Carding Mill DIY

The yard gates for our workspace on offices began to fall into disrepair so rangers and volunteers set about making and installing new panels.

We finally have it all finished, special thanks to our volunteer Reg who did all the complicated building/joinery bits.

Volunteer training day - Geology walk

Today Chris Stratton (Learning Officer at Carding Mill Valley) led a geology walk for National Trust, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Community Wildlife Group volunteers. We started off at Carding Mill Valley, walking down the valley to look at Stretton shail and then walked up the valley looking at the other layers of rock including; Buxton rock and synalds.

We walked up to the reservoir to look at very early fossilised organisms, once believed to be fossilised raindrops but recently organic matter was discovered within them. Then we headed to Wenlock Edge where we looked at the strata and fault lines in Knowle quarry.

Before heading to look at the old lime kilns and learning about burning limestone and charcoal making and walking to Lea quarry to look at fossils.

 

Carding Mill Valley Wildlife Garden

You may have noticed some changes in the garden at Carding Mill Valley, our Tuesday volunteers have improved the paths and volunteer Pat is helping to install a pond. There is lots more to be done over the coming months so that we can attract as much wildlife as possible to the garden.

Volunteer Training

On Thursday National Trust volunteers and staff came together for a training session on water insects and valley history. The session was led by Learning Officer Chris Stratton. We started in the Carding Mill Valley tearoom and heard about the history and geology of the valley. We went outside and did some kick sampling in the stream before heading off to our labs to examine what we had caught.

After that we walked up the valley towards the reservoir discovering more of Carding Mill Valley's rich past on the way. Everyone enjoyed  themselves and the cake helped us forget about the chilly weather!

Way Marker and Dragons Teeth Repairs

Volunteers Rob, Izi and Emily enjoyed a beautiful day on the hill repairing dragons teeth and waymarkers over the hill. With numerous walks, access routes and challenging terrain, keeping up with the work can some times feel like a tough job. However, with such stunning views it's a job no one minds doing!!

Himalayan Balsam Pulling

The TTF found even more foxgloves when they went to Castle Hill to pull Himalayan Balsam. They made a huge impact, but as ever, there is still plenty left!

TTF Work

TTF volunteers today covered the beds by the roof top terrace with gravel. The plants there include buddleia, lavender and rosemary, so expect lovely smells coming soon!

Meanwhile, other TTF volunteers were up the Burway, clearing out the passing places for summer traffic!

Gorse Burning

Determined to catch up with the schedule, Dave, Nick, Darren and Isabel were south of Minton today to burn gorse. Gorse normally burns a lot better than heather, so they were confident they'd be able to make an impact. Sadly it was not to be: the wet weather triumphed once again with the gorse being too wet to burn. No burning can be done after the end of March due to ground nesting birds, so we are desperate to get it done soon, but its looking unlikely at the moment.

Tree Down at Hopesay

Ranger Nick Robinson went with volunteer John Worrell and Josh, who was here for work experience, to Hopesay to chop up a fallen tree that was lying across the path. Most of the damage caused by the storms has now been dealt with, but if you do see anything we missed let us know!

Tree Planting at Hopesay

The TTF enjoyed beautiful sunshine today whilst planting trees at Hopesay. This was again replacing dead trees. All said they much preferred the weather today to last time, which included snow and sleet!

Hedge Planting

Today the TTF braved the blizzard like conditions to continue hedge planting. Some went to finish replacing the dead trees up in the Batch, with the rest going to do the hedgeline at the Wern. A good team effort saw both jobs completed despite the slippery conditions. 

Tree down on the Burway

On Sunday, the high winds took their toll and blew a tree down across the Burway road.

Assistant Ranger Nick, along with voluntary rangers Will and Bruce, went up to assist the Highways Authority in clearing the road. 

The tree was cut up and moved away from the road to allow access again.

Reservoir Steps

Some of the steps on the reservoir walk were starting to fall apart, so last Friday FTV Rich and John Worrell went up to replace those that had rotted away.

Three new steps were put in and they were all filled in to make them level again. A tiring days work walking up and down the reservoir dam, but the steps are now looking much better and are a lot safer. 



Footpath Work

Rangers and members of the TTF were working on the footpath at Lightspout. The path is very waterlogged, causing people to walk in the vulnerable wet flush systems. The work done today is a temporary measure until the full work can be carried out, which will be partly funded by Shropshire County Council, as the path is a right of way.

Lots of drainage ditches were dug to allow water to drain off the path into the wet flush beside it. Erosion will likely fill these up very quickly, so they will need to be checked regularly.

Some ditches were dug alongside the path, to collect water along a longer stretch.

Everyone got very muddy, and one or two even fell over! Thankfully everyone made it back in one piece for a warm cup of tea.

Apple Tree Pruning

Nick, John Worrell and Pete Johnston were at Morville last week to prune some apple trees in the orchard. The trees had not been managed in a few years, so they worked to reduce the height and improve the shape of the trees, which should prolong their lives, meaning more apples for Grant's delicious apple cake!

One tree was taken down as it had died, but the rest are all in good condition.

They were pruned using a pole saw, which is perfect for this sort of job!

Pete has put a lot of work into identifying the different types of apple trees and how they should be managed, so John and Nick received careful instructions about how much to cut. We look forward to the apples later this year!

Tree Checking in Batch

Isabel and John spent Friday morning in Batch Valley checking the hedgerow plants. Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Hazel were planted in early 2013 to form a hedge around the fields, but some of the plants have died off. Isabel and John were counting how many need replacing. 

They got some gorgeous views while they were up there!

Heather Burning Coming Up

Rangers and Volunteers are planning to start heather burning as soon as the weather allows. Heather burning is very important to regenerate heather, its the most efficient way of doing it. This is a process that is normally started in October, but with the poor weather we've been having this just hasn't been possible. The burning will take place whenever the weather is suitable, which may fall on a weekend. If you see smoke on the hill and are worried please contact Area Ranger David Cowell on 07769 701252.

Trees down at Hopesay

With all the wind that we've had recently, a couple of trees had been damaged at Hopesay. Nick, Rich and John Worrell went over last Friday to remove any dangerous limbs or any that had fallen.

First an overhanging branch was removed at one location before the attention turned to this large conifer which had come down across a footpath. The first job was removing all the branches around the tree, but taking extra care not to cut any that may have caused the tree to roll. 

Once this was done, Nick and John could get at the trunk and cut it into movable pieces so it could be pushed away from the footpath and once again make it accessible and safe.




John and Nick after a good job done

Clearing The Pool

You may remember a post at the start of the month about Crassula in the pool on the golf course. Caroline, our ecologist, has worked hard with volunteers to almost completely remove this highly invasive species, something that has never been achieved before.

The plastic was effective at smothering out the weed, but it was certainly not the prettiest solution. Nick and Richard donned their waders and set to work removing it from the pond.

The pool looks a lot better now, hopefully the Crassula won't make a reappearance.

Hawthorns On The Hill

Members of the TTF worked with Isabel and Richard today to plant hawthorns on the hill. This was a very lengthy and tiring task: first the trees, stakes, guards, and tools had to be taken up the very steep hill.

The next job was digging holes for the stakes and the trees, then planting the trees

The posts were then hammered in.

Next the tree guards were attached.

Everyone had their jobs, and the trees were planted in record time, although maybe that was due to the snow!

The guards will be removed in the spring when the trees are established.