Celebrating, supporting and encouraging green initiatives in the North York Moors area plus news from the world of sustainability. If you're thinking about making some changes to reduce your environmental impact, take a look around this website and be inspired.
Nature fans are being offered a close encounter with badgers deep in Dalby Forest.
Mystery tours led by Scarborough expert Jane Payne begin in mid-May and run until August revealing the highs and low of badger family life.
Strikingly coloured, the creature is one of England’s largest wild mammals – yet spotting one can be really tough.
They spend long hours underground in their multi-chambered setts, which can be hundreds of years old, and are mainly active during the night.
Jane Payne explained:
“My children went to see badgers when they were just six years old and that helped to get me hooked. Since then studying and observing the animal has become a real passion. Watching them in the forest is magical.“
Cubs born in February will be taking their first few steps outside the sett in April and May, emerging as night falls.
Still being weaned by mum, she will teach them how to dig for food like worms. By the year’s end, male offspring are often shown the door, as Dad doesn’t want to be challenged. But adults may also be keeping their own secrets from each other – cubs often have different fathers!
Jane continued:
“We will be visiting a Forestry Commission hide in a remote wood, overlooking a sett which has been used for well over 100 years by generations of badger. We get people coming from all over the UK. Keeping the location secret helps protect the animal from illegal persecution.”
To check dates and times call 01723 882295, or email brockview@live.co.uk Meeting details will be given at the time of booking.
The event is suitable for adults and children over 10 years old (who must be accompanied).
24 million wheelbarrows of peat are used every year by amateur gardeners. This has a devastating impact on the environment, and releases thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
Find out how you can avoid peat, including peat-free products available to buy, and sign the peat-free pledge with I Don't Dig Peat.
It’s not too late…if you're quick…..to build a nest box for the Spotted Flycatcher. They will be arriving back from Africa into Ryedale this week and will be looking for suitable nesting sites.
They will happily nest in gardens and will readily take to nest boxes if you get the dimensions and positioning just right. Spotted Flycatchers like a 60mm low open front next box, positioned on a wall about 2m high half hidden behind a shrub, climber or some ivy.
They like the low front because they build a very shallow nest in the bottom of the box then the female can look out over the front while she is sat on her eggs. Sometimes it looks like she has got her chin on the ledge
At first glance the Spotted Flycatcher looks like a plain brown bird (LBJ a ‘little brown job’) but when you really look at them you realise what an elegant bird it really is. With its long tail, tall thin proud stance, its spotted neck-breast and head, and its long thin black beak. It is also easy to recognise when it is catching flies with its famous hunting technique, which is to use a favoured perch in the garden while it does aerial circular forays to catch flies before returning back to the same perch.
Photo taken by Andrew Easton
Spotted Flycatchers are in sharp decline in the UK so anything we can do to help them here in Ryedale will be great. Oh and don’t forget…don’t use too many sprays in your garden, the Spotted Flycatcher and lots of other garden birds rely on the flies and insects in your garden to survive. Notice that around one of my boxes I have attached some chicken wire this is because last year the nest was raided by Jackdaws. The idea is that the Spotted Flycatchers can get through the wire but the larger birds can’t.
A film with Andrew Middleton who takes three young boys and a couple of dads for a circular walk from the village of Rosedale through Northdale. On the walk the boys, under instruction from Andrew, nibble on hawthorn leaves, wild garlic flowers, play pooh sticks, light a small fire and toast marshmallows.
Andrew talks about his company; Wild Country Walkabouts, his love for the countryside and the importance of providing opportunities for people of all ages to experience the countryside that is on our doorstep.
An enjoyable walk for me doesn’t have to be long, challenging or go anywhere in particular. What it does have to do is bring me close to nature. I want to hear natural sounds, smell natural scents and see living things going about their lives. I want to walk on uneven ground and feel the ups and downs of the earth. I want to be able to reach out and touch the rough, the smooth. (The coarse and the delicate fabrics of life). I want to squish in mud, splash in water and crunch leaves and twigs underfoot. I want to look up and see big skies.
A short walk that allows me to do all these things begins in the heart of Rosedale Abbey and meanders up Northdale to a small wooden bridge. From there I can extend my travels to Rosedale East and home, or retrace my steps to the village.
I always begin my walk passing between The Old Methodist Chapel and Beckside Cottage. Immediately, as I turn onto the track, the music of the beck lifts my spirit and lightens my step. Today daffodils line the path and lead me on to wilder places.
As I pass through the first field gate I am always drawn to look up to the high ground to the East. Once I was rewarded with the sight of a peregrine, flying hard and fast above the ridge line. I am always reminded here, of the words of J. A Barker.
