River Thames Clean-up at Richmond, Saturday November 23rd, 2013

The Environment Trust's river clean ups are always a crowd-pleaser, and so it was again this year, with over 50 enthusiastic volunteers donning waders and braving the mud to help remove accumulated rubbish from the Thames foreshore.

Each year in November, Richmond Lock receives its annual service. This is only possible by leaving the lock open, which permits the natural tidal flow, and leaves the foreshore exposed a low tide.

The Port of London Authority provide metal cages which volunteers fill with all manner of rubbish, from the obvious plastic bags, bicycles, ice skates, to Hindu offerings.

Marymount International School and Tower House School joined other volunteers, with the boys from Tower House winning the prize for being the muddiest volunteers.

Despite working all morning, not all the rubbish was removed, with more being revealed as the tide receded. Sewage pollution was also again spotted just upstream of Richmond Bridge, which was reported to the Environment Agency in 2011, but still has not been rectified.

 

A sunny day greeted volunteers at Richmond Bridge. 

Thankfully, the tide receded further than last year.

Marymount girls tip-toe along the edge of the river as the tide goes out. 

Volunteers brave the mud and remove accumulated rubbish.

Boys from Tower House School win the muddiest volunteers competition. 

A pile of muddy rubbish is testament to the volunteers' enthusiasm.

Ganesha makes his usual appearance close to the bridge. 

Ever wondered what happened to all those 1970s Chopper bikes? 

Despite previous reports to the Environment Agency, sewage pollution is still evident close to Richmond Bridge, most likely a misconnected washing machine.

 

 

 

Heathland restoration, Hounslow Heath, November 21st and December 19th 2013

London used to be covered in vast areas of heathland. These places remained open as a result of grazing by livestock, and supported a diverse mix of plant and animal species, including reptiles, such as the adder. However, 80 per cent of lowland heath has been lost, much of it in the last 50 years.

Hounslow Heath is a remnant of the Forest of Staines and used to cover over 4,000 acres, including the area which is now occupied by Heathrow Airport. Hounslow Heath was formerly a hunting ground for Henry VIII, a military encampment occupied by 20,000 of Oliver Cromwell's troops during the English Civil War, and was known as one of the most dangerous places for travellers in Britain as a result of several notorious highwaymen and women, such as Claude Duval and Moll Cutpurse. In the early 20th Century Hounslow Heath was occupied by an airfield from where the first scheduled London to Paris flights took off. Gravel extraction took place at the Heath from the mid-20th century, which was later used as a landfill site for domestic waste.

Now the Heath consists of a patchwork of habitats from restored heathland, woodland, and acid grassland.

Heathland restoration has been going on since the late 1980s, which includes the use of grazing cattle. Heathland is characterised by low-nutrient soils, however, without grazing the heathland will revert to woodland. This is where volunteers come in.

The Environment Trust again teamed up with the Hounslow Council (Carillion Services) and the Conservation Volunteers to clear away birch, gorse and bramble scrub. 

Regenerating heather on Hounslow Heath. 

This is one that was prepared earlier. 

Volunteers remove gorse, birch and bramble scrub. 

The less common dwarf gorse (Ulex minor) is also present, and was retained.

Smothered by common gorse, heather begins to die. 

Steve tends the fire. Burning is the most efficient means of removing unwanted material. 

Pink shows the former extent of heathland in London. The purple dots show what remains. Hounslow Heath is the small dot at the extreme left of the picture.

Sunset over Hounslow Heath.

 

Thursday December 19th 2013

 

Today the Environment Trust and TCV returned to Hounslow Heath to continue the task of restoration.

Who would guess this is in west London?

Simon warms mince pies...

...which are subjected to 'quality' testing.

 

 

 

Kingston University, Saturday November 16th, 2013 and December 7th, 2013

It's always a pleasure when the Environment Trust teams up with the Kingston University Biodiversity Group as so many fascinating habitats can be found at the Kingston Hill campus. On this occasion, our combined efforts were devoted to maintaining the small pond. The volunteers worked to cut back sedges that were threatening to swallow the pond up again, plant a few yellow flag iris, create log piles for invertebrates and amphibians, and later turned our attentions to removing more rhododendron. After only a couple of seasons of rhododendron removal, the campus woodland is recovering from decades of darkness, and the sound of small birds can be heard amongst the oak and young hazel trees. We'll be back at Kingston Hill on December 7th for a full day of rhododendron removal work. Please join us, if you can.

