Hello Conservation Volunteers
Thank you to everyone who attended our latest work morning around Forge Dam on what was a pleasant, warm, and sunny morning to be out and about.
The wooden post and rope fence which we installed in 2021 opposite the playground was in need of a little TLC, requiring some of the broken posts to be replaced and new rope installing. Dave and Peter got to work on installing the posts and drilling the holes but had to rope in Rebecca who had the patience to sort out the coil of rope which had become a tangled mess! After finally untangling it, the post and rope fence has been restored along the length of the driveway.
On the footpath leading out to Carr Bridge a blocked drainpipe has been causing the water to overflow and had scoured a channel across the path. Unfortunately, with this pipe there was no obvious entry to the pipe, being buried under hardcore and the only option is to guess where the pipe may be and start digging....and not find it! By ramming the plumbing rods into the pipe from the river end we could feel the ground vibrate when it hit the end of the blockage so started digging again and found some pipe and eventually found the end of it. Further excavations then revealed a small length of pipe running into the bankside which butted up to the main pipe and which was full of mud, with a half section of pipe placed over the top of the joint, presumably to protect it.
It has all been put back together with bricks and stones to create a small sump and the hardcore replaced, so we hope this will cure this particular issue. To aid the flow of water into the pipe a small ditch was dug above the pipe entrance back into the boggy undergrowth.
On the same stretch of path we had bramble cutters out in two locations.
In one area the wood anemones were being crowded out by encroaching brambles, and after first checking to ensure there were no birds nesting in the brambles, Ann supervised carefully removing the offending brambles. The wood anemones are now finished for the year so we will see how they grow next year.
A little further down, another group were cutting the brambles back about 1m from the path to reveal other plants struggling to grow underneath. Deadwood and brambles were also cleared around trees on the path edge and Chris managed to get down a long length of blue nylon rope which was tangled around tree branches!
Back at Forge Dam at the end of the morning's work, Ann and John did some tendering to the plants in the border opposite the playground.
Thanks to Mandy who turned up at the end with some delicious cranberry and almond flapjack!
The next work morning is on Tuesday 28th May. An email will be sent out nearer the time with details.
Lyndon
A Selection of photos from the work morning
Rebecca untangling rope!
Peter and Dave installing posts
Tying off the final rope length
Mike digging in the wrong place!
Digging in the right place!
Uncovering the small length of pipe
The small pipe full of mud
The main pipe being uncovered with a half section on top
Re-installing the pipes
Work completed and hardcore re-installed on top
Small ditch dug above the pipe into the boggy undergrowth
Glyn and Chris cutting back brambles (blue nylon rope in the tree above Chris)
Brambles cut back and the rope is down
