Industrial Legacy
It looks like Dore's industrial legacy as an early lead
smelting and processing area might be catching up with it.
The Council has recently adopted a new strategy for identifying
land contaminated by Sheffields industrial past. Over the next four years
the Councils Environmental Protection Service will be looking at five
areas across the city, with priority given to
the south?west, because of earlier lead smelting and other associated
works in what is now a predominantly residential area. This follows on
detailed investigations already carried out in the Mill Lane and Milldale
Road areas of Totley.
Nick Chaplin, Environmental Protection Manager, said:
"We are taking this very seriously indeed and this strategy shows
that the Council is actively seeking ways to deal with the problems left
by Sheffields industrial past. The safety of Sheffield residents is our
top priority and we will be working closely with partner organisations
and community groups within the city to assess specific sites and ensure
we keep people up to date on what is happening".
The publication of the Councils strategy coincides with
the implementation of Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act (1990)
which requires each local authority in England to prepare, publish and
adopt a strategy for dealing with land that might be at risk from any
type of contamination.
If you have any questions about the strategy or want information
about your area, contact Peter Knight on 273 4659.
Daffodils
The Society are proposing to start a programme of planting
daffodil bulbs in the grass verges on the approaches to the village. The
first planting will be done in the autumn.
Hopefully the Spring flowers will be the start of a 'growing'
display, with more bulbs planted over the next few years to brighten up
the village.
David Heslop
Ed. David would be interested to hear from anyone wishing
to support this project.
Letters
Dear Sir,
The Sorby Natural History Society recently paid two visits
to Totley Firing Range, by arrangement with the MOD and Yorkshire and
Humberside TAVRA. Our main purpose was to look at wild plants growing
on the site, and so far 172 species have been identified and recorded.
The area may look ordinary from a distance, but there
are a number of different habitats, and the flora of the wetter areas
is particularly interesting. Our list included 6 species of Rush, 5 Sedges
and 8 Ferns. Among the more unusual species noted were Sand Spurrey, Common
Spotted Orchid, Pill Sedge, Adder's-tongue, Moonwort and Lemon-scented
Fern.
In general MOD sites in Britain have been well surveyed,
and many are of high conservation value. However, Totley Firing Range
had not previously been investigated, perhaps because it was considered
too small.
Our survey has shown that the area is an important refuge
for uncommon species, and the fact that the site is not subject to any
visitor pressure must be an important factor in ensuring that they continue
to thrive.
Dr K Balkow
Botanical Section Secretary
The Wildlife Garden
It is wonderful to have a friend visit you, but there
is nothing worse than a visitor who over-stays their welcome. So what
can you do when the guest doesn't take the hint that they are no longer
wanted? Run out of food? Change the lock on the front door? Dismantle
their bed and say it is in need of repair? Obviously the best way would
be to simply ask them to leave, but with animals, this is not an option.
In the wildlife garden, sometimes a visit from even our 'best friends'
can try the patience of the most enthusiastic gardener.
Emptying the compost bin is a job I always carry out in
late spring. It is all very simple: the plastic sheet covering the compost
is removed and the well-rotted material dug out, sieved and spread around
the garden; the red worms and other residents are returned with fresh,
new vegetation and the sheeting replaced. Simple in theory, only this
year things didn't quite go according to plan. After removing the cover
and surface layer of semi-rotted material, I noticed a bumble-bee pushing
her way slowly out. Now she could have accidentally flown in, caught as
I removed the sheeting, but when a second bee climbed to the surface and
flew off in a somewhat confused manner, I realised a colony of young bees
was living there. I carefully returned the material and replaced the cover,
making sure the bees were able to leave easily. A few days later, I was
rewarded with the sight of a steady procession of bumble-bees making their
way into the garden.
Now some gardeners would see this as a minor inconvenience
and dig the bees out, along with the compost, but no wildlife gardener
would dream of doing this. Compost heaps can provide a home to all sorts
of animals, from hibernating frogs and hedgehogs to nesting grass snakes
and voles, and although sometimes the compost can be removed without harming
the visitor, it is better to simply leave the heap well alone. Even now,
as the days are beginning to shorten, the little black and yellow bees
are still flying back and forth from the catmint and lavender to their
home in my compost heap. It is a nuisance not being able to get to the
compost, but at least by next spring, it should be well and truly rotted.
Then take my fat holders, dangling from the apple tree.
At first it was a delight to see a squawking young starling, fresh from
the nest, being fed on the gooey white stuff by a parent. But of course,
starlings are quick to exploit any opportunity and whilst one parent and
her brood came on the first day, by day two, five more had arrived and
within days, every conceivable spot was occupied by boisterous youngsters
and their squabbling parents. Because of the dry summer, these fat holders
have provided a life-line for hard pressed parents trying to feed their
young, but what a noise. Forty squawking fledglings can make a terrific
din and each day I expected a visit from the environmental health officer,
with instructions to stop me feeding the birds. The funny thing was that
as the broods matured, they flocked together and disappeared to other
feeding areas, and with only a few late nesting birds visiting the holder,
it became quiet - no doubt to the relief of my neighbours. Suddenly the
garden felt empty; it had lost that vibrant spark of life.
There are still frogs in the garden, spending the hottest
part of the day flopped like discarded plastic toys on the stones around
the edge of the pond. However, you don't just find them sunbathing there,
they are almost everywhere: in amongst the leaves of pot plants; lurking
in growbag trays (ideal private swimming pools) and sat in the trays of
seedlings growing in my cold frames. When I went round checking my young
plants in the evening, I would see sleepy golden eyes looking at me from
amongst the leaves. Frogs would burrow into the soft, moist compost, using
it as a daytime bed; warm and safe for them, but not so good for my poor
seedlings struggling to grow under the weight of recumbent amphibians.
A quick sprinkle of water from the watering can and they would be off,
jumping this way and that, trying to avoid the cascade of cold droplets.
In the wildlife garden, we encourage our 'animal friends'
to visit and should not begrudge them using parts of our garden in unexpected
or inconvenient ways. But sometimes, you just can't help feeling they
have over-stayed their welcome and wish they would visit someone else's
garden, just for a few days.
Jack Daw
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