Nature Recovery Schemes Report January 2025
The new AFLHS sub committee comprising Michael Pearson, Alex Pilkington, Ralph Court and Graham Cleverly met for their first meeting recently (Pat Higginson could not attend through sickness) and reviewed the current AFLHS sponsored Nature Recovery Schemes. An up to date summary is provided below for AFLHS members’ information. Comments on these schemes are welcome-please contact Graham Cleverly (graham.cleverly1@gmail.com). The sub-committee is currently developing a brief “Master Plan for Nature Recovery” in line with the recent YDNP Nature Recovery Plan in order to ensure any new schemes proposed by AFLHS sub-committee continue to be fully aligned with the YDNP’s plans. Members will be aware that our April 2025 talk will be given by a YDNP spokesman on the Park’s Nature Recovery Plan.
Below is a summary of the current status of several “Nature Recovery” schemes for which funding and volunteer support through AFLHS grant applications is either ongoing or planned.
Austwick Open Gardens Grant
The Austwick Open Gardens group will be opening about 15 gardens in Austwick to the public on Saturday July 5th 2025 and they have kindly agreed to donate 2/3 of the profit to AFLHS for local “Nature Recovery” schemes. In view of the need to sow wild flowers (especially yellow rattle) in the autumn to allow germination the following spring, the Group has also kindly agreed we can commit up to £600 on seed purchases ahead of the Open Gardens. The costs will be reimbursed in due course from profits following the Open Gardens via AFLHS.
Scheme adjacent to the Public footpath in Austwick
Both the landowners adjacent to the public footpath agreed in the autumn to take part in a scheme to prepare and sow wild flowers on their land adjacent the public footpath.
The first section (owned by Pip and Alec Rigby) has recently been cleared of vegetation by volunteers, rotavated and sown with EM3 wild flower seeds which were paid for by money advanced from the Open Gardens. Some plug plants have also been provided by volunteers with more to follow. This scheme is virtually complete apart from further planting of plug plants and a poster is on display in the field explaining the plan.
The land owner (Kath Harley) of the woodland area adjacent to the footpath has meanwhile provided a plan of action through landscape designer Margaret Wilding for the adjoining plot including wall repairs, tree felling adjacent to overhead power cables, ground preparation and planting of shrubs and sowing woodland seeds. Woodland seeds have recently been purchased using the advance payment from Open gardens.
Work by volunteers to prepare the ground for seed sowing and plants/ trees is ongoing. Volunteers will be provided through AFLHS. Further plug plants e.g. wood anemones will be planted in the summer and funded through the Open Gardens grant.
It should be noted that the arrangements for sowing wild flower seed have been informed by the experiences of developing the hay meadow at Austwick cemetery. The first season following seed sowing is typically disappointing and flowers only begin to make a significant showing in the second and subsequent seasons.
Feizor Hay meadow restoration scheme
Rachel Brindle from YDNP was recently contacted regarding possible funding of a scheme through the Dry Rigg Environmental Fund in order to restore an important traditional hay meadow near Feizor adjacent to the public footpath. The two farmers who own the field/ wall boundaries have also been contacted and have given approval to the scheme which will comprise strimming of encroaching brambles on one side of the field by a local contractor, followed by sowing a wild meadow mix by volunteers. The half of the field with an existing hay meadow (the Feizor side) will also be strimmed and additional wild flowers sown. The scheme also includes repairs to the dry stone wall and new fencing to keep stock out of the field, and strimming over the next 3 years each autumn by a contractor to maintain the hay meadow sward. Once the YDNP haytime officer has been consulted in early February, a grant application for the scheme will be submitted later in February followed by 6 week assessment by YDNP. Volunteers will be needed to prepare the steeply sloping ground following strimming.
Sand Martin Nest Box
A proposed local community scheme is currently well advanced comprising a 12 bird artificial nest box made by local volunteers (timber and accessories cost c.£450) and located in a field adjacent to Austwick Beck with the land owner’s permission. Sand martins typically reconnoitre new nests in the first season and will hopefully occupy the nests the following season.
A small grant application for this proposed scheme will be submitted to YDMT very shortly and work is expected to start as soon as possible thereafter. Volunteers will be needed to move and locate the box on the edge of Austwick Beck once the nesting box is constructed.
Further Schemes
AFLHS members are invited to suggest further local Nature Recovery Schemes for consideration by the AFLHS sub-committee.