Category Archives: Events

Volunteer Event This Sunday, 11 January

Events, Volunteering

David Pottinger writes:

There will be a volunteer event this Sunday, 11 January at Fleet Pond.

Why not come along for some fresh air and exercise, as well as having the nice feeling that you’re doing something really useful for the local community?

For further information and booking (which is essential as tools and resources have to be planned beforehand), please contact Hart Countryside Services:

Phone: 01252 623443
Email: countryside@hart.gov.uk

The tasks are supervised by Rachel Jones of Hart Countryside Rangers together with members of Fleet Pond Society (FPS).

For this task, Colin Gray, FPS Chairman, writes:

“Wishing you all a very happy New Year. I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas. The task for Sunday 11th January will be back on the Dry Heath, near the reserve car park. More birch to cut and clear and lots of cut material to make a sizeable bonfire!

You might like to know that our local RSPB members group, N E Hampshire RSPB, is holding an event for the Big Garden Birdwatch over the weekend 24/25th January. Volunteers from NEH RSPB will be at Fleet Pond on the same Sunday 11th January from 10.00 am. to 2 p.m. to advertise the event and have lots of information for people to see. They will have a gazebo at Boathouse Corner and will have set up telescopes and binoculars on Lions’ View. Even if you cannot join the work on the Dry Heath I am sure the RSPB volunteers would like to meet you.”

Out of interest, here are some pictures of a similar volunteer event from January 2014.

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Hart Hits The High Spot Once Again

Events, Miscellaneous

_79860873_c9ca5f08-6b2a-44cd-bc97-8b43b9d57661Hart boasts the county’s largest freshwater lake – Fleet Pond

From the BBC News (England) site, yesterday:

The most desirable place to live in the UK has been named as Hart in Hampshire.

The district’s residents were found to be the healthiest and live the longest, with a high employment rate.

Surrey’s Elmbridge and Winchester in Hampshire came second and third on the annual Halifax quality of life survey’s top 50 list.

It was dominated by areas in south east England, and Hambleton, Yorkshire, was the only place in northern England to make the list at number 50.

The survey looked at factors including life expectancy, crime rates, education and weather.

It is the fourth year in a row that Hart has topped the list.

Hart, which is centred on the town of Fleet, boasts vast open spaces of heathland and woodland, as well as the county’s largest freshwater lake.

More than 97% of residents report being in good health, and the average weekly wage is £839 – one third more than the UK average of £629.

Employment rate is also high, with four out of five 16 to 64 year olds in work.

Life expectancy in Hart is the joint highest in the UK along with South Cambridgeshire, with the male population typically living to the age of 83.

However, Hart residents pay a premium to live there as the average house price is nearly seven-and-a-half times the typical local annual income.

…

The report, which is the ninth Halifax has produced, uses statistics from various sources including the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Met Office.

Great that they had a picture of Fleet Pond (above) at the top of the article 🙂

For relaxation and well-being, why not take a walk around the Pond over the festive period?

A Shocking Time For Fish At The Pond

Events, People, Plants and Animals

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DCXHfoWROA&w=560&h=315]

Geoff Dee, Committee Member of Fleet Pond Society (FPS), writes:

As part of the Fleet Pond Restoration Project a fish exclusion zone was proposed on the western edge of the pond to the north of the Chestnut Grove landing stage. A permeable curtain is used which allows free flow of water but does not allow fish to enter the zone.

The purpose of the exclusion zone is to allow aquatic plants and zooplankton to grow without fear of predation by fish. (As an experiment wooden frames filled with toilet brushes have been placed in the exclusion zone to provide a safe habitat for the zooplankton to grow and multiply.)

The zooplankton (tiny creatures like daphnia for example) will feed on algae which live suspended in the water, allowing the clarity of the water to improve. Once sunlight can reach the bottom of the lake seeds in the base mud will hopefully germinate and grow into submerged aquatic plants which will increase the oxygen levels in the water and provide food and sanctuary for other aquatic invertebrates.

It is hoped that these will provide a reservoir of vulnerable species which can be used to restock the main pond once the dredging and other works are completed.

The curtaining off of the exclusion zone was completed recently ready for the fish to be removed. A decision had already been taken that the best way to remove the fish would be to use electro-fishing. An experienced crew in a boat dangle anodes in the water and uses a current of between 1 and 5 amps at 150 volts (depending on the conductivity of the water) to attract and temporarily stun the fish which are then carefully removed by another member of the team using a net to transfer them to tanks filled with oxygenated water from the lake. At the end of the exercise these are then relocated into the main body of the pond.

2014-11-04_Fish Stunning 2

On a bright and crisp morning in early November the team from the Environment Agency arrived at Chestnut Grove to electro-fish the exclusion zone. Dr. Karen Twine (known in angling circles as the “Barbel Lady” for her research into barbel populations in the River Great Ouse) assisted by Dave Hellard, Andrew Wetherby and Michael Collins loaded up their boat with the necessary equipment and moved into the exclusion zone where they electro-fished for more than two hours, watched from another boat by Terry Austin and myself of FPS.

The catch was not enormous in quantity but included pike, perch, roach and bream.

2014-11-04_Fish Stunning 1

2014-11-04_Fish Stunning 3

Given that the exclusion zone will need to be electro-fished regularly (every year or every other year) this is a long-term project. (At Barton Broad in Norfolk it took about two years to achieve a higher clarity of water.) If the exclusion zone is successful another zone may be created close to Sandy Bay.

For further background watch the video on YouTube as displayed above.

Ed. A version of this article first appeared in the FPS Autumn 2014 Newsletter under the title: ‘Fish Exclusion Zone and Electro-Fishing at Fleet Pond’. The newsletter is available to members of FPS (joining instructions here).

Fantastic FPS Feast In Fleet

Events, Fund Raising, People

2014-10-13 Feast, High Sheriff s

From left to right: Colin Gray (FPS Chairman), Terry Austin (FPS Deputy Chairman) and Jamie Balfour (High Sheriff of Hampshire).

As seen in the poster below, there was a fund-raising feast organised by Fleet Pond Society (FPS) held in the WE restaurant in Fleet last Monday.

Jim Storey, Committee Member of FPS, writes:

“And what a feast we had! Lots of lovely food served by very friendly staff. Jamie Balfour, the current High Sheriff of Hampshire joined us and shared some of his wide experiences with us. We had 130 members, friends, local business people, councillors and Lions join us for the dinner. And weren’t they generous too! Our guests bought lots of raffle tickets and weren’t disappointed with their winnings.

Sue Tilley, who organised the evening, had also been donated some very smart prizes by local businesses and restaurants. When we finished counting the money, we’d raised £1,750 from the evening. We’ll find some very worthwhile things to invest this in for the Pond.”

Many thanks to everyone who attended the meal for supporting FPS in it’s aim of helping maintain and improve Fleet Pond.

FPS Dinner WE