After more than three decades of uncertainty, a Government appointed Inspector has just confirmed that Walna Scar, one of the Lake District’s most popular fell passes, will not be open to motorised vehicles. The ruling came after a long and complicated process, and will be welcome news to walkers using the area. The Secretary of State concluded that the correct legal status of the route is a ‘Restricted Byway’ – which, unless legislation changes, will retain its status into the future. That means the route will be open to all traffic, except motorised vehicles, and that any motorist or motorcyclist caught using Walna Scar between Coniston and Seathwaite could face serious legal consequences, as they will be committing an offence.

National Park Countryside Access Adviser Nick Thorne said that the complexities of the legislation and the sheer amount of documents and arguments put by all the parties involved had made this one of the most difficult investigations into rights of way status that the national park had ever undertaken. Over 600 pages were sent to the Inspector, including guidebooks ranging from 1835 to the modern era. Evidence also included maps dating back to 1745, as well as highway surveyor’s records from the late eighteenth century, quarry leases from the late nineteenth century and photographs from the 1920s.

“Although complex, it was fascinating to be able to draw up a history of the route in this way,” says Nick. “It certainly helps us understand the area and its relationship with the quarries and road network over the last few centuries. ”

For more on walking routes in the park, visit www.lake-district.gov.uk

Image: Walna Scar gateway at the top of the steep lane from Coniston. Photo by Andrew Hill via geograph.org.uk.

An innovatiove new ‘scrub-munching’ machine could transform gorse-covered areas into biofuel, under an Exmoor Moorland Landscape Partnership and Heritage Lottery Fund backed plan. The Canadian-made ‘BioBaler’ has already been demonstrated tackling gorse on North Hill in Exmoor National Park.

Scrub control is important in moorland management and Jason Ball, the Scheme Manager for the Exmoor Moorland Landscape Partnership, says: “The tallest gorse is difficult to swale safely because it holds very high fuel loads, so the BioBaler might be a good alternative to swaling in some situations. The cut material is baled up, and can be carried off, so that you’re not left with a deep blanket of mulch, which would hold back the return of heather and grass.”

Equipped with a BioBaler, a single tractor operator can selectively harvest up to 2 hectares (about 5 acres) of gorse or rhododendron per day. The cleared scrub is automatically rolled into a bale, which can be dried out and used as fuel in a suitable bale-fired boiler. Moor Heat, who carried out the demonstration, is the first UK company to operate a BioBaler commercially, offering scrub clearance services and plans to install a boiler fuelled by the round bales.

For the latest on the review, visit the PDGLA’s website at www.pdgla.org.uk

Image: Charles Rispin via geograph.org.uk

Meanwhile, campaigners are celebrating after a recent e-petition successfully persuaded Transport Scotland to commit to a vital underpass for walkers, cyclists and horse riders as part of their A9 expansion plans. The major route between Perth and Inverness has been hazardous since it was built in the 1970s, but when plans to upgrade it to a dual carriageway emerged without offering any new crossing points, an e-petition was launched, supported by Ramblers Scotland.

Image by Sarah Q.

Rangers from the park are working with the council to help create an open space that can be used and appreciated by the whole community. The Authority is funding the woodland clearance, a path and access gates, as well as helping with the clean-up operation.

“Everyone has really got behind this project,” says James Brown, the New Forest National Park Authority Ranger pictured above. “Our role is to help the Parish Council create an area that will benefit everyone; including local school children. There has been a great level of support from the volunteers who have given up their time to help clear up the debris. Once the site is up and running visitors can look forward to the space becoming a hive of nature activity.”

If you are interested in volunteering in the New Forest, visit the www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/volunteering_opportunities

“Past episodes have shown that under these tinderbox conditions, moorland fires can spread extremely quickly causing significant damage to the landscape and its wildlife,” warns Bernie McLinden, the North York Moors National Park Authority’s Head of Park Management. “Moorland fires at this time of year can be particularly devastating as birds such as lapwing and curlew are nesting on the ground. The majority of moorland fires can be prevented so we would urge people to take extra care when visiting the National Park while the fire risk signs are in place.”

The warm weather is set to continue over the Easter weekend and this, coupled with a lack of rain and very dry ground vegetation like heather and bracken, has prompted the alerts. The Met Office’s fire severity index is predicted to hit level four on Good Friday, just below the point at which Countryside and Rights of Way Act open access land is closed automatically.

