Task Reports, July - December 2003

JULY 2003

Sunday 6th

Whitewebbs Park

Today the group continued with the post and rail fencing alongside the Mile and a Quarter footpath – another of ECV’s ongoing projects. Six volunteers attended, and despite the hot weather good progress was made with both fencing and wiring. Only a few metres reamin to be done on the stretch perpendicular to Whitewebbs Lane, but, as the name implies, there is plenty more footpath to be attended to.

Steve Mathieson

Sunday 20th

Forty Hall

The fishing lakes at the northern end of Forty Hall by Turkey Brook are fed by a man made stream that runs partly parallel to Turkey Brook. The de-silting of the stream was ECV’s task for the day. Ten volunteers had turned up on 22nd June including four students from Latymer School. Fine silt about two feet thick needed some specialised techniques to remove it. The method used was to wear waders and shovel the silt out onto the banks. The silt is left on the bank to allow any creatures that may exist in it to return to the stream. As the water got deeper it was clear there are fish and frogs living there. A mud rake with the tines covered also proved useful in depositing mud on the bank.

Eight people were mad enough to return on 20th July to continue the task. With the basic techniques established a large section of the stream was de-silted. The task is not completed another joyful day will be required here to finish it.

John Mayo

AUGUST 2003

Sunday 3rd

Forty Hall

No report available.

Robin Herbert

Sunday 17th

Grovelands Park

Woodland Clearance - Another task tackling ECV’s number one pest. A day Sycamore bashing was the order of the day. The wooded area at the north eastern end of the park contains many fine native trees and shrubs. However the presence of small sycamore trees could put the other trees under threat of being swamped if allowed to get bigger. Seven volunteers spent the day removing sycamore trees. The remaining stumps were grubbed out where possible to stop any re-growth. This will always be an ongoing task due the invasive nature of Sycamore.

John Mayo

Sunday 31st

Whitewebbs Park

Forty Hall had staffing problems and this task had to be cancelled.

SEPTEMBER 2003

Sunday 14th

Trent Country Park

On Sunday 14th September, we returned to the Nature Trail woodland in Trent Country Park to resume our battle against the ever-invasive sycamore.

Because of late holidays and other commitments, our regular workforce was reduced to only 5; we were fortunate, however, to have two extra pairs of hands – those of Glen the temporary Ranger who was leading the task, and his father, who had been out for a walk and been misguided enough to wander over to see how we were getting on! Father and son pitched in with a will and by the end of the day we had between us cut down a number of sycamore and winched out many of the stumps.

On the following Wednesday and Thursday, our sister group, Groundforce, took over, felling several more trees and winching out the stumps which, as is usual with sycamore, were reluctant to give up without a struggle! They also had a huge bonfire and managed to get rid of all of the brashings, which ECV had been unable to dispose of on the Sunday, along with much of the brambles and other scrub surrounding the meadow area where we were operating. As the result of our combined efforts, the meadow has been substantially increased in size and, for the present, the threat of further encroachment by the sycamore has been lifted.

For ECV, this does not mean the end of sycamore clearance in the Nature Trail Woodland; there are many more trees elsewhere and further visits are likely, if not this year, then in 2004. We look forward to the healthy exercise!

Bob Phillips

Sunday 28th

Grovelands Park

ECV’s boardwalk project in Grovelands began in July 2001 and today was to see the completion of the work. The boardwalk was built along a section of a popular path though the woods which was rather spoiled for walkers in winter by becoming deep in slushy ooze. On the other hand, the volunteers thought nostalgically of the soft mud of another season as solid chunks of baked clay yielded reluctantly to blows from the mattock. Eventually channels were dug deep enough to fit in the last few railway sleepers, which were then staked firmly in place. Finally, planks were nailed perpendicularly across the two parallel lines of sleepers to form the walkway.

The seven volunteers who worked on this final day of the project were able to look back on some fifty metres of boardwalk as it undulated its way gracefully between the trees. A robust and elegant construction; now all that’s needed is some rain to make it worthwhile.

Steve Mathieson

OCTOBER 2003

Sunday 12th

Covert Way Local Nature Reserve

The border between the boroughs of Enfield and Barnet in Hadley Woods has long had a physical barrier, as shown by the remnants of a hedge-bank and ditch abutting the Covert Way nature reserve. More recently, LB Enfield’s Groundforce Countryside Conservation Volunteers constructed a dew hundred metres of past and wire fencing to prevent incursion into the reserve by off-road motorcycles.

Posts had loosened and wire slackened over time and todays task was to begin repairs to reinstate the barrier. Several sections of fence were in need of attention; far more than could be accomplished in a day. So the team selected one end of the line, where the fence rather petered out before it reached bushes. There were not enough fence posts to close the gap, but fortunately there was a row of medium sized hawthorns which were crying out to be laid as a hedge.

While two volunteers laid into the hawthorn, the rest of the group restrutted the end straining post before restraining the last run of wire. Then another straining post was dug in and a further short stretch of fencing made to overlap with the newly laid hedge. Although there were no heathers available to bind the top of the hedge, it made a thick and thorny barrier and the ??? volunteers were well satisfied with the days progress.

Our spies tell us that the Groundforce volunteers have since this date completed repairs, restoring the whole length of fence to its original specifications.

Steve Mathieson

Sunday 26th

Forty Hall

No report available.

No author

NOVEMBER 2003

Sunday 9th

Tatem Park

A new site for ECV to get stuck into. An existing pond had been screened with some blackthorn and hawthorn bushes. The bushes had grown enough to warrant some TLC. Five members set about creating a layed hedge. Some work on the existing upright bush stems resulted in pleachers lying at the correct angle. Stakes were melled in to assist in keeping the pleachers in place. The resulting hedge was held in place with Hazel heathering. A good days work made a nice hedge that will grow into a living screen around the pond. This will help wildlife in the surrounding area as well as improving the bushes.

John Mayo

Sunday 23rd

Grovelands Park

Due to persistent rain all weekend, the area was considered too dangerous to work in, so the task was cancelled.

DECEMBER 2003

Sunday 7th

Trent Country Park

As this report sheet needs to be circulated with the new programme, this report is yet to be compiled.

Sunday 14th

Xmas Social

The plan is to walk from the North along the New River to Enfield town for a pub lunch.