Pictures and reminders

Town Council Chair, Dorothy Lord, presenting Sam Holmes, aged 8, with his T-shirt and Certificate naming him Young Green Volunteer of 2010 at Greenfield LNR.
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Just some quick reminders. Wednesday 17th November at 7.00pm there is an Executive Committee meeting at 8, Pendlemist View , Colne, BB8 8DB. It is an important meeting to discuss future finance and getting new members. The future of our group is at risk at the moment.If anyone would like to come as an observer and bring their ideas they are welcome.
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Saturday 27th N ovember 10.00am to 3.00pm we have a Work Party to clear vegetation from round the New Pond. This, due to the heavy rain, is currently full! Bring any useful tools, dress for weather and wear WATERPROOF boots. Hot drinks available, but bring your own packed lunch. Any help during any part of the session will be most appreciated.
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SATURDAY 4th DECEMBER TREE DRESSING CEREMONY 10.30am at Car Park. BRING a BAUBLE or RIBBON to hang on the Tree. Wrap up warmly. Hot Drinks and Biscuits afterwards.
That's it for 2010 So HAPPY CHRISTMAS everyone and let's look forward to a fruitful 2011.
Any INFORMATION phone 01282 859745.

Unveiling our New Notice Board

On Friday November 12th. 2010, our new Notice Board was unveiled by a representative from Calico, a Housing Association. They gave us £500 towards the cost through an initiative called Small Sparks,part of" Help Direct". We found a further £400 ourselves and the remainder came from a fund donated to the PENDLE LNR's by the now defunct Pendle Environmental Network. The total was £1186.75p; quality notice boards do not come cheap!!!
Also at this ceremony one of the youngest members 0f Friends of Greenfield LNR received his specially embroidered T-shirt and a certificate naming him Young Green Volunteer of the Year at Greenfield 2010. Sam Holmes who is 8 years old attended the ceremony with his Mum, Ann and Grandma, Helen.He received his awards from Chair of the Town Council, Dorothy Lord. Others attending the Opening Ceremony were, David Penney, Chair, Annette Hawkins, Secretary,Vaughan Jones from Pendle's Tourism Department, Nicola Ruzza from Calico and two of her colleagues.

Bat Walk & Talk 2010

Hi it's been a while since I updated the blog. Things have been happening at Greenfield LNR. The overhead trees endangering the power lines have been culled by the company responsible, and a very good job of tidying up after have they made.Also Robert and his merry band have done a big clear at the old pond and we now have really visible expanses of water. Still trying to get funding for completing our pond area project which would include the hut/hide and a path round the side and back of the pond to link up with the existing platforms.It's a lot of money and a tall order but we'll keep trying!
On Friday 15th October we were fortunate to have David Anderson come along for a Bat Walk & Talk.David is curator of Natural History at Towneley Hall. A dozen people, including some new ones, went off with David and spotted four Pipstrelles. He wants to come back next May or June to do another walk which should be more productive, as it will be a better time of year.
On the menu is a Hallowe'en Family Frolics with sausage sizzle and ssh...some special Pumpkin Pie. Bring your own sausages on Saturday October 30th October meet car park. 10.00am.
End of November on Saturday 27th at 10.00am we shall be tackling clearing the New Pond to try to find out exactly what we have there. Some tools will be provided but bring shears,rakes, clippers or anything that will cut and clear. Usual hot drinks etc after. If you know of any able bodied, willing helpers please bring them along!
Finally on Saturday December 4th we are once again having our Tree Dressing Ceremony.Bring a bauble or ribbon to hang on the tree. Dress warmly. We meet at 10.00am at the carpark.
FINANCE AND NEW MEMBERS. The Executive Committee will meet WEDNESDAY 17th NOVEMBER 7.00pm at Ann's house. Details of how to get there can be obtained from 01282 859745. Any ideas for Fund Raising Events, and how to attract new members will be apperciated. Let Annette or David know please. This is now vital if we are to continue as a group.We have just paid out £900 as our contribution to the cost of our smart new notice-board and as a result our funds are somewhat depleted!By the way there will be an official unveiling of the Notice-board with a representative from Calico who back Small Sparks grants.Notice of this will be circulated when a date has been set. That's about it folks for now.