Rachel from Kingston University, briefs volunteers.

Half the group donned waders and got to work removing encroaching sedges. 

In the afternoon, the group turned their attention to cutting back invasive rhododendron plants.

A bold fox surveys the pond. 

A puffball fungus (Lycoperdon depressum). 

Recovering woodland at Kingston Hill, minus Rhododendron ponticum.

Compared with this photograph from Nov. 2012, when the rhododendron was being cleared.

Nearby, a tree house has been toppled by the recent storm.

 

Rhododendron Clearance Saturday December 7th, 2013

 

Environment Trust and Kingston Biodiversity Group volunteers work to remove invasive rhododendron plants from the Kingston Hill Campus. 

Kingston Biodiversity Group volunteers getting into the festive spirit.  

Volunteers stand triumphant after digging out a massive rhododendron root.

 

 

 

Tree planting, Manor Park, New Malden, Saturday November 9th, 2013

For the second year in a row, Environment Trust volunteers have helped to increase the tree cover in Kingston to provide additional habitat for wildlife, and to help tackle the effects of climate change, and at Manor Park, our efforts will help to offset the destruction of a piece of woodland by a inconsiderate private landowner. Volunteers from Marymount International School, Kingston, and Tower House School, Sheen, helped plant over 200 new trees to supplement existing woodland. This will help to consolidate the existing woodland, and will also hopefully ensure that the new trees are less vulnerable than the trees that were planted at Churchfields Recreation Ground in November 2012. A short section of hedge was also planted along the perimeter fence, to screen out the railway embankment, although it'll take several years before the plants are large enough to do this effectively. Eventually, it is hoped that this section of hedge may be laid.

Students from Tower House School, Sheen, plant trees at Manor Park. 

Girls from Marymount International School brave the rain to add another tree. 

It's all about teamwork.

The end result will improve this rather patchy woodland. 

The Tower House boys also planted a short section of hedge.

Churchfields Recreation Ground, Tuesday November 5th, 2013

The Kingston Greenspace Volunteers last visited the hazel coppice at Churchfields Recreation Ground in Chessington back in March. On that occasion two hazel trees were coppiced to create a greater diversity in the age structure of the woodland, to revive a traditional form of woodland management, and to improve the woodland for wildlife. On this occasion, despite the rain, we spent the morning coppicing another two hazel trees, and to prepare hazel poles for future hedge repair work at St. Mary's Church.

With funding secured from Kingston Council, we'll be back at the coppice in February 2014, to continue working with the local community to improve this site for wildlife.

Elliot coppices hazel. 

The finished result is neat coppice stools, with stools cut in March 2013 in the background.

Osterley Park wood, Hounslow, Saturday November 2nd, 2013

Today marked a first, as we worked with the National Trust at Osterley Park. Our task to help improve a narrow stretch of young woodland planted alongside the M4, probably at least 25-30 years ago. The wood consists mainly of oak, field maple, and hawthorn trees, with few cherry laurel. By planting a few extra species, such as rowan, hazel, birch and blackthorn, the hope is that the woodland will become ecologically more valuable. As well as planting a few trees, we also planted some bluebell and wild narcissus bulbs. Some of the laurel plants were also cut back to allow more light into the woodland, and old redundant tree guards were collected up. 

Students from Marymount School work in teams to plant the trees. 

A dead tree is removed.

Volunteers look for suitable spots to plant trees.

Old tree guards were collected ...

... and recycled to protect the next generation. 

Laurel trees were cut back to allow more light into the woodland.

A 30-metre high ash tree clearly has no need for its old tree guard.

Osterley Park is a remnant of rural Middlesex. 

An old gate post indicates the position of a long-lost field margin.

Taken in August 2013, it's hard to believe this field on the edge of Osterley Park is in Hounslow. 

The Osterley Park estate is bisected by the noisy M4, with the high-rises of the Heston Farm Estate visible in the distance.

Nearby at Osterley Fields, an old apple tree reminds us that this area used to be occupied by orchards. (This area may be threatened by development in the future. Help us protect this special open space for the local community).