Blog Page 6

Raising of the 2018/19 Green Flag.

We continue to satisfy the requirements for the Green Flag – now in our second year – well done to all volunteers for their continued effort.

The raising of the 2018/19 Green Flag on our second flag pole – 19 October 2018.

Why I became a FOSP Volunteer

Becoming a FOSP Volunteer

One of the reasons I moved to my house in Abbeydale was the lovely view over Sudbrook and the greenery beyond it.

After some time of living in Abbeydale, I noticed that my pretty view was being spoiled by litter…so I went out and collected the rubbish. A few months later, I became an official voluntary litter picker for my local area. Quite often, I would paddle along Sudbrook in my wellies, using my litter grabber to remove rubbish from the water.

Then it occurred to me that there would be other items that I had not retrieved and that would be washed down the brook – where would they end up? In Saintbridge Pond, looking a mess, causing harm to wildlife and hampering the flow of the water.

Sudbrook is near my house, so I have a vested interest in making sure that water from the brook can flow into Saintbridge Pond easily and safely. I had seen one of the information boards about FOSP, went along to the pond one Sunday morning and met some of the volunteers.

I liked the positive difference that the FOSP volunteers were making to the environment – and I became one of them.

Jane


Please help us maintain the pond and surrounding area by making a donation to help fund the work we do as volunteers. You’ll be helping us with your donation, 100% of funds received go to the work we do in conservation.[paypal_donation_button]


 

The Green Flag: Our Plans for 2018-19

by Beatrix Apperley, FOSP Secretary.

The Friends of Saintbridge Pond (FOSP) are a group of volunteers, including me, that work to conserve the flora and fauna of the nature reserve for the benefit of the environment and the public visiting the site. In 2015 I submitted my dissertation which was investigating if the site could achieve the Green Flag, a prestigious award for open spaces, ranging from play parks to nature reserves. This dissertation was then handed to the Green Flag judges on the date of their Field Assessment in order to aid the judging process. The first two years we applied for the award it we were unsuccessful, however in 2017 we achieved the award, and FOSP were delighted with this. As a result we were given feedback on how the site could improve. The Green Flag Award is an ongoing process, however, and so we will be subject to the judging of a ‘Mystery Shopper’ visit this year, and a full assessment next year. This article is a comprehensive explanation of the actions we need to undertake, taken from the feedback document, in order to stand ourselves in good stead for the upcoming assessments. Rather excitingly, there are already a few items that we have already been improving on which help towards the Green Flag and I will outline these as well.

Items to Implement

We need first and foremost to determine what physical improvements Gloucester City Council and the Environment Agency would like us to undertake. The work we undertake is based on the views of the members and each task is undertaken considering effects on natural biodiversity and the public viewpoint. Once we know the work that is expected of us, we can put that as a priority.

Secondly, we have an conscientious Health and Safety officer, and effective documentation of policies etc, but the Green Flag judges would like this information to be available to the public. We will therefore be adding a new section to the website for this to be accessible. In addition, a leaflet to outline the safety precautions taken to protect visitors to the site would be beneficial to those unsure whether to visit or not.

The flow of command and our relationship with other bodies has always been known within the group but the Green Flag judges would like this defined, so a diagram will be made to demonstrate the relationships the group has. Since the start of this article a draft of this diagram has already been produced.

We have undertaken lots of work in the wetland area of the woodland walk, opposite the main feeding area, in order to reduce leaf litter and make it more solid underfoot. This area is still under careful management to help the environment; I believe documentation of this would help the Green Flag judges.

Ongoing Work

• The website is developing greatly, and with the help of articles just like this one, the site is being populated with content from our volunteers’ wealth of knowledge.
• FOSP has recently obtained large bins for recycling metal, glass and plastic, which means we are now more easily able the litter we pick up.
• The green waste produced from our work is now left to decompose into compost on the allotments and frees up space on the nature reserve for habitat development
• The nature reserve is always under development for public use, most recently the renovation of the main feeding area last year, and in the woodland walk, increased visibility for public safety and the development of a new feeding area dedicated to our founding members.
• The Seed Swap Initiative has been set up to reduce bread being fed to the ducks, which will have a knock-on effect of fewer rats. We are currently hoping to sell bags of seed when we run events throughout the summer.
• We have a subcommittee devoted to help run fun events throughout the warmer months, in order to get people into the open and excited about nature. I am very optimistic the events will be a big success. Another article is in production reviewing how the events of this summer went.

