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On the ground in March 2018



On the ground in March 2018

March 28, 2018

Don’t forget to say hello if you spot our rangers and volunteers out working in the National Park. Here’s a taste of what they achieved in March 2018:

  • Created a scrape in a lesser-known corner of Heyshott Common and cleared encroaching birch and pine. Woodlark, common lizard and Snipe were seen investigating the mown area as soon as it was cleared!
  • Enhanced the Bentley Station Meadow SSSI with Butterfly Conservation.
  • Carried out six feedback visits with landowners along the River Meon looking at how to manage vegetation and the river for water voles.
  • Attended bird identification training as part of the South Downs Farmland Bird Initiative and met with farmers in the Winchester Downs Cluster group to advise on locations for lapwing plots and discuss lapwing surveys of their land and adding their data to the SDFBI.
  • Cleared invasive rhododendron and felled pine trees from a Bronze Age barrow on Lavington Common, a scheduled monument on the at risk register.
  • Continued the fight against invasive rhododendron at Stedham Common, Ambersham Common and Midhurst Common and cleared invasive non-native bamboo from Botany Bay, Duncton, a rare chalk gill stream site.
  • Completed laying an 80m section of hedge at Muddy Lane Binsted
  • Carried out annual maintenance of Rother Walk, including clearing fallen trees, fixing fingerposts and cutting back vegetation.
  • Installed a water trough to facilitate conservation grazing at Pepperscoombe.
  • Installed a barn owl box at Stansted.
  • Supported a community coppice group at Steyning with their first task; completed the 17/18 season’s coppicing for pearl bordered fritillary butterflies at Church Copse; and coppiced for drab looper moth and dormice at Graffham Downs.
  • Installed livestock fencing at Rotherfield Park’s meadow for grazing and completed fencing in Heyshott to enable grazing of scheduled monument by the side of the South Downs Way.
  • Held Dog Patrol weekends with NFU, Lewes District Council and Natural England at various locations in East Sussex.
  • Joined in pole lathe training at Amberley museum – the skills learned will be used in local woodland.
  • Planted 990 chalk grassland plug plants to improve biodiversity at Lewes Cemetery Local Wildlife Site with help from local school children and Burleys of Lewes.