Friday, 8 March 2019

NEWSLETTER – 8 MARCH 2019



Dear All

Just a reminder about the ……..

KEEP BRITAIN TIDY LITTER PICK IN THE GORGE - 13 & 14 APRIL 2019 at 9.30 am – 12 noon
The Don Gorge Community Group will be taking part in this event on Saturday 13 April.  Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.  Meet either near the Fish Pass or near the Boat Inn.  Equipment will be provided.

Warmsworth Environment Group will be meeting on both days Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April meeting at the Fish Pass.  Contact Clarissa for further details: clarissajacksonchapman4@gmail.com

We would love to see you there on either or both days, whichever you can manage.

MISSING LITTER BINS
Further to the two litter bins missing from the car park near the landing stage, please note ONE has been replaced near the entrance to the river bank.

SPROTBROUGH ORAL HISTORY (SOH)
Our meeting on 22 February was again a great success with 18 people turning up to chat and hear each other’s stories.  It’s obviously not possible for everyone to come to every meeting, but several new members of the group arrived.  Since then, we have made recordings of some of the older members of the community and this will continue in the months to come.  Please check out our Blog for further information.

Our next meeting is the last Friday in March, the 29th, when Cynthia will be in charge.

Please pass the word along to anyone who may not have heard about our project.  We already have quite a lot of people in their 70s and so are particularly interested in people who knew Sprotbrough between 1925 and 1965, especially older residents in their 90s whose recall of the early days is still good.

TREE FELLING
Further to my last newsletter, I have now had a lengthy response from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust setting out their case for removing such a large amount of trees in one go.  They tell me they had already received permission to remove these from the Forestry Commission and Natural England in an attempt to enable new trees to grow at different levels, thereby encouraging flora and fauna to be increased.  I quote:

Our felling licence for the site specifies the following conditions:
1. The land on which the felling took place is to be managed in accordance with good forestry so as to secure restocking.
2. All licence trees felled are to be removed quickly.
3. The land is to adequately cleared and prepared and weeded during restocking.
4. If before 30th  June 2021 the restocking described in 1. is not achieved then the land is to be planted or sown before 30thJune 2023.

In addition to our felling licence Natural England prescribed some additional recommendations including:
1. the aim to create 3 age-classes of tree in each compartment.
2. To allow 5-10 trees per ha allowed to grow to over maturity/death 
3. sycamore dominates the canopy at places within the site, eradication of the species would cause considerable damage to the woodland, so mature sycamore should be classed as an acceptable naturalised species.

Regardless of their reasoning, it is now a fait accompli and more is likely to follow in the next few years.  I quote:
“In total this year’s work totalled 0.46hectares (or 1.14 acres) and were completed in Sprotbrough Planation, not Pot Ridings Wood. Our felling to coppice licence is for 2.24ha of the 32ha unit so there are considerable works left to complete over coming years.”



I have asked that before any future felling takes place we should be consulted so that we have warning of such action in advance.  This is not only for the benefit of the general community, but also as our conservation volunteers have been asked to clean up the site, which does not please everyone.  I believe the investigation is still not complete.

AGM
Our AGM will take place on Monday 11 March at 10 am at Martinwells Centre, Edlington.  There are vacancies for the Chair as well as two other interested people.  Members of the public are welcome to attend though it will be an extremely short meeting.


Liz Reeve, Secretary

Tel: 01302 313030




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