Archive for September, 2010

Part of the September volunteer hay raking team

Forest Volunteers turned out in force on 19 September to rake up a late season grass cut from Lake View Meadow in the Millennium Country Park. This important work will help to increase the grassland’s diversity by reducing soil fertility and allowing less competitive species of grass and herbs to thrive. The process also stops trees and shrubs from taking over, which is important in an area like this where many species of plants flower in the spring and summer. Lake View Meadow has been managed in this way for only five years. It’s a slow process but results are already promising.

Conservation work has become a regular feature of the Forest Volunteer’s work at the Country Park. The team takes on a wide range of practical tasks through the year, hedge laying and tree planting in winter and fence construction in summer being firm favourites.

Anyone over fourteen years of age is welcome to join us (if you’re younger than this, you’ll need to bring an adult with you). Information about the next tasks is available here or email Stephen Gascoyne

Who are Covanta?

Covanta is a US company that operates 44 waste treatment plants around the world.  Covanta use high temperature (850⁰C)* incineration to generate electricity from waste and recover usable materials (metals and ash) from the process.  The process of generating electricity by incinerating  waste is referred to as “energy from waste”.

 What are Covanta proposing?

Covanta have applied for planning permission to build a 65MW* energy from waste plant in the Marston Vale – generating enough electricity for over 80,000 homes*.  This plant would consume up to 585,000* tonnes of waste per year.  Waste would be delivered by road and could be collected from Bedfordshire and neighbouring counties.  Because the proposal is classified as a large scale power station the application is being reviewed by the national Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) rather than the local planning authority. 

Where would the proposed plant be located?

The plant would be located in Rookery pit, the massive worked-out clay pit that lies at the far side of the railway line that marks the eastern boundary of the Millennium Country Park.

How big is the proposed development?

It’s big!  The building would be 43 m high* and it would have a single chimney 105m high*.  The development would cover 70 acres (28 hectares) and would have its own access road off Green Lane (the road that runs from the A421 to Stewartby beside the north shore of Stewartby lake) for bringing the waste in.  The proposed building is nearly as big as one of the Cardington sheds and would be a dominant feature in the view from the Lakeside Café at the Forest Centre.

Will the Marston Vale Trust be objecting to the proposal?

The Marston Vale Trust is delivering the Forest of Marston Vale and is guided by the Forest Plan (9Mb pdf) – the publicly consulted plan for the creation of the Forest.  The Trust has a policy of neutrality on all development in the Vale that does not conflict with the objectives of the Trust or the Forest Plan.  While regretting the impact of the proposed development on the landscape of the Vale and the view from the Forest Centre, the Board of Trustees of the Marston Vale Trust recognises that the proposal is not at odds with the Forest plan or the objectives of the Trust and recognises the need for efficient and effective waste disposal.  The Trust is, therefore, neutral on the proposed development but is working with Covanta to secure environmental benefits for the Vale should the development go ahead.  Covanta has expressed its enthusiasm to work with the Trust and will make an annual fund available to the Trust to help the Trust achieve its objectives.  Covanta will also create an extension of the Millennium Country Park into the undeveloped North end of Rookery pit and will contribute in a range of other ways if the project goes ahead.

Where can I learn more?

• The Covanta web site is: www.covantaenergy.co.uk
• The Marston Moretaine Action Group is a group of individuals who are concerned about developments in the Marston Vale that they feel could be damaging to the community or the landscape.  The Action Group is campaigning against the proposed development. You can find out more about their campaign at: www.mmetag.com
• The Infrastructure Planning Commission is examining the proposal and will be consulting with the public and other interested parties.  The IPC web site can be found at: http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk

If you wish to make any comments about the Covanta Proposal, you will need to register as an Interested Party with the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) before their deadline of 19th November.  If you do not register by then you will not be able to make any comments or representations to the IPC at a future date. Click here to visit the IPC’s web site and to register.

*Statistics in this summary have been taken from Covanta Community Newsletter, June 2010 and other information provided by Covanta

Creation of new surfaced Wetland Trail in the Millennium Country Park

The first week of September saw the start of work on a new, hard surface for the two kilometre Wetland Trail in the Millennium Country Park. The all-weather surface will improve access for families with buggies and wheelchairs as well as making the route easier for everyone to use throughout the year; and anyone who has walked the site during a wet winter will know how sticky our clay is.

