Mum and her joey.

The mother and her joey have been coming in close to the cabin.

More herbicide free volunteers walking the walk.

Hi Everyone,

We will be removing weeds from native plantings on SE side of the boardwalk entrance.

We will be replacing decking, and an insectivorous nesting box and removing leaves from boardwalk.

Please wear sturdy shoes and protective clothing from sun and mosquitoes.

Drinks will be available.

Hope to see you there

Sharon

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Attachments area

Preview attachment REGEN FLYER email 7feb12.PDF

Oh, its happening but who really cares?

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/10/dangerous-global-warming-will-happen-sooner-than-thought-study

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-New-Wild-Invasive-Salvation/dp/1848318340

The New Wild

Author…..   Fred Pearce…..    Publisher Icon Books (2015) ISBN9781848318342   Description … Why invasive species will be nature’s salvation

Veteran environmental journalist Fred Pearce used to think of invasive species as evil interlopers spoiling pristine ‘natural’ ecosystems. Most conservationists would agree. But what if traditional ecology is wrong, and true environmentalists should be applauding the invaders? In The New Wild, Pearce goes on a journey to rediscover what conservation should really be about. He explores ecosystems from Pacific islands to the Australian outback to the Thames estuary, digs into the questionable costs of invader species, and reveals the outdated intellectual sources of our ideas about the balance of nature. Keeping out alien species looks increasingly flawed. The new ecologists looking afresh at how species interact in the wild believe we should celebrate the dynamism of alien species and the novel ecosystems they create. In an era of climate change and widespread ecological damage, we must find ways to help nature regenerate. Embracing the ‘new wild’ is our best chance.

 

 

 

Long week-end.

A hint of winter with cooler days. Busy visitor week-end with Lily staying and stoking a cosy fire in the cabin.

A study has begun on herbicide free regeneration properties ( like here ) and a herbicide weed controlled site. Initial observations seem to suggest a wider range of indigenous plants sprouting here.

Herbicides are widely used to control invasive non-native plants in wildlands, yet there is little information on their non-target effects, including on native plants that are intended to benefit from the treatment. Effects at the seed stage have been particularly understudied, despite the fact that managers commonly seed native plants immediately after herbicide application. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to explore the effects of two broadleaf-specific herbicides (aminopyralid and picloram) on seedling emergence and biomass for 14 species that grow in dry grasslands of NW North America. For each species, we placed 50 seeds in soil-filled pots that were sprayed with a water control or one of the herbicides at one of two rates (1× and 0.01× of the recommended rate). After 5 weeks, we assessed seedling emergence and dry aboveground biomass per pot. At the recommended rate (1×), both her bicides significantly suppressed seedling emergence and lowered biomass. At the diluted rate (0.01×), the effect of picloram was comparable to the effect at the recommended rate, whereas aminopyralid had no effect. There was no difference in effects of herbicides on native versus non-native species. Although both herbicides are considered to be broadleaf-specific, monocots were just as vulnerable as dicots at the recommended rate. Our results show that herbicides can harm non-native and native plants at the seed stage, alike. Land managers should avoid spraying if recruitment of native species from the seedbank is a goal and should not seed directly after spraying. [Wagner, V. and Nelson, C. R. (2014). Herbicides can negatively affect seed performance in native plants. Restoration Ecology, online 07 April] Comment .

Hackney action.

Fashion designer Katherine Hamnett called an emergency meeting after spotting a council worker spraying the London Fields wildflower meadow with noxious Roundup pesticide. Well known for her political T-shirts and ethical business philosophy, Ms Hamnett is “alarmed” at the council’s use of the chemical known as glyphosate, which environmentalists want to see banned and is linked to organ damage and infertility. She has been handing out leaflets in the popular park warning people not to walk or picnic within 100 feet of the wildflower meadow because of the “poison” she says has been sprayed there. Her leaflet reads: “Sitting on the grass, eating with your hands near an area that has been sprayed with herbicide is the shortest route to ingesting it bar drinking it straight from the bottle.” Ms Hamnett, who was made a CBE in 2010 for services to the fashion industry, said: “As summer looms, and we can expect to see the return of hundreds of young picnickers sitting on the grass near sprayed areas, the issue is one of increasing importance.” Hackney Council came under fire last year for the £40,000 a year it spends spraying parks and weed-free streets with glyphosate, which is marketed by biotech giant Monsanto as Roundup.

Repeated attempts to have made public the amount our Council and all land-care operation’s spend on Round-up in this Shire always comes to finding out nothing.