Save Our Woodland! Sponsorship Opportunities Incredible Edibles Foraging in the Chilterns Chilterns Dog Rescue Society
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ISSUE 221 • AUTUMN 2016 www.chilternsociety.org.uk • CHILTERN SOCIETY MAGAZINE Save our woodland! Sponsorship opportunities Incredible edibles Foraging in the Chilterns Chilterns Dog Rescue Society HERITAGE • CONSERVATION • ENVIRONMENT • WILDLIFE • LEISURE ISSUE 221 • AUTUMN 2016 www.chilternsociety.org.uk • CHILTERN SOCIETY MAGAZINE In this Save our woodland! Sponsorship opportunities Incredible edibles Foraging in the Chilterns Chilterns Dog Rescue Society HERITAGE • CONSERVATION • ENVIRONMENT • WILDLIFE • LEISURE Black Park (Colin Drake) issue NEWS & VIEWS 3 EDITOR 4 CHAIRMAN 5 HEAD OF MARKETING & MEMBERSHIP Sponsor Chiltern woodland! 14 HIGH SPEED TWO 16 PUTTING DOGS FIRST Bob Stuart visits Chilterns Dog Rescue Society 19 NEWS IN BRIEF THE OPENING OF LITTLE CHALFONT NATURE PARK 35 HISTORIC FOOTPATH RECOVERED AT TRING 24 A carved oak badger surveys the woodland meadow 38 LETTERS SPECIAL MEMBER HERITAGE OFFERS see page 40 18 A TALENT UNFULFILLED The story of Dora Carrington and the Ashridge murals 32 A THOUSAND YEARS OF SUSTAINABLE ENERGY Watermills on the River Chess, part two CONSERVATION CHILTERN SOCIETY SITES 12 THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS 26 Checking sponsored bird boxes in Captain’s Wood Tony Marshall tells a sad story 15 HERTS CONSVOLS GET AROUND 24 AS NATURE INTENDED At Little Chalfont Nature Park 26 MANY HANDS MAKE SITES WORK The latest news about our conservation volunteers 30 HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? Asks a new recruit to the Path Maintenance Volunteers 31 HANDS ACROSS THE POND Ewelme’s recruits come from far and wide WILDLIFE HISTORIC FOOTPATH RECOVERED 10 THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY AT TRING John Hockey investigates some 35 Walkers at the entrance to the reinstated path in Little Tring Road Chiltern escapees scan here for www.chilternsociety.org.uk 2 Chiltern 221 Nurturing nature From the Editor Richard Bradbury On a rare warm day some weeks ago, while walking his dog in a field near his home, my ENVIRONMENT friend came across a bird of prey struggling on the ground. He called me, and, suitably equipped with a large cardboard box and protection for our hands, we set off on a 28 I NCREDIBLE EDIBLES mercy mission, wondering if in the meantime the bird might have recovered and flown Foraging in the Chilterns, away. It was still there, however, flapping its wings rather pathetically. Getting hold of with Lorna Moore it and putting it in the box proved a lot easier than we anticipated – it was surprisingly 34 WHAT MAKES SP 997 156 SO compliant. SPECIAL? John Hockey reveals all We took it to Tiggywinkles Animal Hospital inadvertently, in Haddenham. On the journey there were for example signs that it was livening up a little, and by running when the nurse carefully removed it from over them LEISURE the box and identified it as a buzzard it in our cars, seemed remarkably alert, with no visible replacing 6 BLACK PARK WALK signs of injury. She speculated that it might hedges with have received some kind of head trauma fences, or which was beginning to wear off. Given cutting back where the bird was found we could only undergrowth think of one logical explanation – it had at the wrong crashed into the power cables that ran time of year. across the field, passing immediately over Even our Buzzard (Colin Drake) the path where my friend had been walking. well-meaning The buzzard was in good company. In attempts to help can backfire, as the the foyer at Tiggywinkles is a board listing increasing clamour for a cull of red kites all the animals and birds currently held in certain areas clearly shows. The poor there, some being treated with a view to birds are becoming victims of their own later release, others permanent residents success, because they’ve learned that by 8 CHILTERN SOCIETY EVENTS AND incapable of surviving in the wild. The congregating in places where there are lots ACTIVITIES Hospital was already playing host to well of people, they stand a very good chance Autumn/winter 2016 over 20 buzzards, along with sundry other of an endless supply of easy meals. Wild 20 COAST TO COAST creatures including red kites and other creatures adapt to survive, and that’s what With the Cycle Group smaller birds, deer of various descriptions, they’re doing, just like the urban foxes. badgers, foxes and, of course, hedgehogs. Thankfully there are many individuals 22 PHOTO OPPORTUNITY The numbers involved were huge! and organisations working locally and Do your photographs deserve a wider audience, asks Barry Hunt This incident made me reflect on our nationally to safeguard the future of our relationship with the natural world that wildlife (let’s not forget that the Chiltern 23 PUZZLE PICTURE enriches the