Manor Park, Old Malden Sunday November 25th

Continuing our foray into the borough of Kingston, the Environment Trust's 'Kingston Greenspace Volunteers' (now with their own Facebook page), descended on Manor Park in Old Malden to do a spot of woodland management.
Manor Park is a Green Flag park and a wonderful open space for the local community. There's plenty of woodland, including some younger plantations which are in need of a little attention. Our work site for the day, close the railway embankment, consists of oak, sweet chestnut, hawthorn, elder, alder, and ash. Despite concerns about ash die-back, which seems far more widespread than at first thought, the self-seeded ash saplings at Manor Park were growing much too close together which had resulted in all the trees becoming very tall and skinny. As such, a little thinning was called for to give the healthier specimens, of all species, a better chance to mature. This will also help to improve the age-structure of the woodland as new tree seeds germinate as a result of more light reaching the ground. Furthermore, this should also encourage wild flowers to germinate, which in turn will improve the insect and bird life within the woodland.
In terms of improving access for local people, this patch of woodland had become rather notorious (according to passing dog-walkers) as a haven for 'couples'. By opening up the woodland, and removing some collapsed wire fencing, more people will be encouraged to explore the wood and enjoy its tranquility, which should discourage anti-social behaviour. We also collected a bag of rubbish that was taken away for recycling. Unfortunately and bizarrely, the best and most mature portion of the woodland has been sold for private use, which may threaten the entire area. We hope the owner and Kingston Council will work to ensure that this valuable habitat is maintained for use by all and is not subject to inappropriate development. If nothing else, a toad that we disturbed will need to navigate its way back to the pond to breed in the spring.
There's still a lot to be done at Manor Park, including improving the nearby pond, so we hope to make a return visit soon, perhaps in February 2013.

 Ash trees tightly packed, with little light reaching the ground (September 2012).

 The team (left to right): John, Nicola, Gerrard, Cllr Ken Smith (St. James ward).

 John caught red-handed.

 Gerrard ('Oh, I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay...').

 A toad was rudely awoken when we removed the dilapidated wire fence. 

Click to hear toads in spring. 

 The thinned-out ash trees. They're still too close together, but we'll return to reassess the situation next year.

A new path leads walkers through the woodland. 

A nearby wall mural paints an interesting picture.

Tolworth Brook coppicing etc. Tuesday November 13th

As the Environment Trust's new Kingston project gathers pace, our volunteers returned to the Tolworth Brook to improve the area for people and wildlife. The Raeburn Avenue car park has a reputation amongst the local as somewhere that anti-social drinking etc. is a recognised issue. The aim of today's task was to open up the wooded areas a little, to improve sight lines and also to provide the young oak trees with more light and reduced competition from other shrubs.  Apparently, there used to be an open-air swimming pool on the car park site. While all trace of the pool has gone, the hazel trees, oaks and hawthorn planted on the fringes of the car park are all the same age. Consequently, the uncoppiced hazel has over-shaded the oak trees resulting in all the leaves sprouting from the top of the trees, rather than evenly on all sides. To improve this situation, surrounding hazel trees were coppiced (a traditional form of woodland management) to improve the health of the oaks and create a more diverse age structure. This form of management will also hopefully allow wildflowers to germinate which will benefit insects and thus birds. To help things along, a few wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa) rhizomes were planted.
As well as managing the young woodland, the group removed several large items of rubbish from the area, including an inflatable mattress and an old, and extremely heavy, boiler. Quadron Services, kindly provided a trailer to allow disposal of the rubbish.

 Coppicing will allow more light to reach the ground and encourage wildflowers to germinate.

A young oak tree is given more space to grow with extra light and reduced competition.

Kingston volunteers, Elliot and Dean, planting wood anemones.

The Trust's volunteer officer, Gerrard, puts his back into removing a lump of rusty metal.  

River Crane, Twickenham Rifle Club site Sunday November 11th

When the suggestion of a nature conservation task at a rifle club was suggested, it seemed like an unlikely proposition. However, the Twickenham Rifle Club site adjacent to the River Crane is a locally important undisturbed grassland, and together with a small area of woodland and the surrounding parkland, makes a valuable contribution to the habitat continuity along the river, and this is despite the heavily (and inappropriately) concreted section of the River Crane. The site was also formerly the location of watercress beds, but sadly long-since gone.
The Environment Trust teamed up with the Friends of the River Crane Environment to relay woodchip footpaths, trim hedges, paint over graffiti and pick up a mountain of rubbish.

 What a load of old rubbish - well done Patrick!

