It’s apparently GB Game Week (#GBGameWeek) where the shooting industry tries to persuade us all to eat game meat. Although I am veggie for four days a week, the freezer has quite a lot of venison in it – and very enjoyable it is too. But I know where that venison comes from, it’s shot…
Category: THE STATUTORY AGENCIES: NE, EA, FE etc
FOI Bowland Gull Cull 6
I asked NE in July and September, about their role in the Bowland gull cull and I did again in early November. This time I got a sensible answer about whether I would get an answer eventually. Such is how we now measure responses from our statutory nature conservation organisation. What I sent: Further…
Natural England EIR request – Hen Harrier data
Dear Natural England In 2008 Natural England published an excellent, interim, report on its Hen Harrier study entitled ‘A future for the Hen Harrier in England?‘. In that report you state that ‘In three incidents nests had been destroyed by illegal burning‘. Please tell me: In which county/ies did these incidents occur? Were these incidents…
Natural England EIR request – Hen Harrier Mick
Dear Natural England, You issued a press release about a Hen Harrier called Mick on 7 February 2017 in which you stated that Mick’s disappearance had been reported to the North Yorkshire Police. Your director, Rob Cooke, said ‘The disappearance of a hen harrier is deeply concerning to all who appreciate these rare and impressive…
Natural England 11 years old on Sunday
Natural England is a failing organisation. It is no longer a champion for the natural environment and it is no longer a leader in environmental thinking and it is no longer doing its job. The statutory nature conservation agency in England is now highly politicised (ghastly word for a ghastly impact) and no longer trusted…
Quick response from NE – Bowland Gull Cull 5
Received yesterday (see here): Good afternoon Mr Avery Many thanks for your enquiry. In terms of the `culling of lesser Black-backed Gull in the Bowland Fells SSSI this year`, there is an ongoing investigation taking place so we cannot comment further until our investigations are concluded. Thank you once again for your enquiry….
Response from NE – Bowland Gull Cull 3
Well! I suppose I might accept their answer to the first question – I don’t want adversely to affect the course of justice, do I? But either NE have or haven’t given a consent… As far as the second answer is concerned (in the course of completion) – I don’t really believe…
Dear Natural England
Dear Natural England I’m planning to do some walking over grouse moors during the grouse shooting season and I came across your very useful website as I was trying to plan my trips. Living in Northamptonshire, my nearest grouse moors are in the Peak District National Park so that’s where I started my search. Your…
Those gulls again (Bowland Gull Cull 2)
The revelation towards the end of Friday afternoon that nesting Lesser Black-backed Gulls were being killed, perhaps under licence from Natural England, in the Forest of Bowland AONB has attracted a lot of comment on social media over the weekend. Natural England responded very quickly to say that they were investigating matters. The Forest…
Denton Wood – here’s another FC mess up!
I bet you don’t know much about Denton Wood do you? Neither did I until very recently even though it’s only about 20 minutes drive from my house. It’s an area of Ancient Woodland which has, like many in this area, conifers planted in it in the past, but many such woods are recovering as…