lives of so many of us. The love Society is itself responsible for a number of 27 BOOK REVIEW and dedication of the Tiggywinkles staff nature reserves). Often a key part of their 36 THE NEW BEER REVOLUTION is inspiring, while the plight of its patients message is that we can all help, even in Martin Pearson charts the rise of touches our hearts; but at the same time the very small ways, such as by planting shrubs craft brewing activities and behaviour of human beings that will attract bees and butterflies. Here are a major contributor to the suffering of in the Chilterns we have outstanding flora 40 MEMBER OFFERS our animals and birds. I’m not referring to and fauna – some of it rare, if not unique – 42 WALKS PROGRAMME hunting here – that’s another debate entirely and it’s up to us to do whatever we can to – I’m thinking of the damage we cause protect and preserve it. DEADLINES REPRODUCTION OF IMAGES It is not possible to guarantee that items received after The photographs in this magazine must not be the deadline will be included in the next issue, unless a reproduced elsewhere, except with the express prior arrangement has been made with the Editor. permission of the photographer via the Editor. If you do not wish your photographs to be used in other Published quarterly by The Chiltern Society SENDING COPY AND PHOTOGRAPHS Society publications, please make this clear when you Please email text as Word attachments. Pictures should send them. EDITOR: Richard Bradbury • 01494 793049 be sent as jpg attachments. High resolution images Email: [email protected] are required for publication, although low resolution The Society does not necessarily accept responsibility for the views of contributors or the ADVERTISING: Sophie Elkan images can be sent as samples in the first instance, if Email: [email protected] preferred. Please indicate the quality of images sent, claims of the advertisers. entitle your pictures and delete any numbers. DESIGN & TYPESET: Clickdraw • 01525 374270 PRINT: Hartgraph • Amersham on materials DEADLINE FOR ISSUE 222 (DECEMBER 2016) produced by environmentally friendly processes. Items to the Editor by: Monday 26 September • Published: Saturday 26 November email: [email protected] 3 Looking to the future From the Chairman David Harris We’re planning to work closely with There rarely seems to be a dull moment in the Chiltern Society! The new Heritage the Chilterns Conservation Board on a Group is going from strength to strength, thanks to Jeffrey Newman and his number of new initiatives, which include enthusiastic team. Our revived partnership with the Wormsley Estate has provided projects on protecting the Chiltern some exciting new benefits for members, such as the opportunity to attend their cricket landscape and investigating Chiltern hill matches and explore the wonderful Getty library. Keep your eyes open for more! forts. We’ve also become a partner in the new Ridgeway Partnership, a body that offered to help in communications and Regrettably two of our Trustees, Geoff has taken over from Natural England to events. We’re still looking for capable Lambert and Tom Rodwell, have decided maintain and improve The Ridgeway. To individuals who’d like to become Trustees they really don’t have the time they feel help fund all our work, while ensuring and help drive forward some elements of should be dedicated to the role, and have that the underlying operations perform to the Society’s work. If this interests you, resigned. Roger Newman, who worked plan, we’re launching a major fundraising please get in touch. tirelessly to obtain the new sites from campaign which will last through next Over recent months we’ve made Wycombe District Council and Bucks year. I hope members will rise to the efforts to update our website, so that County Council, has moved house to be challenge and support us in seeking it’s more user friendly for the ‘mobile’ closer to family and has resigned with to maintain the Chilterns for future user. These days more and more of the effect from this year’s AGM. His efforts on generations. communication with the Society is via the our behalf in the area of conservation will Over the longer term, an important website, and we have to move with the be greatly missed. element of our funding comes from times. We hope that you’ll be comfortable All is not lost however! We’ve recruited legacies. Anyone who mentions us in with the changes. two new Trustees, Alison Barraclough their will can join our Bluebell Guild. Keep The Society was in deficit last year, and Jane Peel. Not only will they bring your eyes open for more about this in following the rapid expansion in the new experience to the Board, they will future issues, or call the office. number of sites and the employment also beneficially change the age and Finally, don’t forget our AGM on of our new Head of Conservation and gender profile! Alison has a background 15 October.