This exciting project, funded by WREN will allow access to bird watching hides, feeding stations, benches and great views of different wildlife habitats including reed beds, meadows and young woodland. Eight interpretation boards aimed at families will create a ‘Wildlife Safari’ packed with information, things to look for and games to play. The pay trail will start from the far side of the Forest Centre Meadow which will be open for people to picnic, fly a kite or kick a ball around.

Although the works will cause some disturbance initially, once complete the path will create a chance for more people to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of the Wetlands Nature Reserve. The final surface will be of ‘Breedon Gravel’ an excellent surface and one that will look great too.

Work is expected to be complete by 24 September.

Small red-eyed damselfly (image D Morris)

The 11th of August saw the first “recorded ” sighting of the small red-eyed damselfly, (Erythomma viridulum) in the Millennium Country Park. One of the commoner species in Europe, it only reached Britain eleven years ago. Widely established in the south-east it is slowly spreading  northwards.   If they become established in the Wetlands you can expect to see them between July and September. 

British Lumberjack Sports Association in action, Woodworks 2010 (image Don Morris)

There are certainly some better feelings better than reaching the end of a two-day event like Woodworks! with just about everyone saying – “that was great” and without major mishap; but not many.

The weekend proved as ever, to be a great little wood and tree festival, full of dedicated, skilled and sometimes splendidly odd exponents of country crafts and dressing up in period clothing, whilst managing to exude a little of the music festival vibe. No rain certainly helped.

Click here to see what you missed; it was a good one. Dates for 2011 have been provisionally set – 3 & 4 September; why not put it in your diary now?

One of the high points, as always was the chainsaw carve up each afternoon, in which Ian Freemantle, Luke Wesley, Chris Pratt and Andy Barton competed against the clock to produce a thing of beauty from the proverbial oak sow’s ear. They managed to do this both days and the resulting sale, overseen and commentated on, in entertaining style by Chris Addy of the British Lumberjack Sports Association, raised over £400 for the Marston Vale Trust.

More than 3,000 people visited over the weekend and just about everyone had a great time.

The Churchfitters (image James Elliott)

Big thanks to important people

An enormous thank you to our sponsors this year - Park Woodfine Heald Mellows LLP solicitors, National Westminster Bank, NFU Mutual and www.liveinbedford.co.uk without whom it wouldn’t be possible to do this kind of thing.

However, there are  a few unsung heroes of Woodworks 2010 who gave up their time wihtout complaint,  lent us things or just kept on keeping on  - we would like to give them a big hug…

Michele at www.fabnights.co.uk who produced and managed all the great music over the weekend – good luck with everything Michele.

Phil at www.lightrefreshment.co.uk who along with his mate Dave, looked after all our power needs at the festival – thanks for being scary.

Lynne at www.setupscenery.co.uk  for lending us a stage and thus giving all the artists a lift

Stephen at www.marstonvalecommunityrail.org.uk once again, for making trains run on Sunday and arranging buses to the Forest Centre

If you watched BBC1 at 7.35pm on Saturday 4 September you may have seen the Forest’s moment of fame in the National Lottery Award’s Best Lottery Funded Environmental Projectcategory. In a show fronted by shiny-jacketed Torchwood star John Barrowman, in which the Forest’s representative twelve staff, volunteers and trustees were glimpsed only briefly, decked out in their finest bib and tucker, we failed to romp away with the top prize.

A disappointment certainly; but the winning entry, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust were always going to provide strong competition. It was a big effort to spread the word in two rounds of voting through the summer of 2010. In the process we have received strong support and words of encouragement from organisations large and small, partners, politicians, sponsors and most of all from members of the public who like what the Forest is all about and are happy to help. It’s been a rewarding if time-consuming process.

We don’t know how many votes we received in the final round but are proud to have got that far and hope you were pleased to see a Bedfordshire finalist on Saturday night telly. It’s not often we get a minute on prime time BBC TV and that’s good enough for the time being.

We’re going to win next time!