Mission — Friends of Bridestones Rewilded
Good news yesterday, or so I hope. Bridestone Moor, approximately 114 acres of moorland has been bought for 'rewilding' by a local group of people. The princely sum of £387,000 has been raised and it is now a done deal.
Reading the blog highlighted below I am not too sure of whether shooting will take place of the red legged grouse the species that live up on this moor, and there is some speculation of how to approach control. See here Though of course nature has always worked that one out. It is only humankind that upset the balance.
Traditional conservation of species through managed populations is not always in keeping with rewilding values. There remain conflicting arguments surrounding the ecological importance of species such as the red grouse because there is a history of it being a managed species bred and released on moorlands for game shooting. This means that the numbers and distribution of red grouse today may not reflect that of natural population if unmanaged. The natural selection pressures that determine the delicate balance of species numbers and cohabitation with other species, are difficult to predict and replicate.
The poor old red legged grouse is a game bird, The Glorious 12th and all that. I can see how this land got sold off, there is a public right on the moor to visit the area and especially the Bridestones, as we did the other week. Members of the public are not allowed to be shot!
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| A grouse butt for hiding in because those grouse are such bullies. Sorry |
Funnily enough I haven't seen any butts up on the moors here not like the North Yorkshire moors pictured above. You can see that I am no fan of shooting the millions of introduced and bred pheasants. And grouse. So already we are talking of a 'managed environment' if they allow shooting on the moor.
Apparently the grouse are prone to worm, this due to overgrazing of the heather so this is somewhat of a break in their breeding. But medicated grit is also put down to help with this problem of worms.
It will be good to see the Belted Galloway cattle up on the moor, I saw them down on the Cornish moors such as Bodmin Moor.
I think it is nice when land is set aside for nature preserves.I have quite a few forest preserves not far from where I live and am so thankful to have them for walks in nature. So calming.
ReplyDeleteWe have a very small land Ellen, each inch of it battled over for possession.
DeleteThat seems a very reasonable price to pay for the land. More than a million would be a conservative estimate.
ReplyDeleteThat is a Southerner talking Janice, moor land is poor but supports its own wild life well, when we start grazing our cattle and sheep, something else happens.
DeleteGrouse shooting seems barbaric to me. It is time that this so-called "sport" was consigned to history. Let moorland trees grow and let the birds and the mammals find their own equilibrium. They do not require human intervention - that's just a myth promoted by shooters and various landowners. Free the moors!
ReplyDeleteWell it took a long time for fox hunting to be banned Neil and the poor foxes had to go and live in London for safety. But the shooting of defenseless birds, who don't even fly fast is wicked.
ReplyDeleteOkay, that observation made me laugh, the idea that the foxes moved to London for safety!
ReplyDeleteI am always interested in rewilding projects. I realized that although I knew the word 'moor', I had no idea what the actual meaning of it was. Off I went to read up on it. Thanks!
Moors are special places. Prehistory can be found on them because they are such a difficult terrain. The Victorians loved them for their danger and loneliness. Think the Charles Dickens - Baskerville Hounds, and the Brontes wandering on the moors thinking of their stories. Or the Churn Milk Joan stone above us on the moors.
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