Dallow Gill and Gouthwaite Reservoir: 21-08-2018

OH NO - NOT MORE BALSAM PULLING!!!

😩

So went the thoughts of all the NCVs as they eagerly opened the weekly email from Liz, hoping that the task this week would involve something new and exciting - like laying gravel or erecting fences. They were soon to be disappointed. Balsam. Again.

However - the good news was that it would be likely to be the final time this year, as it is getting to a point where the plants are seeding and to continue would be like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

This week we were working in the catchment of the River Laver at Greygarth, Dallow Gill, removing the balsam that has invaded an area around some wild life ponds. A worthy cause indeed.

To try to make things more interesting we tried a little experiment. Instead of pulling the balsam up, we simply slashed it down, like bracken. With it being an annual plant,  as long as we stop it setting seed then this will reduce the amount sprouting up next year. It is unlikely to grow up from its roots now to a sufficient height to seed before the plants start to die back. Apparently this technique has been used to good effect elsewhere by other volunteer groups.

Well - we gave it a go anyway. It was a much speedier method to use so appealed to the NCVs!

It was the pond on the left that needed attention.

It didn't look too bad - not much sign of pink flowers.

 

 So, slashing equipment in hand, the NCVs 

set off to inspect the task ahead at closer quarters.

On arrival their hearts sank.

There were swathes of pink flowers all around the pond.

Undaunted, David raised his slasher and began slashing.

A fine forward stroke took the balsam on the back foot.

Everyone joined in the fun...

...and soon the area looked like a balsam A&E centre.

Now - we know that this will not eradicate the problem, but as the balsam was already seeding the best we could do was to stop as many of the remaining flower heads as we could from setting seed.

By coffee time the bottom end of the pond was dealt with.

During coffee everyone had a smile on their face as:

(1) we were progressing nicely and....

...(2) Hilary had brought a tin of blackberry and coconut cake - 

made that morning and tasting divine (thanks Hilary!)

After coffee it was back to the wall of HB 

at the top end of the pond.

Here and there were clumps of look alike Greater willowherb.

This meant you had to stop slashing and start pulling.

Ros E. slashed the final balsam stem and that was it.....

.....12:10pm and the task was complete.

Wow! Incredible. From now on we need to consider 

slashing down HB rather than pulling it up.

It certainly gets the job done in double quick time. 

The Incredible Slashers pose for a photo shoot.

Then it was time for a quick Morris dance....

...before some serious biosecurity measures.

As the exploding balsam pods had sent seeds into hair, 

boots and even underwear, Osian thought he might 

rinse out his smalls in the trug to ensure he wasn't 

responsible for the further spread of the seeds.

For a third time recently a little elite team went elsewhere to insert a post. This time it was to hold a video camera in front of the sand martin wall at Gouthwaite reservoir. The camera will allow interested parties to monitor the use of the wall.

There was I, 
Digging a hole,....

.... A hole in the ground, 
Big and sort of round it was.

Deep enough Tony?

Yes - just right.
All we need now is the camera.
Oh - and some sand martins.

River Nidd near Lofthouse and Greenhow: 14-08-2018

This week's NCV task day felt more like 'Groundhog Day'. We were doing exactly the same tasks as last week! The only thing that changed was the venue for the sign post installers - this time up at Greenhow rather than at Low Riggs farm.

So - the blog need only be short - unlike the balsam plants that the NCVs continued to uproot from along the dry bed of the River Nidd, near Goydon Pot, and from the hillside just above. As has been noted before - there is only so much one can write about the ins and outs of balsam pulling and it's probably all been written before. Shall we just let the photos tell the story? 

Up at Greenhow the finer points of post installation were debated 
by the lucky few who were chosen to do this job. 

What do you think lads? 
Is this thing going to remain upright?

This time the signs were about the UNLP wading birds 
project, rather than hay meadows..

The job was completed before lunchtime, at which point 

Jan decided to skive off and enjoy coffee and cake at the Toftgate cafe.

Bonus points were awarded to Tony and Andy who resisted the 

temptation and, instead, went updale to join the balsam pullers.

The recent rain seemed to have encouraged further 

growth of the remaining balsam.

However, the area around this telegraph pole, deep in HB....