Conclusion

To summarise, we are elated to have received the award this year, and every task that I feel is necessary to be in a good position for judging next year is well within our capabilities. I feel that if we continue with the work ongoing, and make progress on the items to implement, we will be able to achieve the award again this coming year.
All of this could not be possible without the help of our lovely loyal volunteers, and we are always grateful to them for their continued support in this, and every, endeavour. If you are interested in anything about the work we do or you would like to get involved please feel free to get in touch via the routes listed on the website, or email contact@fosp.org.uk

The Green Flag – Plans for 2018-19


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What is Himalayan Balsam?

Himalayan Balsam: Why this ‘pretty’ plant is such a problem?

What is Himalayan Balsam?

Himalayan Balsam was introduced to this country in 1839 as a greenhouse plant.  However, it found its way to waterside situations, such as riverbanks, the banks of streams and, importantly for us, Saintbridge Pond.

Its botanical name is ‘Impatiens glandulifera’.  ‘Impatiens’ means ‘impatient’ and refers to the plant’s method of seed dispersal.  Gardeners amongst you may recognise ‘Impatiens’ as being part of the botanical name of the Busy Lizzie, to which Himalayan Balsam is related.  The second part of the botanical name means ‘bearing glands’.

Himalayan balsam has many common names, some relating to the hat-shaped flower: policeman’s helmet; Gnome’s hatstand.  The names Himalayan Balsam and Kiss-me-on-the-Mountain came into being because the plant is from the Himalayan Mountains.

Why is it such a nuisance?

This attractive weed is a problem for a number of reasons: it grows quickly and shades other plants, so depriving them of light and killing them off. It produces a large amount of pollen over a lengthy season and because it is attractive to pollinating insects, it reduces pollination opportunities for other plants.  The nectar is very sweet and can outcompete that of other plant species.  The plant’s stem is fleshy, which means that it is not frost-proof, so Himalayan balsam dies off in the winter, leading to soil erosion.  The shallow roots of the plant also contribute to the erosion of soil.

How can it be identified? 

If you want to spot Himalayan balsam, be aware that it can grow 2 to 3 metres tall (6 to 10 feet).  It is an annual and from June to October will have purply-pink flowers.  The stems of the plant are a reddish colour.  The leaves are in threes or are opposite and are edged with small red teeth.

How does it spread? 

According to the website of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), rhs.org.uk, each plant produces as many as 800 seeds and disperses them over a wide area in an explosive way when the seed pods burst.  Seeds can be sent up to 7 metres (22 feet) from the parent plant, then transported further by any watercourses in which they land.  There are differing reports online of how long the seeds can remain viable: suggested survival times range from one to three years

How should we deal with Himalayan Balsam? 

Some conservation groups – including FOSP – have ‘balsam bashing’ events to destroy this invasive weed.  Removing Himalayan Balsam before it flowers is the most appropriate method of destruction, according to the RHS website.  Pull it up – it only has shallow roots – or cut it down.  On the other hand, if you are not confident about your weed-identification skills, you may prefer to see the flowers to be sure that you have the right suspect.  The website of the charity Plantlife, plantlife.org.uk, advises composting the weed or, if there are seeds present, burning it.  Plantlife also notes that if Himalayan balsam is not allowed to set seed, it will eventually die out.

Sources:

rhs.org.uk
plantlife.org.uk

Download Article >> What is Himalayan Balsam

Other interesting information from an article in The Telegraph Newspaper, June 2017

https://bit.ly/2NFrpVc


Please help us maintain the pond and surrounding area by making a donation to help fund the work we do as volunteers. You’ll be helping us with your donation, 100% of funds received go to the work we do in conservation.[paypal_donation_button]


 

Upcoming Events

Updated 28 Oct 2018:

After the very successful World Ocean Day Quiz Trail, Go Wild, Wildflower, and the Big Butterfly Count events that took place in June and July 2018 we are now entering the Autumn/Winter period when the weather will not be quite so easy to predict as it was in the Summer.

