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Village Organisations Conservation Trust Chairmans Report 2003
Village Organisations Conservation Trust Chairmans Report 2003
| Chairmans Report 2003 |
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| Parish Organisations - Bergh Apton Conservation Trust | |||
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BERGH APTON CONSERVATION TRUST - AGM, 8 October 2003 Chairman’s Annual Report Nobody could have anticipated how the Trust’s activities would flourish and diversify when the initial open meeting to discuss the future of Church Plantation was called nine years ago. This year has seen developments that have enhanced both our direct contribution to practical conservation and our wider role in its promotion. Bob Kerry’s Hedgerow Survey came second this year in the Biodiversity category of the EDP Norfolk Village of the year/Norfolk County Council competition. The Trust also received a grant for training nature conservation volunteers from the Agenda 21 Grants Scheme run by South Norfolk District Council. On the practical front, we have had physical help like never before. Bob Kerry arranged a conservation day involving his team from the Tax Office. This (officially sanctioned) team-building exercise took the form of 20 people working like Trojans on and around our reserve for the whole of 14 May (apart from a well-deserved lunchtime barbeque); amongst other tasks, large amounts of sand and gravel were barrowed away from the environs of our pond as phase one of its extension. Compared with our ‘work days’ on the third Saturday of each month, which often only amount to half a dozen people for half a day, this was a huge input. It was good to hear that the Tax people thoroughly enjoyed their day and are interested in coming back next year in even larger numbers. Not only that, but perhaps some members will even have felt better about facing their annual self-assessment forms this year. We are grateful to Bob for his vision and enthusiasm. Our members mounted two educational excursions this year. A record number of 31 people attended a visit to North Norfolk on 27 July. Among them we were delighted to welcome four visitors from our sister organization, the Blofield and District Conservation Group. In the morning, we went to Stiffkey, where we exploited the low tide to explore the full range of the salt marsh, down to the tidal sand-flats. This is one of the few extensive areas of more or less natural vegetation remaining in Nolfolk and the whole upper marsh area was a resplendent with purple-flowering sea lavender (Limonium vulgare). Tony Davy expatiated on the remarkable salt-tolerant plants (‘halophytes’), their environment and the marsh development over the last 8000 years in relation to sea-level rise - until a small, plaintiff voice piped up ‘can we walk now?’ These plants are not only able to thrive in an environment that is regularly inundated with seawater but also contribute to its very development by trapping and stabilizing water-borne sediments. In the afternoon, we toured of the Hawk and Owl Trust’s reserve at Sculthorpe Moor, near Fakenham, several weeks before its official opening. This proved an interesting contrast with the areas that we currently manage. The newly constructed circular board-walk gives easy access to the deepest recesses of the carr, fen and ponds that comprise this wetland reserve (not to mention the bird hides). Work on the restoration of sedge fen, dominated by the saw-sedge (Cladium mariscus) has been particularly successful. We are grateful to Nigel Middleton and his colleagues for their friendly hospitality. Venturing yet further afield, a group of 12 members took themselves off to Greece (9- 19 April) to see the Spring flowers and birds of the Peloponnese peninsula. Naturally, they were unable to avoid the classical antiquities, monasteries and excellent tavernas for which the area is also famous. Long walks ranging from the coast at Kardamyli into foothills and mountains of the Taygetos mountains unfolded an astonishing diversity of flowers and other wildlife; on the first morning, identification of the new flowers allowed a progress of about 200 metres per hour. The pathfinders at the front rapidly learned to recognize new orchids. All concerned had an experience that I am sure they will never forget. This insight into a ‘biodiversity hotspot’ allows one to begin to imagine what might have existed in parts of Britain centuries ago. We are grateful to Lorie Lain-Rogers for recognising that we needed to go there and for providing the impetus to organize it. The local activities followed the now familiar pattern. David Lester led an evensong bird walk at Whitlingham Broad (8 May) a butterfly walk on the closed land-fill site (17 August) and a very well-attended bat walk, back at Whitlingham, on 4 September. This year we can report two successful fungus forays on and around our own reserve (6 October 2002 and 5 October 2003) led by David Lester and Jo Parmenter; the latter afternoon was remarkably fruitful in view of the preceding sustained dry weather. As usual, we spent two evenings extending our award-winning hedge survey (10 June and 10 July) under the supervision of Bob Kerry. We now have two established do-it-yourself social events in the year: the midsummer barbecue and bonfire (28 June) (many thanks again to Christopher and Liz Meynell for the use of the ‘pageant’ field) and the Christmas party (20 December). The dedicated few on the monthly ‘work days’ have pushed forward our incremental management of Church Plantation, cutting sycamore and bracken, maintaining steps and paths, and clearing the grassy ‘greens’ and around the pond. Rabbits have run amok in our former exclosures during the dry summer and we are considering re-fencing them. We managed to cut the wildflower bank on the closed landfill site earlier this year and the subsequent dry weather has in this case been beneficial in controlling rank growth. We continue to help maintain the ancient Tenwinter boundary hedge and to monitor reports on water quality in the borehole installed at the edge of our reserve At the last AGM, Bernie Bobbin, Stephanie Crome and David Lester were elected to serve as trustees. We are most grateful to Robert Waters, the retiring trustee, for many years of valuable service, including several as treasurer. The trustees met three times during the year: on 7 November 2002 and 6 February and 17 July 2003. At the first meeting Stephanie Crome was elected secretary, Tony Davy re-elected chairman and James Savill re-elected Treasurer. Bergh Apton Conservation Trust continues to go from strength to strength. Your trustees are seeking build on recent successes and member’s growing enthusiasm in promoting biodiversity, in the broadest sense, in and around the village.
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