 The nicely woodchipped path, minus Special Brew cans.

 The low autumn sun reveals a network of cobwebs covering the damp grass.

 Quins fans, please take your unwanted flags home!

 Despite the glorious sunny afternoon, this isn't what a river should look like.

 The woodpecker bench with fresh wood chip.

Arches at the base of the wall are evidence of the former watercress beds. 

The sun sets on another day of  volunteering.

Wenlock's Olympic legacy.

Rhododendron removal at Kingston University Saturday 10th November

At Kingston University's Kingston Hill campus Rhododendron ponticum, planted for its attractive flowers that bloom in early spring, has been allowed to grow unchecked in the numerous woodland areas that surround the site. The plants spread vegetatively as well by seed, with each flower head producing between 3000-7000 seeds, meaning that each plant is capable of producing millions of seeds. When Rhododendron becomes dominant in an oak woodland, like the one at KU, it shades out native species with its dense evergreen foliage and produces a huge amount of leaf litter that adds to the problem. There is also some evidence to suggest that the soil chemistry is altered by the presence of Rhododendron, making the soil unsuitable for native plants to grow. Furthermore, the fungal pathogen Phytophera ramorum that causes sudden oak death, has also been associated with Rhododendron ponticum, which is just another reason for getting rid of it.
With this in mind a group of KU student volunteers, taking part in London Student Volunteering Fortnight, set to work with loppers, bowsaws and mattocks to rid the woodland of Rhododendron.

Plants were quickly cut down to size, with the height of those yet to be removed seen in the background.

Finally, the native oaks and birch trees have space to breathe.

After a day's work, the woodland is transformed.

River Thames Clean-up Saturday November 3rd

What a delight it was to see over 40 volunteers ready and eager to do their bit to clean up the River Thames near Richmond Bridge. So, it was with tremendous regret that the decision was made to send everyone home due to the water level being too high. On Wednesday when the site was visited to ensure the rubbish cages were in place and that there was something to clean up, it was possible to walk along the exposed foreshore to a large mound of rubbish that our group didn't manage to remove last year. The issue seems to have been not that the tide didn't go out far enough, but rather that the amount of rain in the upper reaches of the Thames in recent days has resulted in increased volumes of water coming downstream. Even referring to Environment Agency data, the picture is not very clear http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/WE_301012.pdf
The boys from Towerhouse, undaunted by the situation and determined to make a difference, set off along the towpath armed with black rubbish bags and later returned with quite an impressive haul. Meanwhile, Martine and her grandsons headed down the Surrey bank towards Ham House and collected four bags of rubbish.
The river clean up at Richmond is intended to not only clean up our section of the Thames, but also to support the work of the Marine Conservation Society  as they seek to reduce the amount of plastic litter in the sea and on beaches. The MCS have a number of litter campaigns: No Butts on the Beach!, Break the Bag Habit,  Go Plastic Bag Free, Bag It Bin It - Don't Flush, and Don't Let Go.

Support the setting up of Marine Proteced Areas around the UK by signing a plege here http://www.mcsuk.org/mpa/

The intention is to reschedule the Richmond clean up for Saturday December 1st, with a slightly later start time of 10.30am. The draw-off comes to an end on December 9th. 

Rubbish mound in the River Thames at Richmond Wednesday 31st October

Mudlark Vic hunts for treasure under Richmond Bridge 31st October

With the water level too high, the only thing left to do was to enjoy a spot of stone skimming. 

Tower House boys return with bags of rubbish collected along the towpath. 

An invasive Chinese mitten crab revealed under a rock.

Hindu deity Ganesha looking slightly the worse for wear on the foreshore.

Richmond Bridge looking fabulous in the sun, Nov. 3rd 2012.

Compare the 2012 scene with this view on Nov. 26th 2011.

Nov. 3rd 2012

Nov. 26th 2011

While this sky lantern landed in Kenton Recreation Ground, northwest London, many are believed to end up in the sea, where they are thought to pose a threat to wildlife. Next time Don't Let It Go!

See this shocking video of a seagull eating a plastic bag.

