Dacre Banks Nature Park: 26-06-2018

This week the NCVs were carrying on the good work that the student team had begun a couple of weeks ago, when everyone else was busy with basketry and raised bed construction. If you have read the blog entry for that week you will remember that they were down at Dacre Banks Nature Park making a start on straightening and securing the 3000 tree tubes that have been there since February 2016. Plenty of work to keep us busy then!! The day was very hot but that didn't stop us achieving a good deal - we finished working at 1:45pm having checked and dealt with just about every tree in the area. This was quite a relief as the temperature had soared to 29 degrees by then!

A view of the nature park at the start of the day. 

Things didn't look too bad from up here - just the odd leaning tube here and there..

However - at ground level it was a different story.
Some trees had been bent in half by 
the gale a couple of weeks ago.

Others had been pushed to an extreme angle and needed 

returning to the vertical or, in the case of the many of the roses, 
simply setting loose from their tubes to allow them to ramble 
around more naturally.This required us to do the rather prickly
 job of unwinding their tangled stems - not always possible.

Everyone partnered up and got to work.

That looks better!

On and on - up and down the rows we went. 
We needed to work systematically to avoid double checking the same trees.

In spite of sitting in the middle of a plantation of 3000 trees not one 
of them was big enough to offer any shade for coffee time!

Liz had come prepared for good bio-security practice.

Note the tarpaulin to put our bags on and trugs for washing all the tools in later.

Everywhere was so dry that not a single tool had anything

 attached to it by close of play. Never mind - at least we were prepared.

Back to work in the relentless heat.
Water, sun hats and sun cream were a must have.

At lunchtime we made an effort and walked across the field to the stream

 where there was some welcome shade from two nice big old trees.

Phew!

Michael waved a magic wand at lunchtime and produced, 
not only a chocolate cake.....

... but also a delicious citrus one. (Thanks Gwen!!!)

The structural integrity of this was somewhat challenged by the high temperature, in spite of it having been in the fridge until 10 mins before this picture was taken.

Never mind - it was a good excuse to eat it. It wouldn't have lasted until tomorrow!

David - "I wonder where this tree went?"
Ros K. - "Don't ask me - I've been too busy eating cake to keep an eye on it. 
I think I need to let out the waistband on my trousers."

Meanwhile - further along the valley at St Cuthbert's school - Osian and the student group were doing a different task on this, the final day of their placement. He reported as follows:

Two of the students and their two supervisors cleared the St Cuthbert's school logo flower bed of lavender, ready for raised beds construction and planting by the school children. 

Lavender almost gone.

The boys also sorted through some stones to create a border edge to an area containing a bench and then back-filled it with gravel. 

A nice neat stone edging in place, 
weed suppressant was laid down and then on went the gravel.

There was plenty of that available.

Just a little bit more in these corners,

There you go - an excellent job!

All done and dusted, with tools cleaned in line with bio-security guidance, the student team headed to Pateley Bridge Pancake House (other pancake houses are available) for their farewell ice cream treats. We thank the students and theTeaching Assistants for their work during the year and wish them well for their future endeavours. 

Tools back in the trailer and the job's a wrap.

Bio-security training: 19-06-2018

BIO-SECURITY ALERT - 

NCVs OUT AND ABOUT!!!

When the NCVs were informed that we needed to attend 'Bio-security' training it conjured up visions similar to that shown above. Apparently the NCV’s were to be used as Guinea pigs! Sarah Clarke - Conservation Project Officer of the School of Biology at the University of Leeds - was to run the workshop to discuss possibilities and show us potential equipment we could have access to in the fight against INNS. (That's 'invasive, non-native species' to the uninitiated).

It was a sensible measure to take. As NCVs we visit many environmentally sensitive areas and we do NOT want to be the ones to introduce unwanted species. We should be ensuring, for example, that any Himalayan Balsam seeds  unwittingly picked up on our boots at Azerely are not transferred to a SSSI site such as Ellington Banks.

Apparently we don't need to go to the extremes shown in the top photo - there are simple measures that anyone who enjoys the great outdoors can take such as:

• Washing your boots before leaving the site (or at least when you get home).
• Brushing bits off your jacket before getting into the car and washing clothing when you get home.
• Washing tools before leaving the work site and allowing them to dry for 48 hours before re-using them.
• Not taking cars off the road unnecessarily.

We will do our best to follow this advice in the future. One plan is for each NCV to arrive on site with clean boots and a bottle of tap water. This can then be used with a scrubbing brush to help clean our boots, and the tools we have personally used, at the end of the day.

Firstly Sarah explained all the pitfalls and how to avoid them. 

Then it was off to the barn to look at the 
possible equipment we could use....

...and select a set of tools that may be likely
to get infected with organisms.

Not just tools - all this clothing can act as a vector for INNS.

A demonstration of the excellent 'Boot Buddy'.....

 ...led to a sudden stork impersonation competition.

Ros preferred the forward leaning position.

However - it was much easier if you asked someone else to help!

Of course it would be even easier if you 
simply changed out of your boots first!!

