On the Ground in April 2018

April 30, 2018

From meeting with farmers, offering training and support to local communities, leading walks, organising and training volunteers, controlling invasive species and supporting key species, South Downs National Park Rangers are out in the National Park every weekday and many weekends over the year. Don’t forget to say hello if you spot them out working.

Here’s a taste of what they achieved in April 2018:

Installed an interpretation panel at the Bronze-age barrow at Long Burgh, Alfriston in partnership with Historic England
Started this year’s South Downs Farmland Bird Initiative surveys, with lapwing surveys at South Stoke, Offham and in the Arun to Adur Farm Cluster area
Carried out patrols to encourage dog owners to #TaketheLead
Carried out three moth surveys at Mill Hill with the Sussex Moth Group
Cleared organic matter left from scrub clearance from the Long Man of Wilmington
Met with local farmers at the eastern end of the National Park to talk about scrub clearance
Cleared reed mace as part of Glynde dew pond maintenance
Removed stumps left after scrub clearance at Mill Hill
Erected electric fencing Beeding Hill SSSI so that goats can graze as part of chalk grassland management
Made up and began installing ten new finger post signs to go out on the South Downs Way
Installed infrastructure to enable grazing at Steyning Bowl Local Wildlife Site
Began restoration work at Singleton Railway Station
Led a Heartsmart walk for 23 people at Slindon and supported MIND volunteers at Graffham Down
Started up a new volunteer group with West Sussex County Council and East Clayton community farm and had the first task to stock-proof a field
Installed a barn own box near Treyford
Planted 800 primroses, donated by Binsted Nursery, along hedgerow at Binstead
Planted cowslip plug plants along field margins near Noar Hill to support rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly with Winchester Downs Farm Cluster and Selborne Landscape Partnership
Met up with water vole surveyors ahead of the 2018 survey season and put out latrine floats to monitor breeding populations on the River Meon. Breeding signs have already been spotted at one site
Recovered a lost geocache and began work to find a new location for it
Uploaded data for River Monitoring Index and butterfly surveys to national databases
Removed invasive rhododendron from Stedham Common and Ambersham Common, this can be safely removed during April as it is not used by birds to nest in
Helped with a community tree planting at Easebourne school
Cleared and burned holly scrub at Ebernoe to improve habitat for rare bats and invertebrates
Helped with capture and release to translocate field crickets from Lord’s Piece to RSPB Pulborough Brooks following work to into improving the heathland habitat
Installed post and rail fencing at Lodge Copse