Nidderdale Conservation Volunteers' Blog: Upper Nidderdale: 01-08-2023

This week the NCVs marked the start of August by returning to the task of 'Ridding The Nidd' of himalayan balsam. There was some up Ashfold Beck that was missed out when rain stopped play a couple of weeks ago, and part of Fosterbeck needed checking. Would one more week knock this troublesome weed into touch as far as the upper Nidd is concerned? The NCVs donned their work gloves, picked up their slashers and headed off in two teams to pull this pest out of existance.

This huge stand of balsam met the

team that went up Ashfold Beck.

They sent it packing in no time flat.

As they did with this stand further up the beck.

The beck was a raging torrent

compared to the previous visit.

This meant that extra special care was

needed when working along the water's edge.

These friendly gnomes invited the

group into their garden at coffeetime.

And very pleasant it was too!

Unfortunately the group had then to work high

up the hillside in two locations.

Both had particular challenges,

apart from the steepness of the slope.

This one was thick with brambles and thorn bushes.

The one up towards the mines had balsam

that was waving at us from above

a blanket of tall bracken.

That's it Julia and Dave - you can

go home when this bit is finished!

At the bottom end of the beck, the other

team were finding previously pulled

balsam had continued growing due to

the wet spell. The other group had

noticed this too.

Tim decided to give it all a good squashing,

just to make sure it got the message.

That's it Alistair - go quietly. You can't afford

to let it know you are about to pounce.

It may fight back!

Even the mill race was fast flowing.

A glimpse of the industrial past could be

seen in the form of this tunnel.

The job here was completed by 2pm. However...there will be more balsam pulling next week - this time in Hackfall Wood. Due to the editor being engaged in grandparental duties, this event will need to go unrecorded blogwise. I'm sure that you will be able to envisage what went on!

In other news:

Andy C. collected, cleaned, dried and packaged 2 boxes of yellow rattle seed from his home field, before donating it to Liz for sowing on the verge at Glasshouses in September.

Thanks Andy!

Also:

On the afternoon of Saturday 29th July some of the longer serving NCVs attended the 90th birthday celebration for Audrey Summersgill, one of the first ever NCVs who, after reaching a point when she was unable to do the physical stuff any more, continued to fuel the other NCVs by baking regular supplies of tasty flapjack. At the tea party we presented her with an English oak tree and invited her to join us on Glasshouses verge to help plant it in September. What more fitting way to mark this special occasion for a wonderful lady who worked hard to do her bit for the environment - not only as an NCV but also as a bird box monitor and a Nidderdale tree warden. All of this hard work for wildlife was given public recognition in 2015, when she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Harrogate Volunteer Oscar ceremony.