Ellington Banks, Ripon: 23-02-2016

This week the blog entry is an amalgamation of two different contributions - one from James and one from Tony. I have added the answers to last week's picture competition at the end of the blog.

This was a military day. Ellington Banks is MOD territory, out of bounds to non military personnel. Our CO was John Black, MOD Ecologist, with James as 2^nd in command. Three students, cadets, were on parade with their 2 NCOs, and the rank and file NCVs acted as the PBI. It was interesting to note that the two volunteer organisers (Sergeant Majors?) had gone AWOL. Did they know in advance that military exercises would be taking place around us?

The troops gather to listen to their orders...

...including the cadets.

John led us to the work area, fenced off as protection for wildlife. It is an area of magnesian limestone grassland with spreading birch, alder and willow scrub. These young trees are rapidly taking over the area available for the more unusual grassland flora of the site, and making the area less attractive to birds such as woodlark, a species that has previously nested here and a rare find so far north. 600 different moths have been recorded on the Ellington Banks site, including one found nowhere else in Britain. 

Our work involved clearing scrub from this former forested area and burning it. This will be beneficial to plant and animal life and if woodlarks return John has promised to tell James so that we can all share in the good news.

The NCVs take out the enemy.

A nice clear area showed an undulating surface (see below)

What had formed this distinctive grooved landscape – was it a glacial feature scoured by expanding ice sheets? The tracks of tanks churning the area in bygone years? John explained that, in fact, they were the furrows made in anticipation of planting the area with conifers. The planting never happened, the grassland remained, now interspersed with attractive wetland refuges.

As if scrub clearance wasn’t exciting enough, a live military training exercise going on around us while we worked added a certain frisson to the occasion – especially for certain members of the group! For others, the sight of grown men dressed as bushes made less impact than the drone of helicopters and sound of random explosions.

True to form, Graham took charge of establishing the fire. After much muttering regarding the poor quality of AONB supplied matches, and turning down suggestions that he borrow from our neighbours, he eventually had more success with a lighter and maintained his mythical fire-lighting reputation. The heat generated was intense enough to singe his eyebrows and eyelashes.

Graham stands guard over his hard won fire.

 The troops at rest, enjoying the sun and their daily rations.

By my reckoning there were 21 of us and by the end of the day we had cleared a remarkable amount of scrub, on a day that was sunny throughout. Fantastic. And we had Audrey’s flapjacks, which Jan polished off to the last crumb - at great personal inconvenience.

Well done Jan - Audrey won't have to wash that tin.

Tony and James

Answers to last week's Wath Mill artifacts picture competition:

Item one was a holder for the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trusts' waders - so Tony wasn't a million miles away with his suggestion that it was a boot jack for a millipede!

Item two was one of the feet off the old cast iron bath that was stored at the mill. 

We shall have to roll over the prize for a future week. (By which time I might have found a prize to offer!!)

Treasure hunting in Wath Mill: 16-02-2016

There was real excitement in the air today as 15 of the NCVs turned up for what had been advertised by James as a 'treasure hunt' at Wath Mill. With the added incentive of being able to work in conditions that didn't require wellies and waterproofs what was there not to like? There were 5 other volunteers from the AONB office to help with the job - so plenty of man (and woman) power was available.

Wath mill

The mill is very old - the wheel originally being moved from Foster Beck mill in the 1500s. It was re-built in 1880 but is in need of a lot of refurbishment to bring it back to its former glory. Today we needed to sort through many years worth of accumulated 'stuff' and categorise it as either:

• Estate equipment for keeping on the ground floor
•  Artifacts (i.e. the treasure) for putting on display on the first floor when it is eventually turned into an educational area as part of the UNLP project.
• 'Plastifacts' (i.e. any old rubbish) for putting in the skip - eventually some of the rubbish was further categorised to allow metal to be recycled.

As the job was being done the two floors of the mill had to be swept clean of straw, dust and sawdust. Dust masks were very much the order of the day. By lunchtime the bulk of the task was complete and just a small team was left at the mill to finish the job. The photos below show what was going on.

Ros E.

 The job ahead was quite daunting.

But it soon started to look much emptier and cleaner...

NCVs got busy with brushes and spades...

...downstairs on the stone floor...

...and upstairs on the wooden floor.

Slowly the treasure started to emerge:

 Any old iron?

 Graham demonstrates the motorised cotton reel.