The first report comes from an independent review of England’s wildlife sites published in September 2010, and recognised the richness of wildlife in National Parks and the potential for National Parks to become exemplars in managing and connecting habitats for ecological and wider benefits. The Government is due to respond to the recommendations of this review in the Natural Environment White Paper in spring 2011. A second report published in late 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity drew to a close follows the setting of a European target to halt biodiversity loss by 2020 and agreements at the international Convention on Biological Diversity Conference held in October 2010.

“This report illustrates the significance of National Parks for wildlife,” says Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England. “They cover just over 9% of England yet include 27% of our top wildlife sites (SSSIs) and 27% of England Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitats. Natural England works very closely with National Park Authorities to deliver agri-environment schemes that not only protect the wildlife we have, but also enhance it. With the Natural Environment White Paper expected in 2011, we believe National Parks have an important role to play in future strategies for looking after biodiversity at a landscape scale.”

Both reports demonstrate how National Parks are central to efforts to halt biodiversity loss. The most recent report also makes clear the National Park Authorities ambition to see wildlife flourishing and habitats restored, expanded, and linked to other ecological networks. This will involve close working with farmers, land managers, local communities and wildlife NGOs. The initiative has been welcomed by leading figures from the RSPB, NFU, and Natural England, along with National Park staff like Norman Baldock, Senior Ecologist for the Dartmoor National Park Authority:

“The report gives examples from National Parks,” he explains, “including Dartmoor, the largest area of upland in southern England, where management to maintain the characteristic habitats and the wildlife they support has been successfully encouraged through local partnerships. Work targeted at individual ‘flagship’ species can act as a focus to drive forward traditional management practices, habitat improvements and the much loved landscapes they represent.”

To get a feel for how important the parks are, take the case of Dartmoor:

•27 % of the National Park is of international importance for wildlife (Special Area of Conservation)
•Dartmoor is home to 15 out of the 17 species of bat found in the UK, including the very rare barbastelle bat and Bechstein’s bat
•The park contains one flower species (Vigur’s eyebright) and one moth species (Heckford pygmy moth) found only on Dartmoor and nowhere else in the world

Dartmoor also shows what can achieved. Thanks to conservation efforts marsh fritillary numbers have recovered markedly in the National Park in the last few years, with the number of occupied sites nearly doubling since 2005. Work is ongoing to restore important areas of Dartmoor’s blanket bog and the National Park Authority is providing advice to farmers and landowners every year on how best to manage their land for the benefit of wildlife.

“National Parks are special places,” concludes John Riddle, Chair of the English National Park Authorities Association. “They are a draw for millions of people every year and contain strong communities who care passionately for these beautiful areas. National Park Authorities help bring a wide array of people, from local farmers and groups to national NGOs and Agencies, together to support wildlife in some of Britain’s most spectacular landscapes. And it is through working together that we can ensure National Parks continue to be beacons for biodiversity.”

The full statement ‘England’s National Parks – Beacons for Biodiversity’ can be found on the English National Park Authorities Association website at http://www.enpaa.org.uk/enpaa/whatsnew/national__parks_beacons_for_biodiversity.htm

Top image: The River Dart at Dartmeet by Steinsky. Lower image: Haytor, Dartmoor.

A scientific survey of environmental schemes on farmland shows that farmers have a vital role in helping birds, especially over the winter. The paper, published in the avian science journal IBIS, reports on wintering birds feeding on fields planted with plots of wild bird seed mix. In East Anglia, the research found that there were a significantly greater number and range of seed eating birds like tree sparrows, corn buntings and yellowhammers in plots planted as part of the Natural England funded Environmental Stewardship (ES) schemes than in other plot types.

Several species of farmland birds rely on seeds to survive the winter, but their populations have plummeted in recent decades. Tree sparrows have declined 94 per cent since records began in 1970. Corn buntings have declined 90 per cent and yellowhammers 54 per cent over the same period.

“This research clearly shows the value of Environmental Stewardship in providing a much greater variety of the seeds that small farmland birds need,” explains RSPB Conservation Director Mark Avery. “The RSPB, Natural England and the industry’s Campaign for the Farmed Environment are urging more farmers to include wild bird cover and other measures on their land to help wintering birds. This research goes some way to proving that those farmers across the UK who are taking up these environmental stewardship options are making a real difference.”

Andrew Wood, Natural England’s Executive Director Science and Evidence, concludes that “This study is further proof that farmers using targeted Environmental Stewardship measures can offer significant benefits for birds.