‘The hawk flies quickly upward to the breaking clouds. Swerving and twisting away from the misty lower air, he rises to the first faint warmth of the sun, feels delicately for wing-hold on the sheer fall of sky. He is a tiercel, lean and long and supple winged, the first of the year. He is the colour of yellow ochre sand and reddish brown gravel. His big brown spaniel eyes shine wet in the darker matt brown of the moustachial mask. He sweeps away to the west. ‘The Peregrine’ .
At the second field gate I stay low by the beck, passing close to a tall Silver Birch that appears to have lots of nests in it. However, all is not what it appears as these are ‘Galls’, growth deformities caused by fungi or mites. In autumn you may see red and white Fly Agaric toadstools around the base of Silver Birches, the two engaged in a symbiotic relationship. Other trees to look out for along the beckside are; Alder, Hazel, Rowan, Holly and Sycamore.
From across the beck, high above me, a welcome raucous sound. Rooks! Back on their nests high in Hill Plantation. I’ve always loved this sound. Every English country village should have the sound of rooks drifting through it. A member of the Crow family, easily identified by the large grey area at the base of the bill, they should be the pasture growers friend, feeding mainly on Leatherjackets, (larvae of the Daddy Longlegs), that live beneath the turf eating away the roots. Sadly, even many country people don’t know what they fed on and see them as pests. If Rooks excite you as much as they do me, read ‘Crow Country’ by Mark Cocker, it’s a delight.
At the end of March and into early April the banks of the beck are decorated with wild daffodils with some magnificent spreads, on bank tops where the beck meanders away from the field fence. Thankfully this protects the blooms from grazing livestock. I get down low and look across the trumpet tops, breathing in their delicate scents. Fantastic!
A new boardwalk leads across a wet area and then ahead, through the next gate a large log makes a splendid seat. Here I sit a while and watch and wait. As the French writer Collette wrote,
‘The Earth belongs to anyone who stops for a moment, gazes and goes on his way.’
Even though nothing comes close by today, I have memories of a hare, a stoat, a Roe deer and a Jay that stopped a while. I love the bouncy gait of jays and their iridescent plumage, especially the flashes of blue on their wings.
Not far away is another great sitting place. Great stone slabs form a bridge across the beck. Sit and dangle your legs over the babbling waters, next to the Rowan. A Kingfisher or Wagtail may come this way. Today a swift, darting Dipper! Hopefully one day, an otter!! Note the Alder on your right. Tree and stone wall have become one. Alders spread their seeds by floating them on the water and so it’s no surprise to find them growing all along the waterways of Rosedale. The timber is very resistant to decay in water and so was used to support buildings in Venice. Surprisingly the wood has also been used to make electric guitars, including the Fender Stratocaster.
Across the path to my right a hazel stands proud on the banking. I’m reminded of childhood makings of bows and arrows and walking sticks. I make a note for Autumn, a good looking, stout, stick awaits my saw.
Not far to the wooden bridge and the end of this short but fulfilling walk. I stand and watch the waters flow beneath me and drop a stick onto the swirling surface. I wonder how long it will take for that same water to run under the village. Quicker than I can get there I guess. I notice mosses and liverworts growing on the stone walls where water cascades over them from the land above, splashing into the beck and on down the valley, where I must go.
I turn and leave the bridge, back towards the village. It’s not the same walk though, different order, different views. I see things I missed as I walked by from behind them. Now I walk towards them I recall a poem from Lord of The Rings.
‘…..still round the corner we may meet a sudden tree or standing stone that none have seen but we alone…….still round the corner there may wait a new road or a secret gate, and though we pass them by today, tomorrow we may come this way and take the hidden paths that run towards the moon or to the sun.’
Take a short, slow walk to nowhere and see the world through different eyes. Enjoy!
In this film Charlie Heap, who is heading up the development up at Duncombe Park in Helmsley describes the building works that are currently taking place on site and the energy saving aspects that are key to the project. The Centre received a Sustainable development Grant from the North York Moors National Park.
Visit the Centre's website here but for more detailed information about ICBP visit their main website here.
More films will be made at the Centre highlighting the sustainable elements of the build. Music - Bird of Prey - Liam Stewart - Free Music Archive.
You might be interested in this varied weekend of events taking place in Wass, nr Ampleforth, at the end of this month.
A programme of talks, walks and exhibits including moth specimens collected by Dr Archie Heron who lived in Wass for many years and collected daily data on the moths here.
All the events and activities are free and will take place in or start from Wass Village Hall.
For some numbers may be limited and therefore booking may be advisable.
