WINTER 2024/25
AGM and TALK January 14th 2025, 7 for 7.30 pm in the Old School Room, Curry Rivel
For various reasons the AGM has had to be moved from December to January. We hope the weather will be better in the middle of January!
After our brief AGM the talk will be given by Harry Paget -Wilks of the RSPB Our local RSPB office is at Dewlands Farm, at the base of Red Hill. Along with some of the nature reserve it is situated in the parish of Curry Rivel. Harry is going to talk about the involvement of the local RSPB groups in the Greater Sedgemoor Landscape recovery Project, which the CWCT is also getting involved in.
Explained on the project website " The Greater Sedgemoor Landscape Recovery Project Area comprises 4,000 hectares of low-lying floodplain grasslands and a 500 hectare ‘halo’ of surrounding higher ground within the southern half of Somerset’s Levels and Moors. This area is vital for wildlife. Four large floodplain grassland Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and two woodland SSSIs lie within the area.
The ambitious project focuses on restoring and enhancing the wildlife of the area. It seeks to both mitigate for the effects of climate change, and increase resilience to its impacts, through a transition in land use. By working collaboratively with landowners, local communities, and environmental organisations, the project aims to create a landscape that is not only rich in biodiversity but also sustainable and beneficial for both nature and people The project is a partnership between the RSPB and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South-West (FWAGSW) plus more than 100 landowners and farmers."
It promises to be a really interesting talk! Please do come along, entry is free though donations to CWCT are of course very welcome and any money collected will go towards the purchase of the land adjacent to the CWCT site which has been offered to us by the Woodland Trust. The WT recently received the land as a bequest from a well known and loved villager but were unfortunately not able to accept it as it is too small and too remote from their other local holdings to make it viable for them. However they were delighted to find us next door and so to offer it to us at a very reasonable cost.
Over the autumn talks about the Trust and the wider environment of the Somerset Hills, Moors and Levels have been given and have seemed well received. We have also forged links with other groups working to increase the tree cover in the ecological network on the ridge that runs between the Blackdowns in the west and Beer and Aller Woods in the east. There are some exciting plans relating to this - the possibility of a new National Forest in the west and on a rather smaller scale our own interest in some further land around our existing holding in Curry Rivel. if this is to happen we will need to raise more money for either renting/purchasing the land. The advantage of the Trust owning land is that trees planted on it are then , under the Trust's constitution, safe for perpetuity, whereas a landlord can request the return of land and can then use it for other purposes. As an English oak tree is known to grow actively for 900 years, be a mature tree for a further 900 and then decline for 900 more it is important to guarantee the safety of our trees! if on reading this you would like to help the Trust financially, please do get in touch !
Sadly we are saying goodbye to a trustee at the AGM. Peter will be saying much more about Alan then but many reading this will know he has been an excellent treasurer and colleague , not to mention sculptor of our wonderful crane, made out of the old iron gate from the entrance! This means of course that we are looking for another trustee - if you might be interested please contact me at cwctrust@aol.com, or on this website, leave a means to contact you and I will get back to you.
A walk through our newly planted woodland at this time of year is a pleasure and Peter's blog on lammas growth is very relevant.(https://app.site123.com/peter-s-blog/lammas-growth?w=5671820 ) Earlier this year we were excited to see that ground nesting birds have started to take advantage of the long grass and we appreciated the cooperation of dog walkers in keeping their dogs under control so not to frighten them. Hopefully the same will be true i spring 2025
Now in the mature woodland keen eyes will spot fungi, always thriving after wet weather. Look on the floor among the leaf litter, on tree trunks or on fallen trees, where they thrive.
Bracket fungi on wood
Ascocornyne - also a wood rotting fungus
Lots more species of fungi to see in winter - if you are walking through the CWCT wood please take some photos and send them to cwctrust@aol.com so we can publish them on the website.
For various reasons the AGM has had to be moved from December to January. We hope the weather will be better in the middle of January!
After our brief AGM the talk will be given by Harry Paget -Wilks of the RSPB Our local RSPB office is at Dewlands Farm, at the base of Red Hill. Along with some of the nature reserve it is situated in the parish of Curry Rivel. Harry is going to talk about the involvement of the local RSPB groups in the Greater Sedgemoor Landscape recovery Project, which the CWCT is also getting involved in.
Explained on the project website " The Greater Sedgemoor Landscape Recovery Project Area comprises 4,000 hectares of low-lying floodplain grasslands and a 500 hectare ‘halo’ of surrounding higher ground within the southern half of Somerset’s Levels and Moors. This area is vital for wildlife. Four large floodplain grassland Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and two woodland SSSIs lie within the area.
The ambitious project focuses on restoring and enhancing the wildlife of the area. It seeks to both mitigate for the effects of climate change, and increase resilience to its impacts, through a transition in land use. By working collaboratively with landowners, local communities, and environmental organisations, the project aims to create a landscape that is not only rich in biodiversity but also sustainable and beneficial for both nature and people The project is a partnership between the RSPB and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South-West (FWAGSW) plus more than 100 landowners and farmers."
It promises to be a really interesting talk! Please do come along, entry is free though donations to CWCT are of course very welcome and any money collected will go towards the purchase of the land adjacent to the CWCT site which has been offered to us by the Woodland Trust. The WT recently received the land as a bequest from a well known and loved villager but were unfortunately not able to accept it as it is too small and too remote from their other local holdings to make it viable for them. However they were delighted to find us next door and so to offer it to us at a very reasonable cost.
Over the autumn talks about the Trust and the wider environment of the Somerset Hills, Moors and Levels have been given and have seemed well received. We have also forged links with other groups working to increase the tree cover in the ecological network on the ridge that runs between the Blackdowns in the west and Beer and Aller Woods in the east. There are some exciting plans relating to this - the possibility of a new National Forest in the west and on a rather smaller scale our own interest in some further land around our existing holding in Curry Rivel. if this is to happen we will need to raise more money for either renting/purchasing the land. The advantage of the Trust owning land is that trees planted on it are then , under the Trust's constitution, safe for perpetuity, whereas a landlord can request the return of land and can then use it for other purposes. As an English oak tree is known to grow actively for 900 years, be a mature tree for a further 900 and then decline for 900 more it is important to guarantee the safety of our trees! if on reading this you would like to help the Trust financially, please do get in touch !
Sadly we are saying goodbye to a trustee at the AGM. Peter will be saying much more about Alan then but many reading this will know he has been an excellent treasurer and colleague , not to mention sculptor of our wonderful crane, made out of the old iron gate from the entrance! This means of course that we are looking for another trustee - if you might be interested please contact me at cwctrust@aol.com, or on this website, leave a means to contact you and I will get back to you.
A walk through our newly planted woodland at this time of year is a pleasure and Peter's blog on lammas growth is very relevant.(https://app.site123.com/peter-s-blog/lammas-growth?w=5671820 ) Earlier this year we were excited to see that ground nesting birds have started to take advantage of the long grass and we appreciated the cooperation of dog walkers in keeping their dogs under control so not to frighten them. Hopefully the same will be true i spring 2025
Now in the mature woodland keen eyes will spot fungi, always thriving after wet weather. Look on the floor among the leaf litter, on tree trunks or on fallen trees, where they thrive.Bracket fungi on woodAscocornyne - also a wood rotting fungusLots more species of fungi to see in winter - if you are walking through the CWCT wood please take some photos and send them to cwctrust@aol.com so we can publish them on the website.
