Two Bird Walks At The Pond This Sunday

Walks

This is a reminder that Peter Hutchins will be leading two bird walks this coming Sunday (16 December) at Fleet Pond Nature Reserve. Both are free to attend and newcomers are very welcome.

The meeting place for both walks will be the car park on the north-eastern side of Fleet Pond (SU824553 OS Landranger map 186) – see here.

Morning walk, starting at 10:00 am with members of the RSPB

Afternoon walk, starting at 2:00 pm with members of Hampshire Ornithological Society (HOS).

Please see a previous post for full details.

Important – Consultation On Amenities At Fleet Pond

Conservation

Hart District Council have recently prepared, with the help of an independent researcher, a ‘Fleet Pond Customer Needs Report’. The Steering Group for this report includes the Environment Agency, Fleet Pond Society (FPS), Hart District Council, and Natural England.

The objectives of this report are:

  • To identify areas of potential improvements to the visitor experience (at Fleet Pond)
  • To produce designs and visualisations of potential improvements
  • To provide cost estimates against improvements and components
  • To invite comment on these ideas, and submission of others.

Some of the ideas for improvements to the amenities suggested by the consultants for Fleet Pond are radical departures from the current situation, which FPS feels are inappropriate for a nature reserve. Consequently FPS encourages all interested readers to read through this document and to respond to Hart with their own views.

Any decisions made may have a lasting consequence so now is the time to raise any issues you may have.

Hard copies of the report will be available to the public in Fleet Library and the Fleet Civic Offices from 7th December. It is also available for download here.

The consultation will take place from 7th December 2012 to 20th January 2013.

Hart District Council will analyse all responses to this report and, taking these views into account, then create a visitor strategy for Fleet Pond Nature Reserve covering the next few years.

You can respond to the consultation by emailing: countryside@hart.gov.uk

Alternatively you can post your responses to:

Fleet Pond Visitor Strategy Consultation,
Leisure and Environmental Promotion
Civic Offices, Harlington Way,
Fleet, Hampshire, GU51 4AE

Hart would be grateful if you could highlight the paragraph or page that you are referring to in order for them to see your comments in context.

If you would like to discuss any of the matters raised with FPS directly, prior to responding, please contact the FPS Chairman, Colin Gray, who would be delighted to hear your views and comments.

Contact details: phone 01252 616183 or email Colin Gray.

Sunday Volunteer Task – 9 December 2012

Conservation, Volunteering

Colin Gray writes:

“The task for Sunday 9h December will be dependent on water levels but if there is no heavy rain before Sunday we will be working in the Northern (or Hemelite) Reedbed. There are more alder and sallow saplings around the edges of the reedbed to remove and a lot of cut reed to burn. Again the weather will dictate if a fire is possible.

We need a northerly, westerly or north westerly wind to carry the smoke across the pond. A southerly or south-easterly wind would carry smoke over the railway line which would be a danger to trains and very unpleasant to passengers on Fleet Station. If all the weather signs are in our favour a good fire will give us the opportunity to bake a few potatoes.

So please keep fingers and toes crossed for favourable weather!”

Meeting arrangements:

We meet at the Countryside Workshop, Old Pump House Close (next to 65 Kenilworth Road) at 9.00 a.m. for a 9.15 start. Signposted directions to the site are available if anyone comes late.

Volunteers will need old clothing, waterproof if rain is expected, protective gloves and wellington boots (we have a supply of gloves and boots if you do not own these).

Current volunteers comprise a wide range of ages of both genders. We’re a very friendly bunch and we’re always keen to receive new volunteers, including students on the Duke of Edinburgh and Trident schemes.

Further details are available from:

Task Co-ordinator:
Colin Gray at 01252 616183 or colin@fleetpondsociety.co.uk
or
Task Leader:
David Buckler at 01252 521282 or david.buckler@talktalk.net

Warning – Temporary Unpleasant Odours At The Pond

Conservation

2012-12-04_13-24-48

Colin Gray writes:

“The contractors have started work on the two large temporary islands in Brookly Bay (see pictures above and below). Once built, these islands will be used to store further extracted silt until it dries sufficiently to be removed by barge to Boathouse Corner and then transported to Bramshot Wood for use in a heathland restoration project.

The extensive silt dredging in Brookly Bay will stir up a lot of methane and other unpleasant smelling gases which have been forming in the rotting vegetation that makes up most of the silt in Brookly Bay.  These are harmless but will create unpleasant smells for visitors. The prevailing westerly wind should ensure most of this smell will be carried away across the Pond but an easterly or south-easterly wind could carry these smells over residents in Brookly Gardens, Avondale Road and adjacent roads. Warning notices and leaflets for local residents are being prepared.

The stakeholders in the Fleet Pond Restoration Programme (Hart District Council, Fleet Pond Society, Natural England and the Environment Agency) would like to apologise to local residents for any unpleasantness they suffer over the next month or two while the silt is dredged and left to dry.”

This issue has also been communicated on the Countryside Service Blog.

If you require more information, please email the Countryside Rangers at countryside@hart.gov.uk or phone 01252 623443.

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Photo credits: Colin Gray

Walks With Buggies – Fleet Pond

Walks

I came across an interesting article on the ‘Walks With Buggies‘ site (picture above) that features Fleet Pond Nature Reserve (select the Region Hampshire). The description of the walk is usefully detailed and the walk itself gets a 5 out of 5 rating!

The web site was set up because:

Marie and her family live in the beautiful county of Dorset. Marie founded the idea while walking in the Peak District in May 2007. She became increasingly frustrated with the lack of freely available information on walks suitable for those with access challenges and after some research decided to create www.walkswithbuggies.com

The site has been mentioned in The Sunday Times as well as BBC News.

Here’s a brief extract from the description of the walk round the Pond:

Walk to the end of this car park area and you will come to the road that you drove in on. Turn left and in front of you will see a trail marked with a red, blue and yellow post.

Walk along here on a compact path and you will come to a large lake. In front of you is a viewing area. This is the start and end of this circular walk. You need to make sure you take note of this place or you could miss your turning back to the car park at the end of the walk.

Turn right here and follow the yellow and blue trail, which is a walk around the lake. You will come to some steps on your left that leads up to the station. Walk past these and you will come to a small hump wooden bridge. This has a small lip on and off it.

The article on the pond walk was written in 2007 and there have been numerous improvements to the accessibility of the pond since then, including better bridges.

If you’ve taken a buggy around the pond recently, we’d be interested to hear your views (please leave a comment below).

Picture credit: here (taken from the web site above).