On the Ground in October 2017
November 2, 2017
Don’t forget to say hello if you spot our rangers and volunteers out working in the National Park. Here’s a taste of what they achieved in September 2017.
- Completed ten days work at Binswood, managing the site’s rides with the Woodland Trust.
- Began enhancement work on Petersfield’s greenspaces in partnership with Petersfield Town Council.
- Started winter scrub management across many heathland sites.
- Started clearing hedges either side of an old drove road in Fernhurst, new hedges will be laid in traditional style and the old drove road opened up.
- Removed floating pennywort at Frogs Farm with the Leconfield Estate.
- Led 16 people on a Heartsmart walk at Bignor and 45 people at Slindon.
- Coppiced woodland at Church Copse; and coppiced blackthorn at Pheasant’s Field for the brown hairstreak butterfly.
- Installed new gates on open access land at Lychpole hill, Sompting; at Mount Caburn; on Ambersham Common; and a new stile at Pepperscombe.
- Completed autumn Catchment Invertebrate Fingerprinting on the River Meon with Wessex Chalk Streams Trust and Portsmouth Services Fly-fishing Association.
- Began new season of scrub clearance at Long Furlong to open up chalk grassland habitat and cleared scrub from: Medley Bottom and Stoke Bottom SSSI; SSSI chalk grassland at Willingdon down and Anchor Bottom; and Local Wildlife Site at Mile Oak Farm.
- Cleared scrub to protect an ancient field system Scheduled Monument at Cloth Farm and cleared a permissive path of vegetation at Rodmell.
- Put up electric fencing to allow grazing on Mill Hill Local Nature Reserve.
- Carried out meadow management to enhance biodiversity on Lewes Golf Course.
- Began installing interpretation panels at Tide Mills, funded by a successful application to ESCC Mitigation fund in Partnership with Sussex Past Archaeologist Luke Barber.
- Advised Ovingdean Friends of St Wulfran’s Church on creating wildflower meadow.
- Worked with Lewes District Council to plan and agree new management and planting scheme to improve condition of Lewes Cemetery Local Wildlife Site.