The Surrey Multi-Activity Contract (MAC) is where ISS Facility Services Defence provides catering, cleaning, retail, leisure and a number of other services for Army units in Surrey.

Wallace Vincent of ISS writes:

“In addition to many other local examples of raising much needed funds for deserving causes, the management team at the Surrey MAC devoted a day’s hard labour for the Business in the Community ‘Give & Gain’ day.

It was agreed that Fleet Pond should be the beneficiary of some management ‘blood, sweat & tears’ on this occasion and Colin Gray, Chairman of the Fleet Pond Society, was extremely grateful for the working party.

For those of you that don’t know Fleet Pond, it is Hampshire’s largest natural lake, not really a pond at all.  A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Fleet Pond is a haven for wildlife, surrounded by woods, paths and streams that require constant maintenance.

As always, much of this upkeep is performed by volunteers, both individuals and groups.  It therefore provided an ideal opportunity for the team from the Surrey MAC to give up some of their time in helping with some ‘undergrowth management’!

Resplendent in their new ISS ‘Working in the Community’ T shirts, 9 brave souls met Colin Gray at the workshop ready to begin a hard day’s work in very warm weather.  Colin commenced with a short talk about the history of Fleet Pond and described the never-ending tasks associated with managing the area.  Soon it was off to work clearing a large patch of bamboo on the far bank of Brookly stream.

As you may guess, bamboo isn’t a local plant and it soon crowds out the flora & fauna, destroying the natural habitat of insects & birds.  It is tall, tough and very difficult to eradicate.  Long hours were spent in the blistering heat, equipped with branch loppers and heavy duty gloves, cutting off the bamboo close to the ground and removing the material from the location for subsequent collection by the wildlife rangers.

The group soon found out that this was hard physical work and regular breaks were needed to keep taking on fluids.

Anita Dean bought some trendy wellington boots for the day and was appalled to learn that she would have to get them a, wet and b, dirty!  Despite the best efforts of others, she managed to stay upright whilst carrying large bundles of bamboo across the stream.  A couple of the guys were engaged to remove one or two decaying rodents and, in general, it was hard but enjoyable toil.

By mid afternoon the heat and the hard work was starting to take its toll so Colin Gray took pity on the group and called a halt to, in his words, “a great job, well done”. A debrief is an important part of the day so it was decided to replenish some fluids at a local hostelry overlooking the pond.”

Editor: The event took place in July this year – apologies to readers for the delay in posting!

As articles on fish and fishing are extremely popular on the blog, I’ve included a large number of photos in this post. They give an excellent impression of the fish demonstration activity that was part of the International Biodiversity Day that was held at the Pond earlier this year.

John Sutton, a Fisheries Team Leader at the Environment Agency, writes:

My colleague, Adrian Bicknell, and I were delighted that the Environment Agency’s Fisheries Team was asked to participate in the Biodiversity Day. It was a great opportunity to show visitors some examples of the Pond’s fish community.

The best way to do this is by holding a sample of fish in a mobile aquarium we mount on the back of a trailer. We captured specimens for the tank earlier that morning using electrofishing equipment – a technique we routinely use during our scientific surveys of fish populations. Our gear has been specially designed to minimise damage to fish in order that they can be returned to the river after we have collected data.

Please note that electrofishing equipment can only be used with the prior consent of the Agency.

Our catch on the day was made up of pike, carp, tench, roach, perch, rudd and bream. It was striking how many of the fish were found either in or on the edge of the reedbeds. Hardly surprising when you consider the range of fish eating birds! The lack of habitat diversity and refuge areas in the open water of the Pond is a continuing cause for concern and that’s why the Agency is a keen supporter of the project to improve water quality at the site.

It was great to have a constant stream of visitors interested  in our display. Many of the youngsters and the parents enquired about angling at the Pond. We were able to provide them with basic information and I very much hope they will come back with their rods – the fishing season started on 16 June.

If you want further information about the fish population of Fleet Pond or general queries about fisheries then please don’t hesitate to contact me: john.sutton@environment-agency.gov.uk

Cathy Holden writes:

The ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ team, an intrepid band of regular Friday morning conservation workers at the pond, chose to boldly go where no-one had boldly – or otherwise – gone for a very long time. The task was to clear the path running along the top end of the Brookly Stream, beyond the bridge.  As you can see from the photo below, it was a jungle out there!

Terry set-to with the strimmer while Geoff, Nick and Steve followed behind clearing the debris left in his wake.

Cathy and Mandy, suitably attired in waders, (no, there is no photo of us in the waders!) entered the stream itself at Brookly Bridge and carefully walked the path of the stream, clearing the overhanging branches, the odd dead pigeon and surprisingly a plastic false eye!  I say ‘carefully’ walked because it looks shallow, but has a tendency to hide pockets of mud to trap the wary wader. Eventually we all merged at the mouth of the stream, either in it, or on the bank and set-to trying to reach the dirty and unreadable gauge at the end of the path.

As this photo shows, it was all hands to the log to lay a path for Terry to get out and clean the mud from the gauge without him sinking up to his thighs.

This area of the pond is dangerous due to the very deep pockets of mud and silt which are easily seen in these photographs.  No-one should try to enter the pond at this point. You can see how shallow the water is by looking at these geese and swans.  However, do not be fooled, it may take their weight, but it will not take yours!

There used to be a grill across the Brookly Stream, almost at the mouth where it empties into the pond. The grill is no longer there, but in that area there was a real pile up of logs and stinking leaves. We cleared it all out so that the water could flow freely. The photo below looks back along the stream before the logs were cleared, they can just be seen in the distance in the centre of the stream.

After a good morning’s work the path and the stream were clear and we packed up and walked back along the newly cleared path.

This is the ‘after’ photo at the entrance to the path.

If you would like to join the ‘Last Of The Summer Wine’ team or would like further information, please look here.

Vicki Jull writes:

It’s a well worn cliché that choosing the winners in a competition is extremely difficult, and finding five winners in the Fleet Pond Society Christmas Card Competition has been a real challenge!

The criteria was that the photographs had to be recognisably taken within the Fleet Pond nature reserve and that they would make pleasing Christmas cards (they are now ready for purchase, see below).

Thank you very much to all 18 entrants for their beautiful photographs.

The winners are (in no particular order):

Angela Whitby – From The Footpath

Natalie Elliott – Boathouse Corner

Auli McCall – Sandy Bay

Michelle Salter – Chestnut Grove

Louise Coughlin – East Marsh

PLEASE NOTE

These beautiful  Christmas cards are now available to buy at £3.00 for a pack of five scenes. Please email Vicki Jull for purchase details.

Saturday 7th August – Invertebrate Walk at Fleet Pond

Meet at 10.30am at Fleet Pond car park.

Join Ranger Joanna Lawrence for a hunt through Fleet Pond’s wetlands and heathlands for insects, spiders and other invertebrates. Come and learn more about these fascinating animals and their importance to our ecosystems, plus the chance to have a go and catching and identifying some yourself!

Duration: 1½ hours. All abilities welcome.

Joanna writes regularly for the Fleet Pond Blog.

Her last article is here and previous articles can be found by using the search box on the upper rhs. In particular there is a series of very interesting articles under ‘Ranger’s Notebook’.