On the Ground in July 2018

August 3, 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 with our volunteers in July 2018:

Removed invasive Himalayan balsam in the Meon Valley and in Ditchling; pulled ragwort at Long Furlong LWS to make space for other species to come through; pulled ragwort on Chapel Common to enable grazing; controlled thistle at Pheasant’s Field Local Wildlife Site; and sprayed invasive floating pennywort in a pond at Frog Farm near Petworth to prevent it spreading into the River Rother
Found a new population of rare triangle web spiders at a wood in Duncton
Supported bird ID walks at the Heathland Reunited bioblitz at Lynchmere Common
Continued post and rail fencing at Lodge Copse – almost finished!
Reccied sites along the Rother and its tributaries and recruited volunteers to monitor riverfly there
Helped organise a moth morning for the South Pond Group with the Sussex Moth Group
Held Rangers on Tour events in Crawley, Southsea and Worthing for National Parks Week
Carried out the second of three surveys at Stedham Mill meadow. Now the showstoppers such as cornflower and ox-eye daisies had died down, smaller plants such as birds foot trefoil and self heal were thriving
Took work experience students out to experience surveying some Scheduled Monuments, such as barrows, bridges, roman roads, dykes, and a brick/tile works
Surveyed some of the upper reaches of the Hammer Stream catchment area for invasive species, including the dreaded Himalayan balsam, and unfortunately found some
Rolled bracken at Laundry cottage Heath area
Supported farmers from the Arun to Adur farmers group with their open day at Lee Farm Patching, 600 people attended; and helped to organise a grey partridge training day for the South Downs farmers group
Replaced a stile with a gate to improve access at Steyning Rifle Range
Carried out wartbiter cricket survey at translocation sites and found evidence that it had been successful with seven adults found
Carried out a dormouse survey at Graffham Down and completed a deer exclusion fence on the site to protect hazel coppiced during the winter
Continued ringing barn owl chicks
Led a Heart Smart walk in Petworth
Carried out brushcutting as part of ongoing management of Tower Hill SSSI and at Bepton Down SSSI to improve vegetation structure
Moved cattle to support grazing on Steyning Downland
Cleared ramparts of Iron Age Hillfort at Devil’s Dyke to encourage grassland species to spread and safeguard the monument for future generations
Started work to install a dipping platform and easy access trail at Trueligh Hill YHA
Carried out survey work out at France Bottom Local Wildlife Site in partnership with Natural England and Kew
Cleared sycamore and regrowth from an important chalk grassland Local Wildlife Site at Winton Field