All posts by David Pottinger

Making A Splash With The Clearwater Cash

Conservation, Fund Raising, People

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Cathy Holden writes:

When the Executive Committee of the Fleet Pond Society unveiled the ‘Clearwater Campaign’ at its AGM in 2010 little did the members realise how successful it would be. The Clearwater Campaign’s main aim was to raise community awareness of the desperate situation Fleet Pond was in after years of silt build-up, but also to raise funds.

The funds are intended to pay for projects not included in the major Restoration works funded by grants obtained by The Environment Agency (EA), Natural England (NE), and Hart District Council; although CC funds (of more than £20,000) have boosted some of this work.

Members of the Society and the local community have been extremely supportive of and generous to the campaign. In just over four years this campaign has enabled the Society to both gain funding for projects, and fund a range of projects itself to the value of £51,898.

Nick in Burford on 15th July 2010
Nick Keeley in Burford on 15th July 2010

There were several sponsored events by supporters of the Society, however three are deserved of special mention:

  • Nick Keeley, Society Treasurer, cycled from Fleet to Liverpool and back.
  • Committee member Mandy Saxby did a 24 hour continuous walk round the Pond.
  • Society President, Colin Gray did a 21 mile sponsored walk around the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the local area.

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Mandy Saxby with Colin Gray

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Colin Gray at Elvetham Heath during his 21 mile walk, together with Nick Keeley

The major dredging work has now finished for the season and it is important to point out how the money raised through the Campaign so far has been spent on a variety of smaller important projects as a part of the restoration:

  • The construction of an island specifically as a breeding area for terns and black-headed gulls. The hope is that NE permission will be obtained for a second island given the remarkable breeding success on Clearwater Island of both species; 104 black-headed gull chicks were ringed this spring.
  • The relocation of reeds into the extended reedbeds has enlarged the sanctuary for wildfowl and small mammals.
  • The new culvert in the Coldstream Glade area which enables water to flow more effectively through the rerouted stream, meaning that less silt goes into the Pond.
  • The newly created fish exclusion zone will allow water plants to return, helping to improve the clarity of the water as well as providing cover and protection for tiny water creatures.

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The new and very popular Pond Dipping Platform

New structures have been provided through the campaign. The very popular Pond Dipping platform, paid for by the Fleet Morning Townswomen’s Guild and the accessible viewing platform on the eastern edge of the Pond, ‘Lions’ View’ generously paid for by Fleet Lions. Both these donations were made as a result of the Clearwater Campaign.

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Appreciating the magnificent vista from the Lions’ View

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Volunteers installing one of the new wooden benches

Visitors can now spot new benches around the pathways of the reserve, provided through money raised in the campaign. More practical items have also been funded such as stock fencing.

The Fleet Pond Society works in partnership with the Countryside Rangers of Hart District Council to guarantee that Fleet Pond Nature Reserve remains the wonderful natural habitat that it is today, to be enjoyed by all – so the ‘Clearwater Campaign’ continues, but money will now be raised for individually named projects when required.

If this article interests you, you may wish to consider joining Fleet Pond Society to help support our future activities (see here for details on how to do this). For further information about the Society, please take a look at the FPS website, our Facebook page or numerous articles on this blog.

Butterflies And Wildflowers

People, Plants and Animals
Painted Lady
Painted Lady butterfly on Bell heather at Dry Heath

David Pottinger writes:

With the glorious bout of good weather, many readers will doubtless be taking walks round the Pond, partly for the tranquility and also for the coolness!

Whilst going round the Pond, it’s interesting to try to identify any butterflies and wildflowers seen along the way. Fortunately, members of Fleet Pond Society (FPS) have written a fascinating series of articles on these topics that you might find interesting and helpful.

Peter Martin, who is the President of FPS, has written quite a few butterfly posts that have proven to be very popular. Here are two examples:

Butterflies Around The Pond – Have You Seen Any?

Extract:

“Although over 30 different species of butterfly have been recorded at Fleet Pond, some may not be easily seen as they tend to stay in the areas in which they bred.

Westover Road – Speckled Wood: Where the path starts at the end of Westover Road towards Wood Lane there are patches of bramble which, when in flower, provide a good nectar source for the Speckled Wood. This is a butterfly that likes areas dappled with sun and shade and it is most noticeable when settled on bramble with its wings wide open. As it has several generations, it can be seen from March until September.”

Butterflies At The Pond – 2013

Extract (Butterfly Of The Month: August – The Gatekeeper):

“Due to its habit of frequenting hedgerows, this butterfly was, at one time, known as the “Hedge Brown”. In even earlier years, it was called “Hedge Eye” and also “Small Meadow Brown”.

Depending upon the weather, the first butterflies usually begin to emerge from their chrysalides during mid-July, but August is the month when I have seen the greatest number. They are fairly common and the best place for seeing them at Fleet Pond Nature Reserve is probably between the Dry Heath and the Railway.

Ragwort, Fleabane, Marjoram and Buddleia are good nectar sources, as this butterfly’s proboscis is fairly short, but its favourite is probably Bramble.”

In addition, Michelle Salter, who is the Secretary of FPS, has written a wonderfully illustrated series of articles on some of the wildflowers that can be seen around the Pond at different times of the year, see:

Keep An Eye Out For These Attractive Flowers

Extract for the month of July (originally published in 2009, prior to the changes at the Pond):

“Walking through the Dry Heath, I took a photo of a Painted Lady butterfly (see above) resting on one of the many patches of purple Bell heather currently in flower there. Native to dry heathland, Bell heather is an evergreen shrub that is attractive to a wide range of insects, including bees and butterflies.

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Lichen on Dry Heath

Growing in spongy tufts between the swathes of colourful heather is bushy lichen. Commonly found in drier areas of heathland, the pale green stems make a stark contrast to the rich colours of the surrounding heather.

Yellow Loosestrife
Yellow Loosestrife by Hemelite Bay jetty

There are always plenty of wildflowers to be found along the stretch of footpath parallel to the railway line, and the golden flowers of Yellow loosestrife are presently adding splashes of colour to the water’s edge. Found in moist habitats such as marshes, fens and stream sides, the spikes of yellow flowers provide a plentiful supply of pollen for bees.”

Picture credits: Michelle Salter.

 

 

A Winning Place At The Carnival Procession

Events, Fund Raising, Photography

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Driving the FPS float in the busy procession

David Pottinger writes:

Here are some photos of the Fleet Pond Society (FPS) contribution to the Carnival Procession held in Fleet last Saturday, 6 July 2014. THe FPS float won first place in the Walking category (see also photo below).

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 Displaying the winners shield for first place in the Walking category

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The FPS crew, waiting for the procession to start

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 The FPS float in all it’s glory

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The winning World Wide Web theme

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 Jim Storey, FPS Committee Member, as I’ve never seen him before!

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The float in it’s construction phase – weaving the world wide web

Picture credits: top (Get Hampshire), Colin Gray (second down and bottom) with all others courtesy of Michelle Salter.