Diary Reports - 2002
6 January 2002
We cleared brambles along the edge of the path in the central meadow and uplifted (cut the lower branches from) several oaks in the central meadow to make mowing easier in future. We made two dead hedges by constructing two wooden pens and piling into them the brambles and all the wood cut in October and November.
2 February 2002
The weather was unsettled, but a few stalwarts turned up and started clearing brambles at the western end of the dry meadow.
17 February 2002
We cleared brambles at the western end of the dry meadow. Branches from uplifting (cutting the lower branches from) trees in the dry meadow were used to construct two dead hedges into which the brambles were packed.
3 March 2002
We cleared brambles at the western end of the dry meadow and packed them into the two dead hedges. Once again, this work party qualified for a grant of £50 from Whitbread Action Earth.
16 March 2002
We cleared brambles and trimmed back a large Crack Willow at the western end of the dry meadow and packed the arisings into the two dead hedges.
6 April 2002
We had planned to dig some channels to feed a pool full of tadpoles which had appeared in the wet meadow with the wet weather in February. However the dry weather in March had caused the pool to dry up completely. Instead we tidied up a few areas of the site ready for the summer.
March / April / May 2002
Contractors coppiced some of the large trees on the site, and made them into split logs and wood chips which we can use to improve paths on the site. Some of the trees were left standing but had bark removed in a ring right around the trunk (ring barking) to provide dead trunks for woodpeckers. The meadows were mown again in the first week in May.
16 June 2002
Peter Roberts, a training officer from BTCV taught us how to lay paths so that we can improve some of the very slippery parts of the path through the site. We started either side of the footbridge. The paths we made were edged with the split logs and surfaced with the wood chips made when trees were coppiced in the previous months. We had help from Bob Ayer, our Petersfield Town Council representative, and Jonathan West.
14 July 2002
We tidied the site prior to a walk organised by Havant Branch of HWT on 17 July. We cleared timber lying around, stowing it into dead hedges and cleared a blockage in Tilmore Brook near footbridge including one large traffic cone. Moving chippings from the meadow was very hot work so we decided to leave it until we need it. We pulled Himalayan Balsam, and also pulled Ragwort - which we havenít had on site before.
17 July 2002
Havant HWT conducted a walk along Rotherlands in the evening.
August 2002
Community Service pulled / strimmed Himalayan Balsam in the east Meadow and on the Mount.
3 August 2002
We had a very enjoyable moth trapping evening with Tim Norriss from Butterfly Conservation. We recorded 61 species between 8.15 pm to 12.15 am (when the rain arrived and drove us home).
7 August 2002
Clare Bishop of HWT helped us to carry out a water vole survey along Tilmore Brook. Unfortunately we found no signs of water voles, just signs of mink instead.
23 August 2002
QE Park mowed but couldnít pick up all the grass cuttings because of it was incredibly thick and lush after the wet summer - they had another go the following week.
17 September 2002
Ron Allen lead a walk for the Town and District Councillors with Pat Redhill and Dominic Belfield. Councillors Elsa Bulmer, Bob Ayer, Sue Halstead, Judy Onslow, Andrew Pattie, Ken Hick, John Crowhurst and Phillip Humphries attended.
6 October 2002
Fabulous day - bright, warm sunshine. We had to move all the large logs from the central meadow, over the barbed wire fence to the proposed site of the otter holt. Jonathan made it so simple for us - built steps with a pole to hang on to on one side and wrapped the barbed wire with thick plastic and rope. Then he and Alf piled logs into his truck and drove them to the footbridge which saved us a lot of carrying. He brought chestnut stakes as ordered. We uplifted oaks on the Mount and coppiced hazel and everything was taken over to the otter holt. We finally removed the shopping trolley from the river and cleared all the rubbish collected around a tree trunk near the dog pool - pulled out the tree trunk and Robert took all the traffic cones, boards from road works, trolley etc. to the tip. Julian then discovered more trees jamming the river by the otter enclosure, so he and Peter sawed them through and Julian floated them down river to the footbridge. A very successful workparty.
2 November 2002
We took some photographs of the group with our Petersfield In Bloom Environmental Award. We cut back all branches in the East Meadow to allow the tractor to mow closer to the trees in future. Mike and Julian tried out the new 12 foot pruning saw, and were able to take down a lot we would not have been able to reach. We built the basic frame for the dead hedge, but the rain steadily increased and we had to quickly collect all the branches into piles and beat a hasty, very wet, retreat. Peter cut a piece off the timber land drain, which we will try to have dated.
