The team were busy this week, engaged in various bird-related activities I gather, so I only managed a half-day with the Countryside Service. It was a gentle afternoon, doing a little mid-season pruning of overhanging greenery along the trail. Today it was just me and one of the wardens -henceforth I shall call him The Birdman, as this is his area of expertise and interest. He used to do a lot of volunteer work for the RSPB. Sometimes it is good to be with only one other person as you have an opportunity to ask questions and tend to learn a lot more.
I'd been thinking about the fact that I know there is money available for conservation and environmental purposes, but I had no notion of where it comes from or how it is spent. I asked The Birdman about this.
A little way along the trail, there is a field to one side where it widens out, and it is given over to grassland. The area is maintained as a grassland meadow, which means that things like bracken and the himalayan balsam are weeded out. This then encourages the development of a rich meadow of wild flowers. This field is known as the Stewardship Field, because some funding has been secured to protect and maintain it from the Environmental Stewardship Fund. At least, I think that is what it is called. I tried to find out more information, but my google search kept retrieving a company that provides consultancy on managing woodland, and an organisation in Minnesota. There was some interesting information on both websites, but I don't think either were the one Mr Birdman was referring to. Whatever the fund is pays for the fences which bound the area. The fence prevents horse and bike access but people still have access via a stile Another example of the work that the Service does in the local community is that next week a group of people with learning disabilities will be coming to help weed the field.
Sometimes when I am not able to do my volunteering, I spend some time finding out background information about the work. I was talking to Mr Head Ranger recently, and mentioned the fact that I had found some slides from a presentation he had made to a local conference. The conference, which took place in 2008, was a local gathering of people concerned with implementing the Biodiversity Action Plan, or BAP for short. I realise that there are large gaps in my knowledge about environmental issues, but then, there is a lot to know. Wikipedia informs us that "the principal elements of a BAP typically include:(a) preparing inventories of biological information for selected species or habitats; (b) assessing the conservation status of species within specified ecosystems; (c) creation of targets for conservation and restoration; and (d) establishing budgets, timelines and institutional partnerships for implementing the BAP." These elements translate into species and habitat plans at a national and local level.
Going back to Mr Head Ranger's presentation, the thrust of it was that the work that they do is an attempt to make an impact on the environment by engaging more of the population, and that the sites that they manage is the best way to inform and engage people. Countryside sites are therefore managed for people and wildlife.
I find all of this very interesting. If I had my time again, I think I might have pursued a career in this field. I know that there are a number of courses available for people who want to take it further.
I'd been thinking about the fact that I know there is money available for conservation and environmental purposes, but I had no notion of where it comes from or how it is spent. I asked The Birdman about this.
A little way along the trail, there is a field to one side where it widens out, and it is given over to grassland. The area is maintained as a grassland meadow, which means that things like bracken and the himalayan balsam are weeded out. This then encourages the development of a rich meadow of wild flowers. This field is known as the Stewardship Field, because some funding has been secured to protect and maintain it from the Environmental Stewardship Fund. At least, I think that is what it is called. I tried to find out more information, but my google search kept retrieving a company that provides consultancy on managing woodland, and an organisation in Minnesota. There was some interesting information on both websites, but I don't think either were the one Mr Birdman was referring to. Whatever the fund is pays for the fences which bound the area. The fence prevents horse and bike access but people still have access via a stile Another example of the work that the Service does in the local community is that next week a group of people with learning disabilities will be coming to help weed the field.
Sometimes when I am not able to do my volunteering, I spend some time finding out background information about the work. I was talking to Mr Head Ranger recently, and mentioned the fact that I had found some slides from a presentation he had made to a local conference. The conference, which took place in 2008, was a local gathering of people concerned with implementing the Biodiversity Action Plan, or BAP for short. I realise that there are large gaps in my knowledge about environmental issues, but then, there is a lot to know. Wikipedia informs us that "the principal elements of a BAP typically include:(a) preparing inventories of biological information for selected species or habitats; (b) assessing the conservation status of species within specified ecosystems; (c) creation of targets for conservation and restoration; and (d) establishing budgets, timelines and institutional partnerships for implementing the BAP." These elements translate into species and habitat plans at a national and local level.
Going back to Mr Head Ranger's presentation, the thrust of it was that the work that they do is an attempt to make an impact on the environment by engaging more of the population, and that the sites that they manage is the best way to inform and engage people. Countryside sites are therefore managed for people and wildlife.
I find all of this very interesting. If I had my time again, I think I might have pursued a career in this field. I know that there are a number of courses available for people who want to take it further.
lawraine wood and gentle pruning does not compute! Just ask Robin
ReplyDelete