Pond Action Project

Guardian of the Ponds at Greenfield LNR ???
The gang at Crosby with one of the statues.
It's been awhile, so here's an update on our activities.
We've had a successful Fund Raising Evening for Conservation of Red Squirrels, and followed it up with a visit to Formby Hills to have a session with Sally Orritt the Red Squirrel Conservation Officer.We enjoyed our day out by the sea and ended up at Crosby to view the famous statues emerging from the sea.
We continued with our Balsam Bashing and got a lot out, but it is a pretty hopeless task. But we try our best.At the moment the Reserve is awash with wild flowers and well worth a visit.
We have been awarded £500. from Small Sparks to go towards our new notice-board which should be erected at the entrance soon.
Also we have been awarded £50. from Action Earth 2010 which will be spent on an ongoing Pond Project. On.Saturday 26th June meeting at our car park at 10.30am we will be having an extra special Pond Dipping session.All welcome. Wear wellingtons, old clothes. All under 16years must have an accompanying responsible adult.We will provide equipment and drinks and biscuits. Phone 01282 859745 for information or directions,or e-mail: nettie_hawkins71@yahoo.co.uk
The Friends Group will have a break from organised activities in July and August and start again in September. Already in the pipeline are :-Unveiling Ceremony for our New Notice Board;Bat Talk and Walk; a Hallowe'en Batty Arts evening;Tree Dressing Ceremony in early December. This year we shall ask participants to come dressed as Wood Sprites, Green Men or Spirit of the Woodlands.But wrap up warm as well, because it is December after all and we don't want anyone catching pneumonia!
More to follow later.

Pond Action po

Birdwatching spot

Hello to all our members. I have just returned from West of Ireland. Like the UK they are recovering from a bad winter.Everywhere is a bit brown and battered.
I was in Greenfield LNR and was watching a LongTailed Tit having a bath under some bushes....brrrr.... brave little bird! I also saw a Wren creeping about in some brambles for all the world like a little mouse. It occurred to me that this would make a good birdwatching area. Picture the top path and go to where one of the sawn off slanting interpretation boards is. A telegraph pole is nearby and you are on the way to both ponds.If you look across the "new" pond, which at present has water in it, you will see some bushes and trees. There are numerous birds using this area. I think if we put a substantial plank across the uprights, after levelling them, and build a screen in front, it would make a good birdwatching area. We could use some of the culled wood from our lopping and clearing.On mentioning this to Helen H. a committee member,I got a positive response. So let me know what you think, e-mail me please. Any handypeople out there would be very welcome to help out with this mini project.
Thanks to Helen. H. by the way for taking the Juniors on Saturday last.
Don't forget our next big effort is to raise money for Red Squirrel Conservation on March 22nd. Please all try to come and bring friends. We shall need some home-made cakes to sell, so get baking nearer the time, please.
A bid has been put in to "Small Sparks" for £500 towards a substantial, lockable notice-board. If successful we shall have to provide the rest of the cost from our funds.If you see anything interesting at the LNR please photograph or make a sketch or note and eventually we can post these in the notice-board for visitors to see.

Fungi in February

Hello
again. We had our usual work parties and Junior Rangers on Saturday
30th January 2010. 16 people did the Big Garden Bird Watch and spotted
12 different species in the hour allowed.We also spotted our first
female Hazel flower with its familiar red tuft.Bird results were sent
to RSPB. A small group heroically cleared an area behind the new seat
on Lower Path. A lot more work will be needed on this. We hope to
either make a wild flower patch or plant some low level shrubs that
would be bird friendly. We await advice from John Lamb of LWT.Why not
bring your muscles, forks and spades along on Saturday February 27th.,
either 10.30am or 1.00pm.and lend a hand.
When in the Reserve on Saturday last I found a fallen, mossy tree
covered in beautiful shining yellowish fungi. I am fairly sure they
were Velvet Shank. Our "duck that is different" also appeared. She, and
I think it is a duck and not a drake as she was accompanied by a male
mallard,is probably an escapee from a wild fowl collection. If they
mate watch out for a collection of "magpie" ducklings.
Our Chairman did a good bit of brash trimming and has created a lovely
habitat pile in the lower woodland.Our next big event is the Fund
Raising Evening to help The Red Squirrel. It is on Monday March 22nd.
7.00pm at St John's Methodist Hall in Colne. A varied evening of
interest is planned,please support and bring your friends and family.

2010 sightings

Hello to all our members. I hope you have managed to dig yourselves out of the snow and are by now back at school, work or your usual activities.
The Executive committee are meeting tonight at the Crown, Colne, 7.00pm. Among other things we shall be discussing the International Year of Biodiversity, which has just begun, activites for the coming months and a fund raising event to help the plight of Red Squirrels in the North.
You may recall in the first of this year's newsletters I suggested we could all try to keep a diary, take photos or make sketches of species we come across on our visits to the Greenfield LNR.It is important to do this as it can give us a picture of whether we have lost or gained any species compared with the last surveys done a number of years ago.
Today I was rewarded with sight of a Bullfinch, and a beautiful Grey Heron fishing in Colne Water.Images were obtained from RSPB website