Progress? - I Don't Think So!

[Jim Ford]

Nothing new - read George Orwell's 'Coming up for Air'. When he went back to visit his childhood village, his secret wild place had been converted to a 'Pixie Glen'!

Jim

[treecreeper]

Jim, that book is a hoot. I love the musings on obesity.

[animartco]

Originally Posted by treecreeper

Jim, that book is a hoot. I love the musings on obesity.

A hoot? I think it's one of the saddest most moving books I've read. It puts into a nutshell what we are doing to the countryside. 'People' think that the places they go to in droves to see nature are habitats that have been designed for nature, but of course they have only been designed for people- the undergrowth cut back to make it easier for them to walk, and to see views through the trees etc.
But there is a very strong case for making and fencing in paths. It is the ONLY way to preserve ANY wildlife in places visited by lots of people.

[Jim Ford]

Anyone know Northwick Park in South Kenton?

When I was a kid it had wildflowers, four ponds with newts and invertebrates, interesting bumps and hollows and a line of mature elms. A lad could spend all day exploring and get back home late, tired and dirty!

I went back recently. The elms had died of Dutch elm disease, the ponds had all been filled in and the bumps and hollows smoothed out. There were no wild flowers whatsoever - just 'football pitch grass'. All it's suitable for now is to kick a ball around on, and to take the dog to have a c**p!

Jim

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by animartco

A hoot? I think it's one of the saddest most moving books I've read.

Agree with that, Orwell's best work in my opinion.

On the issue raised by Mike, I can see that there may sometimes be a case for fencing off a pathway but surely this would normally only be necessary at those sites which attract a lot of visitors. From Mike's description that doesn't sound like this site and I can see why he's annoyed about it.

Dave P.

[animartco]

Oh yes, Pressid2, I agree it is horrible for Mike to have people riding roughshod over rare fungi, and ruining his magic place, but you have to think what is this shortcut doing for the countryside around it as a whole? Surely allowing riders and walkers a quick way through an SSSI, so they don't spend time trampling out alternate routes must be a good thing?
No, I am certainly not advocating made up paths where it isn't necessary.
But let me give an example. I went with a friend to a well known local orchid area, where paths were just trodden out by feet.
Just a little way off the path was a man taking a picture of a very small boring looking white orchid I wouldn't other wise have noticed. I don't think it was even fully out. The point was, that beyong this, were clumps of lady orchids, and visitors could easlily have trampled this rare orchid while going to look at them. Further on I found fly orchids actually growing out of the path. Someone had put small logs in front of them in an attempt to avoid them being trampled. There were a LOT of people there, coming to see orchids, but I think the conservationists in charge must have had an over optimistic view of the level of information that most people have. Just because members of the public have heard of orchids and and think they would like to see them, doesn't mean that they are responsible enough to watch where they are putting their feet.