We are due  to have an installation ceremony for the second flag pole at the Skylark entrance so that we can raise another Green Flag to the Saintbridge Pond Nature Reserve – date=tbd.

Approximate position of new flag pole at Skylark.

So -apart from that – there are no other events planned until the Spring of 2019.

We will keep you informed of any new events using our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/fospnr/

and our Twitter account https://twitter.com/fospgloucester

Keep warm, dry and well fed this coming season.


Please help us maintain the pond and surrounding area by making a donation to help fund the work we do as volunteers. You’ll be helping us with your donation, 100% of funds received go to the work we do in conservation.[paypal_donation_button]


 

The Benefits of Volunteering

FOSP Members talking to Nature Reserve Visitors

Volunteering of any kind has many benefits for the volunteer as well as the recipient. Great satisfaction can be gained by giving time and effort to a worthwhile cause or organisation. Volunteers may be motivated by a passion such as child poverty, animal welfare or conservation. Getting involved can make a real difference to a cause which is close to the heart.

For those seeking employment, volunteering can provide an opportunity to work in a particular field before committing to paid employment. Potential employers look favourably on experience gained in a voluntary role. The fact that someone has volunteered, in any setting, shows initiative, motivation and regard for others.

Making a new circle of friends is a valuable benefit of joining a voluntary group. This may be particularly beneficial to people who have moved to a new area. Working with like-minded people is enjoyable and satisfying.

New skills can be gained whilst volunteering and this on its own may enhance your CV and job prospects. In addition, sharing existing skills with others can be a rewarding opportunity to give something back.

The benefits of volunteering outdoor (particularly in a beautiful environment like Saintbridge Nature Reserve) are well documented. Both physical and mental wellbeing are enhanced. There is certainly something about green spaces that lifts the spirits.

A survey in the Guardian newspaper (ICM research) found that nearly half of all volunteers (47%) say volunteering has improved their physical health and fitness. Of the people who had volunteered for more than two years, 48% say that volunteering makes them less depressed.

When a volunteer group works to improve their environment (such as FOSP) they feel part of the surrounding community, with a sense of ownership and pride. As the improvements to an area progresses, there is a knock on effect whereby littering and dumping reduces significantly. It can also very rewarding and motivating to receive compliments from members of the public.

With so many opportunities to volunteer in our county, there really is something for everyone. You can visit Do-it.org to find yours.

Barbara, a FOSP Volunteer


Please help us maintain the pond and surrounding area by making a donation to help fund the work we do as volunteers. You’ll be helping us with your donation, 100% of funds received go to the work we do in conservation.[paypal_donation_button]


 

April News 2018

As Sunday was the first  real day when the team was able to clear up the debris and rubbish from the  outflows of both the River Twyver and the Sudbrook since the bad weather, it was all hands on deck. We were pleased to see the newly installed replacement for the damaged interpretation board. Also on this particular workday, there were a lot of people coming to visit the site and feed the ducks. However at the moment , the ducks are breeding and are hidden from view. It won’t be long before the females mallards are out , parading with their offspring.

Please remember to keep your dogs out of the pond during the nesting season and  if you are feeding the ducks , please bring grain, greens or wildbird seeds which is available at the local shop rather than bread.

As a long-time volunteer with Friends of Saintbridge Pond (FOSP), I really admire some of my fellow volunteers who work during the week, as well as  on Sundays, who are currently redeveloping part of the woodland walk. Not only has the path been diverted  but in it its place, in time, will be a lovely mixed hedgerow that will back drop to the new viewing area.

Most dog walkers and visitors to the site would have noticed that the area below the new path has been disturbed. This will be grassed over eventually and the wooden seat will be cemented and secured in place. As a conservation group, we haven’t developed this like a formal area, e.g. municipal gardens or flower beds, but a working environment  and a pleasant spot to watch the sun go down on awarm summer’s day.