The boot buddy can also be a 'Tool Buddy'

Alternatively a 'Hozelock Pulser' could be used - 
this delivers the water at pressure if you pump the handle a few times first.

This squirter gets plugged into the car battery for extra sluice action.
After all - you don't want to take mud from one site 
to another on your car (or wheelbarrow) wheels.

As the training only took up the morning this left the afternoon free for a number of willing vols to move on to the barn to do a much needed tool inventory and tidy up. As you can see below, the time was well spent.

 At one point the wood burner was invisible....

...then suddenly it wasn't.

All the tools were counted and stored neatly - 
both on this side of the barn....

...and on the other.

Ros E and David pour over the inventory 
searching for items still to be counted.

The end section was as clean as a whistle.

A bottle of 'Windowlene' was discovered 
(other brands of window cleaner are available),
so Tony set to and gave the doors a much needed wipe.

And finally - in case anyone is wondering how the baskets turned out after the second day of the basket weaving course - here are the final outcomes.....

 Five proud basket weavers....

...demonstrating how their wares can have more than one use!!

So now there is absolutely no excuse for these particular individuals to use plastic bags any more!!

Basket weaving training and other things: 12-06-2018

Today was another one of those occasional days when the NCVs have to make a choice about what to do. The options on offer included a two day basket weaving course with the experienced tutor in basketry,  Leilah Vyner of 'Dragon Willow', helping out at Glasshouses school to create some raised beds for growing veg or doing some tree guard maintenance at Dacre Banks Nature Park..

5 were lucky enough to have two days to spare and elected to attend the training sessions. They had a great time learning how to work with willow to create baskets, as the pictures below show.

First we had a look at some of Leilah's creations.

Would it be possible for us to do anything like this in 2 days?

Leilah gave us a choice of 2 types of basket to make.

The 'Frame' basket (left) and the larger 'Stake and Strand' basket (right).

There were great big bundles of willow wands ready and waiting for us to use.
These had been harvested in March 2017 and recently soaked for a couple of days.

First everyone had a go at splitting a wand....

....and shaving the pith off some of the resulting 
willow strips to make them flexible.

Next we each made a 'God's eye'  
(although this is only used in a frame basket).

Then it was time to get going on our chosen baskets.

Although it was hard on your hands it was a 
very pleasant way of spending the day.
Mind you - you had to concentrate otherwise you found 
that you had gone over when you should have gone under.

 Sally and Andy first constructed the domed base of their 'Stake and strand' baskets.

Nick also chose this one and was soon ahead of the pack.

His giant spider would eventually become something 
far less unwieldy.

 Spiders became bird cages and then the sides of the baskets could be woven upwards.

They are looking forward to more of the same on their second day of training. The final outcomes will be posted on next week's blog for you all to marvel at. Thanks for a thoroughly enjoyable day Leilah!

4 opted to work at Glasshouses school and NCV Tony takes over the story....

The materials were already on site but had to be moved about 75 yards to the lawned area at the back where the raised beds were to be built. Barrows, buckets and brawn were needed, but first the design had to be worked out and the wood and brackets cut to size.

How many NCVs does it take to join two railway sleepers together?

It's easier to get through a piece of timber 
this thick when there are two of you.

Once the frames were in place we lined them with cardboard to suppress weed growth, used gravel to create a good base, then added the top soil. Work ceased while the children had their lunch break but then continued until the beds were completed. 

Well done Ros!
Now you just need a bit of something for the plants to grow in.

What about a bit of gravel for drainage?

 

 So - gravel was transported in various containers.

Excellent - now for some soil.

A little way to go yet Tony.

That's more plant friendly.

After that, netting was used to discourage the local cats from using the facilities, and the sticks used for holding the netting were topped with plastic bottles as a safety precaution. 

Job done!
Over to the children now to plant them up and harvest the produce.
Who would have thought that such a small team of people 
could achieve so much in one day?

Whilst all this was going on the students' team were out at Dacre Banks Nature Park. They were making a start on the tree tube maintenance task that is needed there. We helped plant 3000 trees there a couple of years ago and the majority are doing well. However - a number of tubes need righting, securing more firmly and clearing of weeds. As you can see below - a good start was made.

The hard graft of tree maintenance in full flow.

The majority of trees are doing wonderfully well, 

although this one doesn't seem to have developed
 its leaves yet, in spite of its height.
The grass growing up inside the tube isn't helping.

Owner Michael steadily cut some paths 
through the long grass whilst this was going on.

At lunchtime James's birthday was celebrated- Maggie had bought him a cake.

Happy Birthday James!

In fact there was double cake, thanks to Michael's healthy fruit loaf.
(Thanks Michael - or was it Gwen?)

Now on the birthday cake box was a butterfly picture - 
which Conor carefully cut out.

As no-one else wanted the ignominy of wearing the mask,
Osian did the honours - and very pretty he looks too.

The NCVs weren't the only ones to 
be out enjoying the good weather!

Talking about the students..... they have kindly written some of their thoughts about one of the tasks they have been involved in this year. You can read these by clicking HERE. Enjoy!