The Sunday 5th June 2022 nature conservation task will be invasive species management on Walthamstow Marshes. The task will help the rangers control and protect the marshes from invasive plant species. We will have a chance to explore the SSSI nature reserve, working first on North Marsh removing Goat’s rue growing from the exposed seed bank where the bramble was removed, moving to the Lammas Meadow, South Marsh to remove Greek Doc before finishing on the aqueduct path to remove Goat’s Rue and do some maintenance on the recently planted saplings All are welcome to join us and no experience is required. Please meet us at the Waterworks so we can provide enough tools and gloves. If You are curious about what happens on a LBCV task, one of our regular volunteers did the following live video on the October 2020 task Please wear appropriate clothing which is long sleeves and trousers NO SHORTS as we are possibly handling bramble and wear stout footwear for the task and weather. We will be working in an area with long grass and possibly nettles, so closed shoes/boots and long trousers and sleeves would be best. Join Us Everybody is welcome to volunteer with LBCV. No experience is required. Please wear sturdy footwear and appropriate clothing for the work and weather. We will possibly be working with brambles and nettles and sharp tools. We only do tasks on the first Sunday of every month so a little bad weather will not stop a task. We are out of lockdown but some restrictions still need to apply for LBCV to safely be able to run volunteer tasks in the Lea Valley Park, with the restrictions below. If you are ill, feel ill or have been in contact with somebody who is self-isolating please do not volunteer. Please take a test if you are not sure. Please wash your hands before the task in warm water or hand sanitiser. Use gloves when handling all tools, touching gates or other items in the park Wash your hands before eating or drinking in warm water or hand sanitiser LBCV can supply wellington boots to work in, please arrive in plenty of time at the Waterworks, to select your pair. LBCV will provide tools, training, gloves, coffee, tea and biscuits. Please bring some lunch and water. Please arrive from 9:30am onwards at the Waterworks Centre Lammas Road, off Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, London E10 7QT, for a 10am departure to collect tools and gloves. The meeting place is by the bike racks in front of The Waterworks Centre. If you use what three words ///guises.manage.entry is the location.
Please lock bicycles to the stands in front of the Waterworks Centre. There is ample free car parking. Dogs are not allowed in the Nature Reserve so please do not cross the bridge with dogs or ride bicycles in the nature reserve. Dogs are still welcome on some tasks, including this one, as we are in an open nature reserve. We should be finished by 4pm Volunteering and doing a conservation task with LBCV in North East London, is great way to meet new people, learn new skills, use old skills, be more active, get closer to nature, make a difference and have some fun with like-minded people in the Lea Valley Regional Park.
On Sunday 1 August 2021, LBCV will be in the ditches on Walthamstow Marshes to remove reedmace to open up this waterway for dragonflies and the watervole communities in this SSSI Nature Reserve. To join us, meet at the Waterworks Centre, Lammas Road from 9:30am – 10am.
Conservation Task Details
The aim of the task is to remove some reedmace by either pulling the rhizomes or cutting below the water level to drown it. This will provide open water areas for dragonflies to hunt. While doing the task we need to cautious as the ditch contains the invasive azolla, mosquito fern, duckweed fern and we must take precautions to stop it spread to other parts of the ditch and nearby waterbodies.
Water Voles – Full Legal Protection In England & Wales
Water voles were given full legal protection in England & Wales on the 6th April 2008 by provisions under section 9 of Schedule 5 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). Schedule 5 of this Act makes it an offence to intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any structure or place that a water vole uses for shelter or protection. It is also an offence to disturb, kill or injure a water vole or handle a water vole without a licence. (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981). Disturbing or harming a water vole, damaging its habitat or destroying or blocking water vole burrows could lead to prosecution. Offences carry a maximum penalty of £5,000.
Alternative task Depending on number of volunteers and how it is in the ditch, we can also pull the common ragwort from Lammas Meadow, as having ragwort in the hay cuts reduces the uses of hay.
Why Remove Ragwort ? Ragwort poisoning can have a devastating effect on horses in particular, as well as being damaging to cattle and other animals. Ingestion of Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea either in its green or dried state, can cause serious liver damage, which can have tragic consequences for both animals and owners. Ragwort is the only one of the five weeds covered by the Weeds Act 1959, which is harmful to equines and other animals. However, in the right place, and where there is no risk to animal welfare, ragwort contributes to the biodiversity of the flora and fauna in our countryside. But next to a field with 11 cattle grazing with 4 in calf and within a quarter mile of the Riding Centre it needs to be controlled.
Join Us
Everybody is welcome to volunteer with LBCV. No experience is required. Please wear sturdy footwear and appropriate clothing for the work and weather. We will be working in a ditch with brambles and nettles on the bank We are out of lockdown but some restrictions still need to apply for LBCV to safely be able to run volunteer tasks in the Lea Valley Park, with the restrictions below. If you are ill, feel ill or have been in contact with somebody who is self-isolating please do not volunteer Please wash your hands before the task in warm water or hand sanitiser. Use gloves when handling all tools, touching gates or other items in the park Do not share tools. Please maintain a social distance of at least 1m in the container. Wash your hands before eating or drinking in warm water or hand sanitiser We will provide chest waders and wader for those that want to go into the ditch. Volunteers are also needed to stay on the bank for the safety of those in the water. Please arrive in plenty of time to select your pair. LBCV will provide tools, training, gloves, coffee, tea and biscuits. Please bring some lunch and water. Please arrive from 9:30am onwards at the Waterworks Centre Lammas Road, off Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, London E10 7QT, for a 10am departure to collect tools and gloves. The meeting place is by the bike racks in front of the Waterworks Centre, across from the former Greyhound Public House on Lea Bridge Road. If you use what three words ///guises.manage.entry is the location. Please lock bicycles to the stands in front of the Waterworks Centre. There is ample free car parking. Dogs are not allowed in the Nature Reserve so please do not cross the bridge with dogs or ride bicycles in the nature reserve. Dogs are still welcome on some tasks, including this one. We should be finished by 3-4pm. Volunteering and doing a conservation task with LBCV in North East London, is great way to meet new people, learn new skills, use old skills, be more active, get closer to nature, make a difference and have some fun with like-minded people in the Lea Valley Regional Park.
Somewhere on Walthamstow Marshes Lea Bridge Conservation Volunteers will be doing a nature conservation task, all welcome see task reminder email for more details, subribe below
Any questions please email as our mobile number is out of action waiting for a new SIM card.
Decemeber’s 2020 task involved planting 153 tree whips from a possible 300+ tree whips, to create a new hedge. Locally felled trees were already chipped by the rangers and used as a mulch to protect the saplings from competition from weeds and retain moisture in the soil and protect the young root systems from frosts. See photo montage