Please help us maintain the pond and surrounding area by making a donation to help fund the work we do as volunteers. You’ll be helping us with your donation, 100% of funds received go to the work we do in conservation.[paypal_donation_button]


 

Green Flag Award

“A massive well done and many congratulations on achieving a Green Flag Award for 2017.  This is great news and a fantastic achievement for everyone involved.

Share with the wider group of Friends and volunteers that assist in maintaining and improving the pond and allotments. I have a Green Flag for you which we can arrange to be presented in the near future.”

Dave Pritchard, Green Flag Award

http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/

FOSP 2016/17 Annual Report

The Green Flag Award scheme celebrates the very best parks and green spaces – across the UK and further afield. Now in its 21st year, Green Flags fly over 1,700 sites, that’s equal to 64,300 Wembley football pitches in England alone. Sites are judged by green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability, community involvement and providing a warm welcome.

Check out the report on the Gloucester News Centre

http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk/green-flag-awards-gloucesters-robinswood-saintbridge/


Cllr Richard Cook, said: 

“These awards are a great recognition of all the volunteer hours and the significant amount of partnership working between many different organisations that make these areas some of the best maintained open spaces in the country.”


A second Green Flag has been Awarded for 2018/19 in further recognition of our work in the community, and we also now have a second flagpole at the pond too, we are extremely honoured to be recoginised for the work we do in conservation and in the community. Thank You, Green Flag for honouring us!


Please help us maintain the pond and surrounding area by making a donation to help fund the work we do as volunteers. You’ll be helping us with your donation, 100% of funds received go to the work we do in conservation.[paypal_donation_button]


 

Maintenance Plan 2017-18

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Western Morning News

Why we all Need to Worry about the State of the Nation’s Soils

After a talk by Nichola Simpson from the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust pending work on the Upper River Twyver and Sudbook by various organisations including the Environment Agency, Stroud District Council and Gloucester City Council are planning to look at the problem of silt retention and transportation to the nature reserve.

This is an article from the Western Morning News and West Country Rivers Trust which are addressing a similar problem –

England’s green and pleasant land conceals a peril that threatens our very futures, says scientist Dr Laurence Couldrick.

Rainstorm by rainstorm, the land is washing away – and carrying a cocktail of chemicals to pollute rivers, harbours and even the sea.

More than 38% of the soils on farms in the South West are severely degraded already. And before you shrug and leave it to the farmer, Dr Couldrick makes it clear this is everyone’s problem.

You might be surprised to find the chief executive of the Westcountry Rivers Trust so focused on soil health, but for Dr Couldrick, the problems start a long way from the river bank and his trust is partly funded through South West Water’s Upstream Thinking programme in an effort to tackle the problem at source.

There have been apocalyptic pronouncements that eroding soils means we have or 60 or 100 harvests left, and last year Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, warned that the UK has only 40 years of fertile crop growing left because heavy farm machinery and overuse of chemicals will render large tracts infertile.

Dr Couldrick is more cautious. He agrees that “the way we are managing our soils is completely unsustainable”, but holds out the hope that we will be prodded into action as the problem grows more acute.

“It takes hundreds of years to generate a couple of centimetres of soil, so we are degrading it faster than it can be renewed,” he says. “I’m sure we’ll look back in 50 years and say, ‘What the hell were we doing?’”

Intensive agriculture has led to soils that are badly compacted through ploughing at the wrong time of year, tractors trundling back and forth to harvest winter maize, even high densities of cattle and sheep.

Digging a hole may reveal that only the top eight or ten centimetres are freely draining. When it rains, those top few centimetres may be waterlogged, but underneath that the hard-packed soil will remain dry.

Instead of water slowly soaking in, it’s likely to run off. We have all seen rivers of muddy water flowing down country lanes, but if it’s not your soil, it’s easy to ignore the scale.

In one experiment Clinton Devon Estates installed a 20-metre plastic fence. In a single winter, that fence trapped about seven tonnes of soil.

A study in Cumbria found that in 2015 Storm Desmond flushed 84 tonnes of sediment into a single stream.

Run-off has costs for the farmer who sees their most precious resource vanishing, along with whatever fertilisers and other chemicals they have applied. There are also heavy costs for the rest of the environment. Homes and fields downstream are more likely to be flooded, and pollutants affect our water all the way to the sea.

