Decades of conservation destroyed in days. By...

[rancid badger]

Just another example of why I class the National Trust as just another Battalion of the "Toenails" Brigade.

Toenails I hear you ask?

Well in my and I'm sure, a few other peoples experience; the various "managers" (not to mention quite a lot of the "hangers on") of the National Trust, are so far up each others ar.....er.... backsides, all you can see; are their toenails!

National? - certainly
Trust? - Oh honestly! Err....in fact, actually:

 

[Harvestman]

The National Trust has a brief to conserve buildings and heritage, but no brief to conserve wildlife. They happen to own a lot of land, often very ecologically rich land, but in fact they have no brief to manage for biological conservation whatsoever.

As instanced in this sad case.

 

[nodd]

The National Trust has a brief to conserve buildings and heritage, but no brief to conserve wildlife. They happen to own a lot of land, often very ecologically rich land, but in fact they have no brief to manage for biological conservation whatsoever.

As instanced in this sad case.

Umm this is not true! many of their sites are SSSI and they have to maintain them in accordance to the rules set by Natural England and there is this as well http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/what-we-do/what-we-protect/nature-and-wildlife/ the argument will be lost with inaccurate information

 

[JonathanD]

Umm this is not true! many of their sites are SSSI and they have to maintain them in accordance to the rules set by Natural England and there is this as well http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/what-we-do/what-we-protect/nature-and-wildlife/ the argument will be lost with inaccurate information

This is a noted SSSI and was awarded and noted for having a stronghold for four reptile species.

I'll try and answer the questions as best as I possibly can.

My research is very well documented. It's my job. I'm funded by two of the Country's top universities and four international bodies both for my work on Vipers and Elapids and also for my adder research within the UK and Northern Europe.

Wheels have already been set in motion to professionally embarrass whoever made this decision. That is as much as we can hope for realistically. As such I can't comment any further on what is happening, but I will update this thread if and when possible. All I can do now is to try and prevent anything like this happening on surrounding sites still active.

 

[bushwacker bob]

Be nice to go for a walk there with the dog now. Much less chance of getting scratched or bitten by snakes or lizards.
Guess I'm alone on that one then.



Mark(Kepis) the elms were cut to discourage Dutch elm beetles. When the elms mature they develop deep fissured bark which is where the elm beetles lay their eggs. I was told that elms rarely get beyond 10 years old nowadays, so by cutting the trees before the bark develops they may break the life cycle of the beetles and defeat them.

 

[ArkAngel]

that is just nuts!

I would hardly say the area was overgrown with gorse there looks to be plenty of room and open area's around in your picture.
I hope that everyone concerned gets named, shamed and thoroughly kicked in their arses for this.

An area documented and studied like this with this many rare species should be nurtured and helped not raped for the sake of walkers.

 

[JonathanD]

It's a huge area of several hundred acres. The gorse takes up less than a third of a football field.

 

[Kepis]

Be nice to go for a walk there with the dog now. Much less chance of getting scratched or bitten by snakes or lizards.
Guess I'm alone on that one then.



Mark(Kepis) the elms were cut to discourage Dutch elm beetles. When the elms mature they develop deep fissured bark which is where the elm beetles lay their eggs. I was told that elms rarely get beyond 10 years old nowadays, so by cutting the trees before the bark develops they may break the life cycle of the beetles and defeat them.

Thats thing Sean most of these were mere saplings with very smooth bark, sure there were some older ones with the fissured bark, i guess selective felling wasnt an option?, it's not so much the taking down, it the mess they left afterwards with 5ft high stumps everywhere and most of those have ripped or barber chaired.

 

[JonathanD]

Be nice to go for a walk there with the dog now. Much less chance of getting scratched or bitten by snakes or lizards.
Guess I'm alone on that one then.

You do realise I handle venomous snakes daily. Black mambas fit really well through letterboxes.

 

[Robbi]

so do shot gun barrels....... bring on the snake !

 

[johnnythefox]

thats just plain criminal.

 

[Mesquite]

You do realise I handle venomous snakes daily. Black mambas fit really well through letterboxes.

Do they come back at a whistle and for a saucer of milk?

 

[Retired Member southey]

Do they come back at a whistle and for a saucer of milk?

Not if fired through letter boxes from shotguns at Bobs!

 

[nodd]

As this is a SSSI im sure Natural England will have some thing to say. The Countryside Rights of Way Act CROW Act 2000 introduced the term "reckless disturbance" under schedule 12 of the act which in some cases is an arrest able offense. This is an amendment to the Wildlife and countryside Act 1981.

 

[Swallow]

Wheels have already been set in motion to professionally embarrass whoever made this decision. That is as much as we can hope for realistically. As such I can't comment any further on what is happening, but I will update this thread if and when possible. All I can do now is to try and prevent anything like this happening on surrounding sites still active.

That is as much as we can hope for realistically.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Consider what would happen if it was a legal requirement for actions on such sites to be available for the web. Then watch this. Tim Berners Lee (for those that don't know) is the man who invented the World Wide Web which is the www in every website address and what we tend to refer to as the internet.

If this information was available there was no reason why it can't be used to trigger alerts to relevant people before something like this happens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YcZ3Zqk0a8

 

[bushwacker bob]

Sad day indeed. Reminds me of Joni Mitchell Big Yellow Taxi. This sort of thing is all too common...

I was thinking more along the lines of 'The Hissing of Summer Lawns'
every cloud eh?

 

[Swallow]

I'm not sure I agree with that. Consider what would happen if it was a legal requirement for actions on such sites to be available for the web. Then watch this. Tim Berners Lee (for those that don't know) is the man who invented the World Wide Web which is the www in every website address and what we tend to refer to as the internet.

If this information was available there was no reason why it can't be used to trigger alerts to relevant people before something like this happens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YcZ3Zqk0a8

And I just realised that can work both ways in that it can make it so ignorant people can easily find off limits areas for disturbance. Particualrly given the Open Street map example in the video.

 

[nuggets]

How can you trigger an alert -`before` something happens ???? surely - the event has to happen before people can alert each other to its happening ??

 

[JonathanD]

I'm not sure I agree with that. Consider what would happen if it was a legal requirement for actions on such sites to be available for the web. Then watch this. Tim Berners Lee (for those that don't know) is the man who invented the World Wide Web which is the www in every website address and what we tend to refer to as the internet.

If this information was available there was no reason why it can't be used to trigger alerts to relevant people before something like this happens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YcZ3Zqk0a8

You don't agree with what exactly?

 

[JonathanD]

How can you trigger an alert -`before` something happens ???? surely - the event has to happen before people can alert each other to its happening ??

The same thing is happening up and down the country and has been for decades. It is well documented on loads of wildlife and even reptile sites and forums. It still doesn't stop it from happening though. They don't let us know when. You just turn up one day and find it.