It’s been a busy first quarter of the third year of the NIYN project. Spring and summer seasonal surveys were carried out at the Keele monitored sites of Ladderedge, Cecilly Brook LNR, Haregate Verge (Swifts), Biddulph Country Park, Tean Jubilee Park, Grindon and Rudyard Lake. Surveys were also undertaken at the community led sites at Ball Haye Recreation Ground, King’s Coronation Meadow (Longnor) and Endon Verge (A53). Many surveys were supported by MCA members.
The Westwood Recreation Ground and Hollington Road sites also did their Summer surveys. In both cases these surveys involved pupils from the local schools which is encouraging to see, as is the involvement of local community members at other sites.
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust continued to run training sessions associated with the site management aspects of the project. In mid-July, for example, a scything workshop was held at Cecilly Brook LNR which was attended by MCA members as well as representatives from the ‘Friends Of’ group. The session was led by two ladies from Staffordshire and Cheshire Scythers who took the group through the preparation stages of peening (sharpening) the blade, the correct way to set up the snath and nibs and finally the skilful art of scything itself when the group got to practice on a section of the wildflower meadow on the reserve. The training certainly came in useful as within a few days the skills were needed when volunteers mowed the Haregate Verge.
We were glad to see that SWT has produced No Mow signs that contain the official Highways logo. SMDC’s contractors have also taken away cuttings which will help reduce the fertility of the soil and encourage greater numbers of wildflowers in future years.
As usual MCA continued to promote the NIYN project with information boards and displays at HUG Festival, Leek Show and Cheadle’s Party in the Park. One notable feature of the engagements at the events was the number of attendees from outside of the Staffordshire Moorlands who wanted to undertake similar biodiversity enhancing activities in their own areas and were going to follow the NIYN project for inspiration.