Tuesday 31 January 2017

Ellington Banks: 31-01-2017

Ellington Banks? No – not a jazz pianist or crime writer. It was the venue for this week's task. Regular readers of this blog will know that it is exactly one year since we were last at this SINC site (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation) and MOD training area, near Ripon

18 NCVs reported for duty, in spite of the cold, dank, foggy weather, to be supervised by MOD ecologist John Black during another day of clearing and burning scrub from wildlife rich calcareous grassland and ponds. 

Lots of cars arrive - aren't we a keen bunch?

Whilst waiting for our instructions some of us 
kept warm by doing some calisthenics.

For those who don't already know - the ponds are home to great crested newts and need to be kept open to the sun to ensure a suitable habitat for these rare creatures. Apparently the underlying rock is magnesium limestone - something that is only found in Britain and Poland. Information about the wildlife value of this can be found HERE.

Greater Crested Newt (photo from the internet - not actually seen today!)

Can you guess who was on fire duty this time?.......

Yes - you've got it. Terry took control of the firelighters 
and matches and soon had a good blaze going.

In fact it became a real inferno in the end.

Everyone else worked hard with loppers and saws to remove the scrub. As we were working we had to be on the look out for bushes that suddenly grew legs and walked away. (No - not a new, bipedal species of vegetation, just a trainee soldier carrying out a military training exercise. It would never do to lop off a soldier at the ankle.)

Here's some pictures of the progress made:

 At first we were snipping off little skinny saplings 
that had grown up from previously coppiced stumps.


Nick gives this bush a short back and sides. 

 The saplings were then bundled up and carried over the the fire.

Terry was quickly surrounded by an 
ever growing wall of brash.

Others had to then lend a hand to add fuel to the fire.



Coffee time for some (early lunch time for Avril!!)

 Skinny stuff removed we then got to work on 
the heftier trees further up the slope.


 Now the shifting wasn't quite so easy...

...lots of dragging was the order of the day.


Harry learned how to fell a tree properly.

This patch here ....


...provided lots of sawing duty...


... and eventually all but disappeared


Over here there was rumoured to be a pond. 
I can't really see it myself.

Oh - I can now. 
Well done folks. We can carry on revealing 
this when we come back at the end of February.



Both getting into the work area and 
getting out we had to negotiate a tricky fence.


Ros E.

Tuesday 24 January 2017

Return to Longside Farm, Ramsgill: 23-01-2017

Anyone who read the article in last week's issue of the Pateley Post ("NCVs found laying down on the job!!!" by A. Hack) will know that the NCVs made a good start on laying a hedge alongside the road at Longside Farm, Ramsgill.

This is how we left the hedge last time - 
although the stems were laying down they still needed 
fixing into position.

This week a group of 18 returned to the site, on a very cold morning, to finish off the first section and make a start on the next stretch. 

 
Some NCVs used the latest in hedge layers' accessories - 
a must for anyone wanting to avoid blackthorn spikes in the knee caps!
(The editor would like to acknowledge the source of these photos - 
namely ''The Hedge Layer's friend',  a monthly cornucopia of hedging related tips)

Once the very end of the hedge by the gate was properly laid then all the pleached stems in the adjoining sections could be dealt with. It was like a Mexican wave as they were lifted into position, one on top of the other, and the rails hammered in.

The photos below show the progress throughout the day.

Jan's team finished pleaching the end bit...

...before putting in some posts....



...and adding a rail.


While this was all going on waiting NCVs got busy 
fronting up the next, untouched, part of the hedge.

Brash was added to the waste pile,...

 ...homage was paid to a holly bush...


 ...and new stems were pleached.


Dave and Julia chatted through the hedge...

...whilst Phil had a doze.

Of course - no day would be complete without coffee and a banana...

...and lunch with Audrey's flapjack!


After lunch the process really sped up - posts were soon put in, 
stems were woven between and a rail was nailed through.


Bit by bit the Mexican wave passed down the hedge.
However - it was no easy task untangling the pleached 
stems so that they could be lifted into place.


By close of play both last week's section  and 
the new section was finished off and looked 
very smart, with stems leaning at a regular angle (almost).


Even the NCVs tried to remain in keeping with the angle of the lay!!

Ros E.

Tuesday 17 January 2017

Longside Farm, Ramsgill: 17-01-2017

____________________________
      
Pateley Bridge Post    
17.01.2017

NCVs found laying down on the job!!!
Andrew Hack

Who  would have believed it?
The NCVs lying down in a hedge all day instead of working hard as usual?

No – don’t worry. We haven’t entered a parallel universe. It was the hedge that was laying down, not the NCVs. This week our band of 25 intrepid volunteers were tasked with making a start on laying an old hedge, alongside the road between Ramsgill and Lofthouse, that needed to be made stock proof.

 James, Phil and Jan gave everyone a safety 
briefing and explained how to go about the job.

The group split up into 7 teams and set to with thick gloves, well sharpened bill hooks, saws and loppers. (Thorn protection was very much an issue when the NCVs were deciding on their wardrobe for the day.) First a lot of unwanted material had to be cleared to the side before the ‘pleaching’ could begin.

 The piles of trimmings and old plastic tree 
guards grew and grew throughout the day.

Once some of this was out of the way the fun could start.

Student Tom tried his hand at pleaching, starting with the saw.

Old hand Ros K. was also hard at it with her bill hook.

Now and again James had to give a helping hand 
with the chain saw if a stem was particularly thick.

Were these NCVs pleaching or 
saying their prayers?

Coffee and lunch times were spent on the muddy ground.

It all looks a bit drastic but don't worry.
The hedge will survive!

By close of play at 2:30pm it was clear where the group had been working. A good start has been made but much more is left to do - both in terms of finalising today's lay as well as starting on the rest of the hedge.

The tools only just fitted in James's van!
Question is - was there room for James?

The hedge at the start of the day...

...and again at home time. 
Well done so far NCVs!

A. Hack (aka Ros E.)

_________________________________________

Special acknowledgement:

The NCVs would like to thank the Grassroots Endowment Fund, managed by Two Ridings Community Foundation, who have part funded their Volunteer Training Programme.