Elliker Family Work Party Update

We had a great family work party last Sunday and even had some sunshine after a rainy start. We planted over 200 hazel saplings in the newly coppiced areas which will be a source of early pollen and provide cover.

We also planted guelder rose, spindle and rowan along the path edges.
Some of the children took part in a treasure hunt
We finished with a barbecue ably supervised by Howard!

It was lovely to see such a range of ages working together and we’d like to thank everyone who joined us.

Creating links with the Village Hall

The Wildlife Trust is excited to hear that East Keswick Village Hall’s offer for the Illingworth Field, which lies directly behind the Village Hall’s garden, has been accepted.

The Village Hall has our full support in acquiring the Illingworth Field. We believe it will contribute to protecting, improving and extending existing local multifunctional green corridors. It will enable an increase in connectivity to the existing local habitat network, including the Ellikers nature reserve to the north of Illingworth Field, and offer the potential for wider links around the parish and beyond.

East Keswick Wildlife Trust is committed to working with the Village Hall to preserve this green space and create opportunities for the local community and visitors to learn and play a central role in working with nature to address the causes and consequences of climate change.

Peter Guildford and David Wort from the Village Hall committee meet David Smith, Chairman of East Keswick Wildlife Trust, to discuss plans to improve biodiversity on the land behind the Village Hall.

Conservation Grazing on our Reserves

We use Dexter cows to conservation graze on our reserves. Dexter cows are a small very hardy breed that are very efficient grazers.

Advantages of this type of grazing are:

  • dominant plant species are eaten leaving space for a wider diversity of plants
  • trampling and disturbing the ground provides space for new seedlings to flourish
  • more that 250 species of insects can be found in cow pats providing vital food for birds and animals.
One of our team of volunteers Phil, with his grandson, checking the conservation herd of Dexter cows in the Ellikers Nature reserve.

Brownie visits to the Ellikers

We have recently welcomed two Brownie packs to spend an evening in the Ellikers and learn more about our local reserve. Last Wednesday the East Keswick and Bardsey Brownies joined us and on Thursday the Brownies from Moor Allerton came to visit. Volunteers from the Trust explained about the Yellow Fish Campaign and all the Brownies now know that it is ‘only rain down the drain’. We also helped the Brownies identify wildflowers and butterflies, while finding out more about the birds and other creatures that live in the Ellikers.

Moor Allerton Brownies enjoying exploring the dens in the Ellikers

Askham Bryan College Visit – July 2021

Postponed from last year due to covid and organised by Judith and John Pentith, the Askham Bryan Gardening Club visited the trust on 3rd July 2021. A day which was very, very wet but turned out to be a very enjoyable full day.

In the morning the large group was shown around the inner village reserves. Lunch in the Duke, with time to dry out a little, was followed by a guided walk around Ox Close Wood.

Subsequent comments were enthusiastic:

‘Thank you for arranging the visit to East Keswick on Saturday, we found it fascinating and really enjoyed the morning despite the soaking!’

‘An absolute joy to see such beautiful places, particularly enjoyed the range of flowers in the meadows and the wide variety of grasses and sedges by the marsh. Loads of orchids and to be introduced to the Thistle-broomrape (also known as Yorkshire broomrape), which is only found in our county was special. But the star of the show for me, was to see at last Herb Paris, which was the absolute icing on the cake! Seen so often in guide books, but never found before.’

‘The whole soggy day was enlivened by our two very enthusiastic guides – thanks again!’

Volunteers relaxing at Elliker Wood

Lunch in Elliker Wood

Much work has been done recently at Elliker Field and Wood. Now that the cows are removed from the field this has been cut and raked.

The log store (just out to the right of the picture) is completed and we plan to create a pond in the field into which rainwater run-off from the roof will be directed.

Elliker log store. Processed wood is in the crates on the left. Logs on the right are yet to process.

 

 

In July, the Trust ran another successful course with Flora Locale on woodland management to improve biodiversity. The photos show the group looking at the newly created coppice coupe in Elliker Wood and discussing the fluctuating water temperatures in the River Wharfe

Flora Locale, July 2017

Flora Locale on the River Wharfe, July 2017