These are indicated with *
For more information or for booking events please contact:
6.00pm Private Reception
6.30 Opening of exhibitions
7.00 Bat talk and walk* Mr Simon Bassindale NY Moors Ranger
7.30 Moths introduction and trapping Dr David Chesmore
Saturday
10.00 Moth Talk and release of moths Dr David Chesmore from trap
11.00 ‘Birds of Wass’ talk / local walk* Mr Barry Bishop
11.00 Wass Lodge Mr Giles Scott (The architectural drawings of Stapylton Lodge, planned but never built.) 2.00 Smallholding with Shetland Sheep Mrs Heather Mundall
3.00 Flora of the roadside verges -walk* Mrs Jill Magee
7.30 Moths introduction and trapping Mr Patrick Wildgust
Sunday
10.00 Moth trap checking Mr Patrick Wildgust
10.30 ‘Birds of Wass’ talk / local walk* Mr Barry Bishop
11.00 Rock and fossil show N.E Geological trust
1.00 Dragon flies Talk Mr Keith Gittens
2.00 Geology walk * Mr Mike Windle
3.00 Flora of the roadside verges-walk* Mrs Jill Magee
4.00 Closing of exhibitions
Artist in residence - Local artist Laraine Simpson works in oils, pastels, watercolours and a variety of drawing materials. She will be working as artist in residence on Saturday and Sunday to inspire us with some images of the weekend. She will also run some short workshops:
Saturday 10.30 – 11.15am Children’s art workshop*
Sunday 10.30 – 11.15am Open Workshop*
Sunday 2.00 – 2.45pm Adults workshop*
* Indicates that booking is advisable.
Children’s competition
Local schools are involving their children in a competition to produce work related to wild life. This includes drawings, stories or poems appropriate to their age. As much as possible of their work will be on display over the weekend and we will be giving small prizes to the best.
Refreshments will be available on Saturday and Sunday from 11am until 3.30pm.
Do check it out and then perhaps wander some of our ancient hedgerows on the North York Moors. If you have a favourite hedgerow perhaps you could share it with me and send some images.
The film of the walk with Andrew, where we nibbled on blackthorn leaves and wild garlic, will be added to this site shortly.
Ryedale Folk Museum in Hutton-le-Hole is Yorkshire’s leading open air museum. Set in a three and a half acre site in the North York Moors are 19 re-constructed historic buildings from the local area including shops, thatched and timber framed cottages, workshops and an Elizabethan Manor House. The museum covers 400 years of the history of Ryedale with collections of archaeology, costume, photographs, craft, tools and domestic equipment.
Volunteers play a crucial role in the running of this nationally renowned folk museum. Our Volunteer Open Day on April 16th gives potential volunteers the chance to pop in and find out more. We have one session from 11-00am to 12-30pm and another from 2-00pm to 3-30pm. For an informal chat places can be booked in advance by telephoning the museum 01751 417367. Those who might be interested but cannot come on the day should ring after 16th April and ask to speak to Helen Dean.
The Role of Volunteers
Since 1964 volunteer have been and continued to be involved in every aspect of the work of the museum including exhibitions, events, craft demonstrations, gardening and behind the scenes work such as cataloguing the collections and research. In more recent years volunteers have also been involved in providing hands on experience for school groups.
How much time do I have to commit?
Commit as little or as much as you can offer. Most volunteers do a regular slot of a few hours once a week/fortnight.
Will I be trained?
Yes, training and support is offered.
Volunteering Opportunities
We are currently looking for volunteers to help in the following areas:
Front of house work
School visits
Gardening Maintenance
Conservation/Restoration
Cataloguing the collection
Costume interpretation
Craft demonstrations
Exhibitions and events
Needle Work
Classic farm machinery repair and renovation
If you think that you can help the museum in any ways not listed above please let us know.
What are the benefits of volunteering?
Plenty of opportunities to make new friends and learn new skills
Air travel currently accounts for 5% of total global carbon emmissions, therefore at this level air travel would account for all the UK's carbon allowance - meaning that every single business and person in the UK would need to have zero emissions to meet our targets of reducing emissions by 20% on 1990 levels by the end of this year.
While cheap flights are wonderful for us, and do provide benefits to some new destinations, air travel is the fastest growing cause of global warming. As the cheap flight phenomenon grows air travel is projected to double in the next 20 years.
So what can I do?
Many European holiday destinations are easily and cheaply accessible by rail, which is much kinder to the climate than air travel. You can take the hassle out of choosing the right cross-border journey by visiting http://www.seat61.com/ - a one-stop advice site for continental holidays by rail.
The Man in Seat Sixty-One is a travel website written and maintained by Mark Smith. The website focuses almost exclusively on train-based travel, with occasional ferry recommendations. The site has won several awards, including 'Best Travel Website' in the Guardian & Observer Travel Awards in 2008. The Man in Seat Sixty-One provides information on the best routes, fares and times for journeys from the UK to most of Europe, and for rail travel within most countries in the rest of the world.
Smith advocates minimal aircraft transport as part of travel, citing the increased environmental friendliness of train travel, as well as the ability to view scenery, such as the Austrian Alps, up close whilst travelling.