Chemicals in the environment can come from many sources – a farmer’s inadequate slurry pit, fertilisers and the soil itself can leach phosphates into our watercourses. So, too, can an overwhelmed sewage treatment works.

“A lot of the big problems such as large sewage works affecting bathing waters have been sorted out,” Dr Couldrick says. “But in the South West we have a lot of small sewerage works and they are being put under pressure with the increase in housing. Infrastructure isn’t keeping pace.”

Whatever their source, once in the rivers, phosphates feed algal blooms, which use up oxygen when the algae dies. The result can be massive fish kills. The sediments themselves can cover fish spawning beds. And as the sediment washes downstream, it becomes a headache for South West Water, which must spend more money on purifying the water it extracts to supply our taps.

Once the river reaches the sea, sediment builds up in harbours. Further out to sea, phosphates can fuel blooms of fish-killing toxic algae.

“South West Water is putting hundreds of thousands of pounds to take sediment out of the drinking water it extracts from rivers,” Dr Couldrick says. “Harbour authorities are forced to dredge. In the River Tamar the sediment is mixed with all sorts of pollutants and is classed as hazardous waste so cannot go back on the fields. It’s a cocktail of poisons, including MoD waste.”

For many people, “the soil can be under your feet and yet out of mind”, Dr Couldrick says, but he has a message for townies tempted to point the finger at the farmer. “It’s not the environment versus agriculture. If we pit them against each other the farmer will say, ‘This field here is for me, and that wood or wetland is for the environment’. They must be incentivised to consider the whole.”

Managing soils correctly upstream protects the townie’s home downstream by making flooding less likely. In the longer term, good soil also helps to lock away more of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

Most farmers are not wilful polluters, but their margins – and their time – are becoming increasingly squeezed. Dr Couldrick wants the Government to give clear guidance and set out a baseline of what’s expected of the farmer – with proper enforcement. Adequate slurry storage would be a key requirement.

In the past we have tried to tighten up regulation but haven’t put any grant systems in place covering wide areas which are vulnerable to pollutants, he says, unlike the Republic of Ireland, where all farmers who have to deal with slurry are entitled to grants to provide enough slurry storage for up to five months.

If slurry storage proves inadequate at times of heavy and prolonged rainfall, the slurry may have to be spread on to the fields, from where it can be washed off the land and into rivers – particularly if the soil is compacted and cannot soak up as much water.

“This has been a relatively wet autumn and winter,” Dr Couldrick says. “We haven’t had the dry, sunny periods so there are a lot of very waterlogged soils and people haven’t been able to empty slurry pits.

In the Upstream Thinking programme the trust encourages farmers to see slurry as a resource to be put on the fields at the start of the growing season, rather than as a waste product.

Dr Couldrick recognises the difficulties that some farmers face. Small farmers may go to the back of the queue as contractors prioritise their bigger clients, with the risk that their fields are visited in less than ideal conditions.

Some farmers may perceive the problem as natural, arguing simply that “it’s a wet year”. Others may set aside land for nature.

Devon Wildlife Trust has pioneered the reintroduction of beavers on the River Otter in East Devon. A side effect of the beavers’ return is improved flood protection and cleaner water.

“Small-scale re-naturalisation is easy to point out, but 75% of the South West is farmed land, and we are not going to suddenly change that to woodland and a natural habitat, because we need the food,” Dr Couldrick says.

Michael Gove is proposing a post-Brexit shift of farm subsidies towards rewarding those who deliver environmental good, rather than simply as a payment for owning land. Dr Couldrick supports the sentiment, saying: “Every field has to work for the farmer – and for society. But he adds: “It has taken us a long time to get into this situation and it’s going to take a long time to get out of it. That is going to need longevity of leadership.”

© Copyright: 2018 Western Morning News | West Country Rivers Trust

More information –

Westcountry Rivers Trust Appoints New Chief Executive
Upstream Thinking


Please help us maintain the pond and surrounding area by making a donation to help fund the work we do as volunteers. You’ll be helping us with your donation, 100% of funds received go to the work we do in conservation.


 

Interested in nature

why not join us as a volunteer?

Email for more info

volunteer@fosp.org.uk