AONB Unit
Activities
The National Landscape worked jointly with Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust to develop a bid to Lancashire Environmental Fund called Bowland Haytime Rescue, which continues the hay meadow restoration work established back in 2012. This project focuses on collecting seed and propagating late-flowering species by volunteers to be planted out at selected meadows, alongside continuation field-scale hay meadow restoration. A new project officer, Carol Edmondson, was recruited by YDMT (working in the National Landscape office) to deliver the project over 14 months to October 2019.
By April 2019 seed of 5 scarce hay meadow species were collected and propagated, with seed added to the collection at Kew Millennium seed bank, Wakehurst, and further plug plants being produced by Kew from seed collected in Bowland. These plug plants will be planted in appropriate hay meadows and roadside verges for enhancement
This project aims to identify a minimum of 3 threatened hay meadow species; propagate & bolster species numbers in their historic locations through plug planting.
Working with LERN and Lancashire Botany Group on historic records of floral species, and previously identified declining species; 5 suitable species were identified: Globe flower, melancholy thistle, bird's eye primrose, saw wort and dyers' greenweed. These are species with a sustainable source for seed collection within the Forest of Bowland.
The seed has been propagated by volunteers with a view to planting plug plants out by September 2019.
This project aims to identify a minimum of 3 threatened hay meadow species; collect & propagate seed to bolster species numbers in their historic locations through plug planting.
Working with LERN and Lancashire Botany Group on historic records of floral species, and previously identified declining species; 5 potential species were identified: globe flower, melancholy thistle, bird's eye primrose, saw wort, and dyers' greenweed.
The seed has been collected and propagated by volunteers with a view to planting plug plants out by September 2019.
Additional re-profiling and re-wetting followed by reseeding on area already fenced out on Hawthornthwaite, Abbeystead.
During the 2017/18 season nine hedge laying sessions took place involving 38 people with a total of 424m of hedge laid between four sites:
Crook O'Lune, Lancaster - 91m
Fell View Campsite, Scorton - 136m
Higher Gills Farm, Rimington - 115m
Lane Side Farm, West Bradford - 82m
Encouragingly, the sessions attracted a mix of regular volunteers alongside some new faces. Some people traveled a considerable distance to attend the days, which reflects the value these sessions are given.
The weather was particularly snowy/wet during the early part of 2018, which resulted in a number of sessions being cancelled and re-scheduled.
Poor weather also led to the cancellation of this year's Bowland Hedge Laying Competition, which is organised by the Lancashire and Westmorland Hedge Laying Association.
Peatland restoration work on the Bowland Fell SSSI units (those which are unfavourable recovering) is ongoing as budgets allow. In the autumn of 2015, EA budget was identified and allocated to Brown Syke, Abbeystead. By the end of March 2016, the works to reseed the already re-profiled bare peat and hags will have been completed. Tender specs produced by National Landscape staff, project managed by LCC staff, reporting to EA by National Landscape staff.
During March we organised two workshops, attended by 20 Bowland Experience businesses – 'Star Tips for Profit', helping tourism businesses to gear up to provide an unforgettable dark sky experience for customers. The workshops, held at Wyreside Lakes Fishery and Stirk House Hotel, were delivered by local astronomer Robert Ince who has also helped the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park develop their offering and was the resident astronomer at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory for its early phases. Working with Robert, the Forest of Bowland is currently applying for Dark Sky Discovery Site status for a number of sites across the National Landscape, so visitors can view the skies at their best! Visit http://forestofbowland.com/Star-Gazing
- Discover Bowland Guide 2015, published and launched 11th Feb at Gibbon Bridge, supported by BEx businesses
- Gisburn Forest Bike Trails leaflet reprinted - March 2015 - supported by BEx businesses & Forestry Commission
- Bowland by Bike reprinted - March 2015
During the summer of 2014 & 2015, large amounts of Himalayan Balsam were pulled from the hedges and edges of Clear Beck Meadow. It was reported that less was in evidence in 2015 than in 2014, but the location of the site next to a water course mewans that this needs to be an ongoing management action. The work was undertaken by National Landscape, LCC & NE staff together with members of Friends of Bowland.
An assessment is needed as to the next steps of restoration - soil compaction has been identified as a problem.
Annual Report for the financial year 2014-15 produced and available on the National Landscape website.
The N4N project aimed to help create a living network of nectar hubs for bees and other pollinating invertebrates across the National Landscape by creating small patches of species rich grassland and corn field annual patches, mainly on non-farmed land such as in school grounds, businesses and community spaces.
The project created 25 nectar patches, 7 mini-meadows and worked at a field scale to restore 35 ha of meadows as well. The project worked with 10 community groups, 6 private landowners, 10 businesses and 5 schools. We organised 12 public events, attracting 170 people.
The Bowland Hay Time project has restored 35 ha of meadows during 2014 & 2015. This has been possible through partnership working with the N4N project, LEF, the Coronation Meadows project, NE and YDMT. We used green hay and brush harvested seed, as well as plug planting on several sites.
In 2016 we restored 20 ha with a further 11ha in 2017, all using green hay, brush harvested and vacuumed seed. Sites included SSSIs (New Ings and Tarnbrook) in need of seed addition.
In 2018 a further 3 meadows of feild scale restoration were completed through Bowland Haytime