It was recently announced that Guerilla Films is planning a TV series based off the website. A taster episode featuring actor Kenneth Cranham was recently released covering the journey from London to St Petersburg by rail as far as Waterloo, Belgium .
How to grow perennial vegetables: low-impact, low-maintenance vegetable gardening - Martin Crawford
Perennial vegetables are a joy to grow and require a lot less time and effort than annuals. In this book Martin Crawford gives comprehensive advice on all types of perennial vegetable (edible plants that live longer than three years), from ground-cover plants and coppiced trees to plants for bog gardens and edible woodland plants.
There are many advantages to growing perennial vegetables, for example:
* they need less tillage than conventional vegetables and so help retain carbon in the soil * the soil structure is not disturbed in their cultivation * they extend the harvesting season, especially in early spring * and, of course, they are much less work.
Part One looks at why and how to grow these crops, and how to look after them for maximum health.
Part Two features over 100 perennial edibles in detail, both common and unusual - from rhubarb to skirret; Jerusalem artichoke to nodding onions. This book offers inspiration and information for all gardeners, whether experienced or beginner, and also includes plenty of cooking tips. It includes beautiful colour photographs and illustrations throughout. 224pp Buy this book
Practical allotments - Paul Wagland
Having an allotment, or at least growing some of your own fruit and vegetables, is currently very popular. This book features the non-growing side of allotment gardening; the more practical and functional elements of a typical plot. Clearly defined by season the projects are further broken down into twelve monthly chapters with appropriate projects and techniques in each. All projects are illustrated by step-by-step photography and artwork. Projects range from very basic and intermediate to more complex tasks, such as building a shed. 176pp Buy this book
Organic gardening the natural, no-dig way - Charles Dowding
In Organic Gardening Charles Dowding shares the philosophy, tips and techniques that have enabled him to run a successful organic garden supplying local restaurants and shops for over 25 years. Forget the 'received wisdom' about gardening. Observe what is going on in the soil and with your plants, in your own garden and climate. Respect and encourage life as much as you can, chiefly by spreading good compost or manure. There is no need to dig in compost and manure - just spread it on top and let worms take it in. Digging can harm soil structure, and is not helpful to plants. Based on his experience of using a system of permanent raised beds, Charles takes you through a delicious variety of fruit and vegetables: explaining what to choose, when to plant and harvest, and how best to avoid pests and diseases. With simple recipes for your fresh-picked produce, this second edition features new photographs and more tips and advice. 272pp Buy this book
Keep Britain Tidy is delighted to be backing the new national Love Your River campaign, which has been launched to encourage the nation to make small lifestyle changes to protect the health of the rivers.
The campaign is backed by Defra, the National Trust, the Environment Agency, the Wildlife Trusts, Keep Britain Tidy, water companies and Waterwise, and will promote the value and benefits of rivers to everyday life.
We all love our rivers. But how often do people think about how the water they use in their homes or businesses affects the water in their local river? Or how the pollutants they dump down their drains harms their local water environment? Or how there is likely to be less water available for people and businesses in the future and the knock-on effect this will have on the natural world around the river?
Commenting on Keep Britain Tidy’s support for the Love Your River campaign, community development manager Richard McIlwain, said: “We all have a stake in making sure our rivers are clean and healthy – for the sake of our environment, our health and our wildlife. We should all cherish our rivers, look after them and want the best for them – and that’s something we can all do every day.
Children from Thornton Dale Primary School reached for their wellies last week to plant a host of herbs and edible plants in Dalby Forest.
The Forestry Commission, North York Moors National Park Authority volunteers and the Friends of Dalby Forest are creating a vibrant forest garden in the 3,440 hectare (8,600 acre) beauty spot, near Pickering. Last year the youngsters were amongst an army of local volunteers who helped make a massive 100 metre square woollen duvet to drape over the vulnerable plot to repel winter frosts. Now the blanket has been rolled back and the garden has re-awakened, so the final planting can be done.
Petra Young from the Forestry Commission said:
“Shrubs like raspberry and bilberry are taking root, along with apple and pear trees and many herbs. As the children grow up so will the garden. Before too long it will be a fabulous feature of the forest, full of colour and scents.”
The project is supported by the North York Moors Authority Sustainable Development Fund. For more information contact Petra Young on 01751 472771.
Rachel Benson, who features in the film and provided advise on the planting, runs Old Sleningford Farm - a 17 acre smallholding in Nidderdale. You can find out about the many courses she runs there by clicking here.
How to grow perennial vegetables: low-impact, low-maintenance vegetable gardening - Martin Crawford 
Practical allotments - Paul Wagland 
Organic gardening the natural, no-dig way - Charles Dowding 