 ...was targeted from the start....

...and was an HB free zone by coffee time.

Coffee and flapjack revived the flagging team 
and off they went again.

It was at this point that the two reinforcements arrived from Greenhow.
A very welcome sight!

Anita finished the morning session with a flamboyant fling
 before setting off down the path for her lunch....

...where she was joined by a little dinner guest.

.Although there was still HB on the hillside we felt ready 
for a change and so moved down into the, currently, 
dry bed of the River Nidd.

There was a little bit of water here and there 
but the rest had gone down a swallow hole..

Although some specimens down here were 
tiny, others were multi-stemmed giants..

Some HB was very difficult to reach.

But we did our best to climb up...

...and climb back down again  to get to all the stems.
However - there was NO WAY we were going to be able to pull it all up.
By 3pm we admitted defeat and withdrew from the battle.

Lofthouse and Low Riggs: 07-08-2018

As some readers of this blog will know, the Upper Nidderdale Landscape Partnership Project, (UNLP) which has been running for four years, is due to come to an end in September. It has led to many excellent outcomes - and a number of jobs for the NCVS.

One of the project's more recent outcomes has involved contracting a company to start at the top end of the River Nidd catchment and either spray or pull up the Himalayan balsam that is growing there. It is always best to work downstream, as the river carries the balsam seeds down the valley. Of course, as we all know, one sweep of an area does NOT get all the balsam! There are always some seeds left that haven't started to germinate. As the contractors disappeared the seedlings started to emerge, waving goodbye to the workers. So - what was to be done? Bring in the NCVs of course!! 

Off we went to Lofthouse to make our way along parts of the Scarhouse road and the often dry river bed to get rid of the additional plants, desperately hoping that there wouldn't be too many left ........

First up we walked up the roadway on the look out for HB plants.

Our spirits soared - there were a few but it wasn't too bad at all. 
'Is this what the rest of the day was going to be like?' we wondered.

In a word - No.
Back to the bridge at Lofthouse and down to the river itself .....

......gave us a tranquil setting but a much more extensive job.
Some of the plants were growing on the limestone watercourse.

Others up on the river banks.

It was an 'eyes down, look in' moment - yet again.

Coffee and flapjack at 11am allowed us a good view.

Not a bad work's canteen!

Then it was over the fence for the rest of the morning. 

The HB was thick on the ground and high in the air.
Did the contractors look this way???

Sally began to work her magic and the rest of us followed suit.

Crunch, crunch crunch. 
That's that lot sorted. NEXT PLEASE!

Cath found one way of keeping her foot well ventilated 
as the sole of her boot came away from the upper.
She wondered if she could get her money back. 
After all - she's only had them for 15 years.

This NCV went for the total skin exposure ventilation method at lunch time.

Everyone wished that they had brought a peg for their nose.

The next patch was up a steep hillside.
The HB was growing amongst the bracken.

Jan crawled up on his hands and knees, rooting out the intruder

and leaving a wake of destruction behind him.

Here he is taking a short break in this multitasking event - 
HB pulling AND bracken bashing at the same time!

HB was passed down the hillside for rigorous crushing at the bottom.

There were many specimens that were getting just too big for their boots!

After lunch a bit more of the same led to a very smug group photo.

And this is what they were looking at - a balsam-less view!

Then - back to the cars and a move up the road to the next patch.

There was no stopping the march of the yellow peril.

Unfortunately, in spite of the contractors' having sprayed the area, 
there was rather a lot of alive and kicking HB here - 
so not all of it could be pulled by 3pm.
Maybe back next week for more ? We'll see.

There was a bit of light relief for an elite team of 2 NCVs who spent the morning, with Rob Light, at the very top of the dale. They were installing two UNLP hay meadow signs at Low Riggs Farm. (Hay meadow restoration was another aspect of the UNLP project.)......

Firstly giant tweezers were used to dig out the post holes.

Does this look vertical to you?

Now that's a clever design!
An interpretation board that folds away to keep
 it protected against the bad weather.

After the two posts were installed Andy managed 
to find a rather comfy perch to sit on.....

....to admire this rather lovely view.
Yes - a day in the NCVs' office always has its up sides.