Winter 2025 - 26
Environment Day - Curry Rivel and Drayton
Meet us at the Environment Day on Saturday 22nd November. The event is in Drayton Village hall in the morning and then in the Old School Room in Curry Rivel in the afternoon from 2pm. We will be at both, sharing with Reimagining the Levels, the group which has obtained our trees for us through grants from the SRA, in the morning and on our owns in the afternoon. We will have kits to make bird boxes on our stall in the afternoon and we hope lots of people will come along to make one on the spot or take a kit home if they prefer. No charge though donation are always very welcome. Several other groups will be at both events - the CR Parish Council website for full details.
I have previously talked about the Trust being in the process of buying the adjacent 2 acres of land previously owned by the late Derek Yeomans. There is much more about this in Peter's blog- Yeomans' Copse . The sale has now been completed, with thanks to the Woodland Trust for making the process easy and transferring Derek's bequest to them to CWCT at a very reasonable cost.
Peter's next blog is now available to read in advance of its' publication in the Curry Rivel News . Click to read it: /peter-s-blog/a-mast-year
The trees planted in 2021-4 are now generally doing well and the survival rate is high inspite of the extremely dry summer. Our main problem has been ants - they love to make their nests in the tree guards, carrying large amounts of soil up the tubes and killing the saplings if it is not removed. We have been taking off these guards and those on trees which are well established as they can become more of a problem than an advantage after a while! There are still guard round some of the trees in Yeoman's Copse and we have been removing those too. Sadly most of the ash trees Dereck planted about 20 years ago have suffered and died from die-back and will have to be felled. However it is an opportunity to plant some more biodiverse trees, as Dereck only planted oak and ash. We will be discussing the way forward with Reimagining the Levels and preparing for new planting.
As the Trust AGM last January was very well attended we have decided to go for January again as we realise people have a lot going on in December. The date will be published shortly. The trustees appreciated people turning out on a cold January evening in 2025. They were rewarded with hot drinks, sausage rolls and cakes after the talk by Harry Paget -Wilks of the RSPB. A special treat was the home made cider brought along by Cyril Harriss!
The minutes of the evening are available here:/agm-report-jan-2025
Harry Paget-Wilkes is site manager of 3 local RSPB reserves. He talked about his work and also about the involvement of the local RSPB groups in the Greater Sedgemoor Landscape recovery Project, which the CWCT is also getting involved in. More about birds in Peter's blog - https://app.site123.com/peter-s-blog/in praise of titmice
Explained on the project website " The Greater Sedgemoor Landscape Recovery Project Area comprises 4,000 hectares of low-lying floodplain grasslands and a 500 hectare ‘halo’ of surrounding higher ground within the southern half of Somerset’s Levels and Moors. This area is vital for wildlife. Four large floodplain grassland Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and two woodland SSSIs lie within the area.
The ambitious project focuses on restoring and enhancing the wildlife of the area. It seeks to both mitigate for the effects of climate change, and increase resilience to its impacts, through a transition in land use. By working collaboratively with landowners, local communities, and environmental organisations, the project aims to create a landscape that is not only rich in biodiversity but also sustainable and beneficial for both nature and people The project is a partnership between the RSPB and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South-West (FWAGSW) plus more than 100 landowners and farmers."
Now in the mature woodland keen eyes will spot fungi, always thriving after wet weather. Look on the floor among the leaf litter, on tree trunks or on fallen trees, where they thrive.
Bracket fungi on wood
Ascocornyne - also a wood rotting fungus
Lots more species of fungi to see in winter - if you are walking through the CWCT wood please take some photos and send them to cwctrust@aol.com so we can publish them on the website.
Meet us at the Environment Day on Saturday 22nd November. The event is in Drayton Village hall in the morning and then in the Old School Room in Curry Rivel in the afternoon from 2pm. We will be at both, sharing with Reimagining the Levels, the group which has obtained our trees for us through grants from the SRA, in the morning and on our owns in the afternoon. We will have kits to make bird boxes on our stall in the afternoon and we hope lots of people will come along to make one on the spot or take a kit home if they prefer. No charge though donation are always very welcome. Several other groups will be at both events - the CR Parish Council website for full details.
I have previously talked about the Trust being in the process of buying the adjacent 2 acres of land previously owned by the late Derek Yeomans. There is much more about this in Peter's blog- Yeomans' Copse . The sale has now been completed, with thanks to the Woodland Trust for making the process easy and transferring Derek's bequest to them to CWCT at a very reasonable cost.
Peter's next blog is now available to read in advance of its' publication in the Curry Rivel News . Click to read it: /peter-s-blog/a-mast-year
The trees planted in 2021-4 are now generally doing well and the survival rate is high inspite of the extremely dry summer. Our main problem has been ants - they love to make their nests in the tree guards, carrying large amounts of soil up the tubes and killing the saplings if it is not removed. We have been taking off these guards and those on trees which are well established as they can become more of a problem than an advantage after a while! There are still guard round some of the trees in Yeoman's Copse and we have been removing those too. Sadly most of the ash trees Dereck planted about 20 years ago have suffered and died from die-back and will have to be felled. However it is an opportunity to plant some more biodiverse trees, as Dereck only planted oak and ash. We will be discussing the way forward with Reimagining the Levels and preparing for new planting.
As the Trust AGM last January was very well attended we have decided to go for January again as we realise people have a lot going on in December. The date will be published shortly. The trustees appreciated people turning out on a cold January evening in 2025. They were rewarded with hot drinks, sausage rolls and cakes after the talk by Harry Paget -Wilks of the RSPB. A special treat was the home made cider brought along by Cyril Harriss!
The minutes of the evening are available here:/agm-report-jan-2025
Harry Paget-Wilkes is site manager of 3 local RSPB reserves. He talked about his work and also about the involvement of the local RSPB groups in the Greater Sedgemoor Landscape recovery Project, which the CWCT is also getting involved in. More about birds in Peter's blog - https://app.site123.com/peter-s-blog/in praise of titmice
Explained on the project website " The Greater Sedgemoor Landscape Recovery Project Area comprises 4,000 hectares of low-lying floodplain grasslands and a 500 hectare ‘halo’ of surrounding higher ground within the southern half of Somerset’s Levels and Moors. This area is vital for wildlife. Four large floodplain grassland Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and two woodland SSSIs lie within the area.
The ambitious project focuses on restoring and enhancing the wildlife of the area. It seeks to both mitigate for the effects of climate change, and increase resilience to its impacts, through a transition in land use. By working collaboratively with landowners, local communities, and environmental organisations, the project aims to create a landscape that is not only rich in biodiversity but also sustainable and beneficial for both nature and people The project is a partnership between the RSPB and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South-West (FWAGSW) plus more than 100 landowners and farmers."
Now in the mature woodland keen eyes will spot fungi, always thriving after wet weather. Look on the floor among the leaf litter, on tree trunks or on fallen trees, where they thrive.Bracket fungi on woodAscocornyne - also a wood rotting fungusLots more species of fungi to see in winter - if you are walking through the CWCT wood please take some photos and send them to cwctrust@aol.com so we can publish them on the website.
