The next Friends of Rawcliffe Meadows Work Party is on Thursday 7th August 2014 from 19:00 near the New Meadow (near the crossroads of the allotment track and the N65 cycle track – any queries of how to get there, let us know).  A few things to do:

• The prospective tansy patches at the north of the site – by cattle grid, Blue Beck bank and the area by the Oak tree/dog leg – need further cutting and raking to manage competing vegetation
• If we get enough volunteers we can also do some more seed collection (meadow buttercup, clovers, birdsfoot trefoil, ribwort and great burnet) for the Cornfield grassland, this time in the reservoir basin.

Volunteers welcome for all or part of that period. Please look for the A board. Gloves, given the nettles, are probably a good idea! Possibly wellies too dependent upon the weather!

So, if you’d like to help manage one of England’s newest Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) along, please come and do so! No experience needed, just enthusiasm!

NEWS ITEMS:

• The information for the new interpretation boards has gone to the firm designing and manufacturing them
• The Tansy Beetles seemed to have come up early this year and numbers were sighted at the last work party in July and 89 on 31 July on western New Meadow bank
• Work is due to commence on the Cornfield grassland in August
• Cattle coming on shortly but will probably focus on the Reservoir Basin where the vegetation is longer
• Bentley’s will shortly have completed the replacement sewer by filling the old one full of grout – no more sewage leaks!

Gatekeeper