For more on how to make your outdoor space more bird-friendly, visit www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening

Image: Northern Lapwing byAndreas Trepte

Bill Bryson and CPRE campaigners are using a legal mechanism called a Litter Abatement Order that can compel public land managers to keep their land free of litter. If no reasonable action is taken within five days of notification, Litter Abatement Orders can be sought from the courts. Litter Abatement Orders are simple to use and can be sought by any member of the public.

To support this action CPRE has published a guide to Litter Abatement Orders which will enable people who are angry about persistently littered public spaces to take action.

“This is not a complicated or controversial issue,” says Bryson. “Organisations responsible for public land are required to keep it clear of litter. If they’re not taking this responsibility seriously, we all have the power to compel them to do so. Railway operators and Network Rail are not the only offenders, but they are responsible for far too much uncollected litter.  The first impression for a visitor arriving in a town is often formed by their view from a train carriage, and it is a disgrace that that view is so often a degraded and dirty one that suggests a lack of care or pride in the area.”

Many people know that littering is a crime. Less well known is that for those who have a responsibility to keep our public spaces clean it is also an offence to leave litter lying on the ground for long periods of time. A Litter Abatement Order is handed out by a court if a written complaint about litter to the landowner has been ignored. Put simply, a Litter Abatement Order allows any person to serve a notice (via a Magistrates’ Court) to get a long-standing litter problem cleared up.

Bill Bryson will be seeking a Litter Abatement Order against Network Rail for continually failing to clear up rubbish along tracks in Cambridgeshire. Other lines campaigners will be targeting in the action include the London Bridge station (London) and its approaches, St Austell (Cornwall), Hersham (Surrey), Ainsdale Station (Merseyside), Clacton-on-Sea (Essex) and Gravesend (Kent). Campaigners will be exercising their statutory rights if litter around these stations is not cleared.

For more on the campaign and to download your own guide to Litter Abatement Orders visit the CPRE’s project page.

Image: Bill Bryson at home in Norfolk © David Rose.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the British Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) are calling for ‘citizen scientists’ to take part in Star Count Week between Monday 31 January and Sunday 6 February 2011. Stargazers are asked to count the number of stars you can see within the constellation of Orion. The results will help create a Star Count map, illustrating how light pollution is affecting the view of the night sky across the UK.

Emma Marrington, Rural Policy Campaigner at CPRE, says: “Light pollution damages the character of the countryside, blurs the distinction between town and country, and denies people the experience of a dark, starry sky. But this isn’t just about the effect on stargazing or countryside. Light pollution can disrupt wildlife and badly affect people’s sleeping patterns.

“The Star Count survey will help us measure the extent of light pollution. We want to use this evidence to convince Ministers and local councils of the need to take action to tackle it, for example by ensuring that the correct lighting is used only where it is needed and when it is needed. This would cut light pollution, reduce carbon emissions and save money at the same time. Some local authorities are already taking action to tackle light pollution in their areas; we need more to do the same.”

In recent years, light pollution has been a growing problem, with more and more of the UK left without a clear view of the night sky. Earlier this year a CPRE/CfDS survey found eight out of ten people (83 per cent) had their view of the night sky affected by light pollution. Councils spend a collective £532 million on street lighting each year and the lights can account for around 5-10 per cent of a council’s carbon emissions.

“The light from distant stars and galaxies takes hundreds, thousands, even millions of years to reach our eyes,” points out Bob Mizon, Campaign for Dark Skies’ Coordinator. ”What a tragedy to lose it on the last millisecond of its journey!”

In 2006/07 nearly 2,000 people took part in the CPRE/CfDS Star Count Week. In that year, only two per cent of respondents said they could see more than 30 stars in Orion, compared with 54 per cent who saw fewer than 10 – a level which indicates severe light pollution. The results from the next Star Count Week will allow researchers to see whether light pollution is continuing to get worse or if there has been an improvement.

For more on Orion, check out Brian Jones’ December column on the constellation.

How to take part

To get involved, just choose any night between Monday 31 January and Sunday 6 February 2011 when the sky is clear, with no haze or clouds. Organisers recommended starting your observations after 7pm so the sky is sufficiently dark.

Start by finding Orion in the southern night sky – the same direction that household satellite dishes face. The main area of the constellation is bounded by four bright stars. The star count should not include these four corner stars – only those within this rectangular boundary – but do include the stars in the middle known as Orion’s three-star belt.

You should only count the number of stars seen with the naked eye (not with telescopes or binoculars) and then simply complete the online survey form at www.cpre.org.uk/starcount or send your count plus the time, date and location to Star Count, Campaign for Dark Skies, 38 The Vineries, Colehill, Wimborne, BH21 2PX.

Main image: Daniel Schwen Lower image: CPRE