service. Now, the NCVs probably weren't aware of this when they woke up this morning but, they managed to make a real difference in Fishpond Wood when they returned there this week. In spite of the soggy wet morning they worked hard to continue clearing the invading rhododendrons. You know the score - loppers, bow saws and matches at the ready....

"Where are the matches?"
Graham was (as usual) appointed fire starter in charge.

It looked promising at first.

But the promising start took an age to get going. 
However - there's no smoke without fire.

The NCVs did not take an age to get started.
When faced with the rhodies on the slope above 
them they soon began to make an impact.

Firewood sorters processed the brash whilst awaiting a blaze.

Ah! That's more like it.
A post-lunch inferno developed as an obliging multi-directional 
wind whipped up a cracking blaze.

An early faller in the slimy conditions.
What would be best? A sponge down with a 
damp cloth or a power hose?

Breaks were taken under the "shelter" of the trees.

Thanks to Sally's epic cake making day the NCVs were 
treated to no fewer than a choice of three.
Cheers Sally!! A sight to lift the rather damp spirits.

And there you have it - a slope clear of rhodies. 
A great achievement everyone!

Additionally, a big difference was made by a smaller group of three NCVs who went off to help stone masons Joe Hayton and Karl Sierevogel (an ex-heritage skills student) install a ‘community stone carving’, on the slope up to Cold Stones Cut near Greenhow. According to Tom:
"The conditions were atrocious - strong wind and rain. We mixed mortar to lay on the prepared bed so that the jigsaw sculpture could be arranged and set. Jan saved the day by devising a makeshift fence post and turf barrier to stop the whole lot slowly sliding down the hill." 
Phil shovels on the mortar.

Gradually the jig-saw is assembled.

The arches within the picture take shape - 
and stay put,thanks to Jan's creative thinking.

The salubrious dining conditions of Greenhow.

Note to James - can you get on your sun dancing clogs and do the necessary performance before next Tuesda? No more rain next week please!!

Tuesday 17 October 2017

Fishpond Wood: 17-10-2017


Today it was back to Fishpond Wood for the 16 NCVs and students who turned up for duty, in spite of Hurricane Ophelia. We had decided that the rhododendrons there had been left in peace for far too long and didn't want them to think that they could start to go on the rampage again, taking over the place. 

At first it was still too windy to start in the wood so everyone got busy on tool maintenance jobs and a bit more clearing out at the workshop. 

Many of the tools that had been used 
to dig earth were lined up....

 ...then taken down to the river to be given a good scrub-a-dub-dub.

Two men and some tubs.
Who do you think they be?

These buckets needed a wash and there 
were bill hooks to sharpen ready for hedge laying.

Hilary turned some old lengths 
of wood into fire kindling for the log burner.

Coffee break was supplemented by some 
delicious date flapjack.
Thanks Andy - and Happy Birthday!

After coffee time the wind had calmed down sufficiently to allow us to work in the woods, although conditions were somewhat 'brisk' during the rest of the morning. Armed with loppers and bow-saws everyone trooped off to do battle with the rhodies and burn the resulting brash. 

Firstly we pruned off all the new rhodie shoots 
that have appeared over the summer. 



Hopefully this invasive pest will now get 
the message that it is really not welcome!

Lunchtime was a pleasant affair, sitting in the sun...

...looking across the lake.

With that wind well and truly gone it was 
now time to start on the main task...


... namely, that of removing a mass of rhododenrons that 
had run riot on the slope below the main path into the wood.


Within minutes great swathes of greenery 
were being dragged along the path.

By cutting the rhodies back from the edge of the path, 
the woodland's owner, Peter Brambleby, would be 
able to use his leaf blower to clear the leaves easily.

A seemingly never ending stream of 
brash was transported down the slope...

...and flung onto the bonfire.

By 2:30pm the top of the path was looking much clearer.

Of course there is still a huge area of rhodies below that need clearing. A job for next week!

Ros E.

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Nought Moor, Glasshouses verge and the NCVs' barn: 10-10-2017

Decisions, decisions.

It was another one of those 'which task shall we choose today' days for some of us this week.

For the three NCVs present who were trained in the nifty use of a scythe there was no choice. Our skills were needed to complete cutting the remaining vegetation along the verge at Glasshouses. The students didn't need to worry about what to do either. They were tasked with raking up the results of the swishing blades.

However - everyone else had to make a decision. Did they want to:

(a) assist Peter Lambert (the AONB's Footpaths officer) to finish off positioning  flagstones on the Nought Moor footpath above Bewerley. 

OR

(b)  help Louise Brown (the AONB’s Historic Nidderdale Officer) to sort out the assorted materials that have recently (and not so recently) accumulated at the NCVs' workshop.

AND/OR

(c) accompany Tara Challoner (the AONB's wildlife officer) to Low Riggs farm, Stean to plant some wildflower plug plants in an upland hay meadow.

All tasks had their different charms. In the end this is what went on......

Down the road at Glasshouses:

The vegetation that was in need of a hair cut.

The Demon Barber of Glasshouses got busy.

Jan saw the job through to the bitter end.

Students Conor and James wielded  the hay rakes.

They then developed a good pitchfork technique to 
carry the waste away, so that it wouldn't enrich 
the ground too much for the wild flowers to grow.

This haystack grew legs and walked to 
the dumping ground by itself.

Jan gave Angela a spot of scything training.

And there it is - a bald grass verge.
Next spring and summer Ros E will survey the site 
to obtain a record of which wild flowers grow. 
Hopefully the list will grow each year. Watch this space!!

Meanwhile - up at Nought Moor:

First job was to extend the paving up to the bridge.

Here and there a bit of extra drainage work was 
required to lower the water level around the stones

Almost at the bridge - 
but Graham decides that it's time for lunch!

Finally the bridge was reached - 
that should keep the walkers happy.

A second task was to level up the large paving stones,
 laid last time, which had settled into the bog

Yep - they look fairly level to me.

The final job was to fill in some of the ruts left by the 
large tractor that had delivered the paving slabs. 
(Well it is the rutting season!)

And along at the workshop:

 This was the barn at the start of play.
So much stuff!

And this was it at the close of play.
Still a lot of stuff but at least now it is tidy and 
there is a space on the floor!!


Removal of the trailer from the end room showed 
that something just had to go - namely the upstanding canoe 
(left hand side) that has been hanging around for years.

So go it did. This freed up space for some of the other 'stuff' to flow into and fill
(We really could do with an electric light in this end room.
 Even the flash photography doesn't help much.)

Apologies to Terry, Sally, Kath and John who toiled hard all day without any photos being taken to show them at work. At least we can see the results of your labours in the barn. Claims of you having been involved in the planting of the wild flower plugs remain unsubstantiated!!