Let's help Richmond and Kingston Go Plastic Bag Free

Wildflower Meadow Creation at Marble Hill October 28th

Recently the Environment Trust attended an event entitled 'Living Landscapes' organised by Transition Town Kingston that aimed to highlight the plight of Britain's pollinators and the need for us all to do more to protect bees and other pollinators by planting native wildflowers. While some people may think such areas look untidy, it is exactly these 'untidy' places that are likely to provide suitable habitat for pollinators. These insects are crucial for ensuring that our food crops, fruit trees etc. are pollinated and produce the harvests to feed us all. It would be a disaster if we were to lose our pollinators, as has happened in some parts of China, as summarised in this news report http://www.apinews.com/en/news/item/12780-china-hand-pollination

With this in mind, the Environment Trust welcomed the opportunity to join English Heritage at Marble Hill Park to expand an area of native wildflowers. Despite a rather disappointing turnout, a small group of volunteers worked to prepare the ground for sowing wildflower seed. Wildflowers flourish on low-nutrient soil and without suitable management can quickly be smothered by aggressive grasses. Using special turf spades, an area of grass, including the nutrient-rich top soil, was removed. After raking the area, described as a 'wildfllower handkerchief' by one of our volunteers, the seed was mixed with sand to allow better distribution, and scattered. Temporary fencing now surrounds the area to protect the seed from curious dogs. Now we must wait until spring to see what germinates. The reason for sowing the seeds in autumn is to promote germination of those seeds that require temperatures close to zero to break their dormancy.

Robert uses a turf spade to prepare the ground for the wildflower seed. 

A snoozing toad (Bufo bufo) was rudely awoken and carefully relocated. 

This robin (Erithacus rubecula) appeared to have an injured wing, but it turned out to have been in a dispute over territory and was soon chased away by a competitor. 

Mussel shells, dropped by birds, reveal the link between the nearby River Thames and the wider landscape. 

Cup cakes were bought from T.A.P.E., a social enterprise set up by Portsmouth University students to support a community in northern India.  

The 'wildflower handkerchief' is ready for seed. 

John secures the protective fencing. 

Fewer volunteers is not necessarily a bad thing ...

Bulb Planting at Fishponds Park, Surbiton, 21st October

Fishponds Park is at the heart of the community in Surbiton and much-loved as a place to exercise dogs, feed the ducks and enjoy a little bit of nature. Now the Environment Trust and its new Kingston volunteers are helping to make the park even better for local people and wildlife. For our first event at Fishponds, the Trust's volunteers planted native bulbs in woodland close to the upper ponds to bring a splash of colour to this area of the park in the spring. Despite the rather gloomy autumn weather, the enthusiastic group had spring in mind and planted English bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) at the woodland edges, wild daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) and summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) in the grassland, and lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) at the pond edge. Of course, to complete the job the group also cleared litter from the park's nooks and crannies, and collected four full bags of assorted rubbish. Don't worry if you weren't able to join us on this occasion, we'll be back soon to help make Kingston's parks the places you would like them to be.

Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga) grows at the edge of the top pond. 

Muir Woods in California? No, Fishponds Park in Surbiton. 

It's thirsty work this bulb planting. 

A local family work together to plant wild daffodils. 

Common newts (Lissotriton vulgaris) were found nestling amongst the pond-side vegetation. 

Volunteers get busy planting English bluebells.

Crane Park habitat management October 14th

Mid-October and it's all go for the Enivronment Trust's voluteering section. Today, some of the Trust's volunteers joined the Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE) and The Conservation Volunteers down by the River Crane. The main task was to give a hedge planted a few years ago a bit of a 'hair cut'. By managing the hedge in this way, it'll become thicker and provide even better habitat for birds and other wildlife. As we were working, a couple of robins were spotted flitting between the branches, and then one cheeky bird sat within a few feet of us and sang its heart out to defend its territory. The hedge was thriving and bursting with guelder rose and spindle berries.

John gets to work giving the hedge its 'hair cut'. 

The team breaks for lunch and enjoys the sunny autumn weather. 

Fungi experts! By the side of a wetland scrape Lycoperdon depressum (?) was spotted. 

Saturday October 13th 'Living Landscapes - Making Space for Nature in the Urban Environment' with Transition Town, Kingston

The Environment Trust was represented at an event to encourage the planting of wild flowers and other pollinator-friendly gardening practices for the benefit of bees and butterflies, with one of our volunteers helping to promote the work of the trust. Speakers included Kathryn Lwin of River of Flowers (www.riverofflowers.org), Jacqui Weir of the RSPB, and Marie-Claire Edwards, Green Spaces Manager at Kingston Council. The Environment Trust will be joining forces with English Heritage at Marble Hill Park on Sunday October 28th 10-1, to help expand the park's wildflower meadow. See the calender to the right for details. Find out about Transition Town Kingston here.

It's not all back-breaking work ... why not volunteer with the Trust?

A river of flowers at the Olympic Park in September 2012, providing a valuable habitat corridor for pollinators and other wildlife.