Standing up for Nature
Following my blog ‘first’ thing this morning here is some more information on the damage that burning does to blanket bogs. Martin Harper’s blog today expands on the RSPB’s thinking about burning of blanket bog. More details of the RSPB’s complaint to the EU over the management (they clearly regard it as mis-management, as did…
The RSPB is getting stroppy about burning of blanket bogs – I like that. Burning heather on a rotation of 7-20 years is part of the industrialisation of the upland landscape of parts of the UK. The main reason for doing it is to produce totally unnaturally high densities of Red Grouse which can then…
Natural England are in a bit of a mess over the uplands – you might say they have been bogged down. NE had to dump their vision for the uplands of England because landowners – perhaps including their Minister at the time (Richard Benyon) – didn’t like it. They went back to basics and looked…
If you look at the Ordnance Survey map at grid reference SD 944344 – use this link. Can you see that there is an unnamed stream (a watercourse) between one called Foul Sike (to the north) and another called Waterfall Syke (to the south)? Here it is these days – looks a bit like a…
Rumour has it that NE and Defra are both in a tizzy over a few photographs of moorlands on this blog. So, let’s have some more of them. These are all, I’m told (as I have never been there myself) from Walshaw Moor. To check the grid references use this link. …
Dear Natural England This is a request under the EI Regs and/or Freedom of Information Act. It is a simple request for copies of three documents. It is not a difficult request to fulfill. Please send me the information within 10 working days of this request, ie by 20 September 2013. This request refers to…
Here are a few points on Defra’s response to the RSPB’s complaint to the EU Commission in the Walshaw Moor affair (see blog of 12 noon today). 1. Five tracks, five car parks, two ponds dug out of the peat, earthworks? 2. Some of the alleged damage may not ultimately be restored. 3. NE has…
Further to this morning’s post, here is the information levered out of Defra on their response to the EU Commission regarding the RSPB complaint to the EU over the Walshaw Moor affair and its implications. WMEL below refers to the Walshaw Moor Estate Limited. I will post my early thoughts on this, here, at 1500…
Received late on Monday night: INTERNAL REVIEW: RESPONSE TO THE EU COMMISSION FOLLOWING THE RSPB’S COMPLAINT REGARDING WALSHAW MOOR Thank you for your email of 8 July, appealing against Defra’s decision to withhold Defra’s response to the EU commission and for the level of service received. Your case has been reviewed by the Information Standards…