March 2010
Week commencing Monday 1 March 2010
Cutting of the alders behind the island has now been completed which just leaves
the remaining larch and brash to be felled and burnt. This will be completed by
the end of this week. The landscape team have cleared half of the island and will
be returning to complete this work next week.
The Environment Agency’s Fisheries team visited the site last week and we await their advice.
The Environment Agency’s Fisheries team visited the site last week and we await their advice.
Week commencing Monday 15 March
The landscape team, both full time members of staff and volunteers, have thoroughly
enjoyed working together and clearing the island of vegetation. This piece of
work was essential as part of our environmental mitigation measures - removing
the vegetation early should prevent birds nesting on the island.
John Turney, a member of both our gardening and wildlife volunteer teams, has
erected nest boxes in the woodland behind the lake just in case there’s a lack
of affordable housing elsewhere on the estate. Taking advice from the RSPB, the
landscape team will be visiting the lake and island regularly too gently discourage
any squatting birds.
Now the vegetation has been cleared, Mark Newman, the National Trust Yorkshire
and North East Territory Archaeologist will be gearing up his archaeological contractors
to go onto the island and record the resulting stumps and any other features that
might be lurking in the leaf litter.