This circular saw machine had to stay where 

it was as it was just too heavy to shift.

 The latest in lightweight tool sharpening technology.

 Old Father Time left his scythe behind.

Anyone need anything stencilling?

The wooden lamp hook was scorched.

(Poor visibility due to the swirling dust clouds!)

Unfortunately no beer in this old bottle.

And what is this? 

 Of course - one of those!! 

(A branding iron to brand the owner's initials onto wooden tools)

 By close of play there were many bags of 

floor sweepings to be tipped.

James did his best with them but there 

is only so much a skip will hold.

They  had to be left for a second skip,

 along with all the other rubbish that wouldn't fit in!

Now then - here's this week's competition. Answers can be submitted as comments to the blog and the correct answers will be given next week. 

Here are two treasures that were found. Can you think what they may be? Bonus points for creative ideas!

ITEM 1

ITEM 2

Tree planting at Dacre Nature Park: 09-02-2016

TREES R US

Got an area to plant with trees? Yes? Then look no further. 

Our team of well trained tree planting experts will get the job done in no time flat. We work in all weathers for free (although cake supplies are welcomed) and have had years of experience getting planting jobs done in a speedy and efficient way using the patented NCV tree planting procedure (EU approved). 

No job too large. No site too challenging. 
(see terms and conditions below)

Anyone wishing to see examples of our work need only look up at Longside Farm near Ramsgill or, most recently, Dacre Banks Nature park. This particular area is due to have 3500 trees planted before spring 2016 and we are already well on the way after only three days of toil - the latest being today when a team of 14 inserted no fewer than 550 saplings into the mud. Impressed? Then read on....

Photos of the team in action show that the quality of the workmanship is second to none.

The team always listen carefully to their instructions.

 Once they get started there is no holding them back.

None are afraid to 'get down and dirty'.

 Dacre Banks Nature Park - before... 

...and after today's work.

Interested? 

Call us to book your winter tree planting event - 

but hurry! Offer ends on Sunday.

* Standard terms and conditions apply, namely:

• An appropriate piece of Nidderdale AONB land, trees, tubes, posts must be provided. All we can offer is our time, spades and lump hammers. 
• Planting sites inclined at 90 degrees are unworkable. (This condition was waived at Longside but left many of the workforce debilitated for months afterwards.)
• Occasional cake ensures a happier workforce. (Examples shown below):

 

                            Choc & nut cheesecake                    Apple sponge 

(thanks to Gwen Emsley for these!!)

Dacre Banks Nature Park: 02-02-2016

In spite of the stormy weather over the last couple of days 17 volunteers turned up to help Michael Emsley plant the next tranche of trees in his newly formed nature park at Dacre Banks. He is intending to plant 3500 before the end of the winter and today we were tasked to plant 500 of these.Conditions were windy and muddy - something we have been getting well used to recently - but everyone cheerily picked up their spades and marched off around the Dacre Banks sawmill to make a start.

The NCVs gathered in the "Youth shelter" whilst awaiting orders.

This NCV was going to be easy to spot -
 how long would he keep his jacket clean?

Off we went!

The job involved knocking in stakes (staking), digging slots in the soil (slotting), inserting saplings (planting) and putting tubes around the saplings (tubing - or intubation). There were long stakes for long tubes and tall saplings, and short stakes for short tubes and short saplings. It was a real feat of organisation to ensure the correct sized stakes, tubes and saplings were matched up.

That's a lot of trees!

 Tree planting begins.

 Just a bit of intubation and this one will be finished.

Josh wielded a long mallet to drive in the 
long stake for the long sapling.

Dave prefered the short lump hammer 
for the short stake and the short sapling.

Every so often Michael would plough another tree trench.

Josh tried his hand at being a tractor driver.

As the trenches appeared so we lined them with trees.

Coffee time was made all the more welcome when Michael 

brought out a tray of delicious chocolate and coconut cakes. 
Thanks Michael!

Some of the saplings were planted with the aid of the 
super duper Finnish "Potti Potikar" tree planting gadget, 
ably demonstrated by Osian and Jo above.

 Everyone enjoyed lunch in the sun - and the flapjack from Audrey!

The team were still smiling at the end of the task - 

or perhaps because we'd run out of tubes!

Job done - only 2500 more to go. 

By the way - that jacket didn't get very dirty.
Perhaps a sign of not much work being done by its wearer?

Ros E.