Finally they have cut part of the jungle that surrounds the lake on Lindow Common!!
You can see the water!!
Today people were sat on benches in the sunshine and everyone I passed commented on how lovely it was to see the lake, the ducks, the heron.
When will Cheshire East realise how much people love the Common and how many people are sad at the dreadful state it is in!
There are too many parts that are fenced off, for no really good reason - amazingly birds nested safely for years!
So much is overgrown and out of control - maybe we need to set up a 'Friends of Lindow Common'.
Photo: Courtesy of Lee Calver (sent separately from the Reader's Letter).
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
The reeds grow quite high in the summer but they can attract warblers; you are often more likely to hear them than to see them. For those who appreciate the joys of nature there is a useful leaflet at http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/lindow_common_sssi_leaflet.pdf
The reason the lake is at times hard to see is because of the various flora and fauna that are breeding on the lake edge. Flora includes the reed beds and orchids, fauna includes dragonflies, voles and bird life. All these and more need not to be disturbed during their particular breeding times, so the window of opportunity for strimming and trimming is small.
The Heron. Yes, it's lovely to see. But will you say the same when the grebes have returned, hatched a brood of 3 or 4 young and the heron is on hand to eat them? Last year I saw a heron sitting on the grebes nest waiting for the young to return from exploring the lake. At certain times of year that chick killer needs to be scared away!
And I must dispute it being in a "dreadful state". It is, like all nature, in a constant state of change. If it were to be left to its own devices the common would be basically woodland. Silver birch would have taken over years ago. Over the last week Paul has been out with his volunteers reclaiming land back from this invading weed of a tree, and opened up another section to daylight, and eventually returning it to heather.
If you want to learn more about the common and the work it requires, Paul regularly does a walk and talk. It is a fascinating experience, and one I've enjoyed on more than one occasion. If you want to go on a future visit with Paul let me know via this page, or contact me by email. (I'm a local piano teacher, so do a Google search and you'll find my website with my contact details.)
And finally although there isn't a friends of the common group, there is the Lindow Common Advisory Group which is a mixture of Cheshire east and town councillors and "concerned residents" such as myself, and, of course, Paul the Ranger.
The area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and should be respected as such - it's not meant to be a neat and tidy parkland. I believe the fences are also there to facilitate research and to allow parts to be reestablished to what they were before the hand of man interfered.
I would also observe that there are signs asking people to keep their dogs on a leash in order to protect the flora and fauna; a lot of dog owners seem to ignore that.
But I think we all agree that the Common is a lovely place to visit.
I agree a fine balance has to be kept and have chatted with Paul many times, he's a good guy with not enough help to manage the Common. He's worked hard to re establish the heather heathland.
I didn't post the photo of a heron, that was added, I agree that they kill chicks but it wasn't around earlier in the year.
Having walked round the Common for 38 years I appreciate how things change, I also remember boats and skating, fishing and horse riding, bird watching and painting- how many of those activities can you do now??
Part of me feels that when the Common became an SSSI the importance shifted - flowers and water voles became more important than the people of Wilmslow.
As a member of the public, and not in my role as an Advisory Group member, I would say that people have been quite destructive to the planet as a whole. There are many who believe that saving areas of beauty and diversity is an important part of our human nature. We are the only creatures on this planet who have a highly developed social conscience, and the ability to change the course of natural events, so perhaps we need to be more selfless. It's not always about us.
To clarify regarding dogs. Dogs do not have to be on a lead, but they should be well behaved and under close control. We should all (including me and my dog) be careful regarding what we are doing with our dogs. Natural England, if it thought dog walkers and their dogs were abusing the common could step in and ban dogs entirely. As long as every dog owner controls and cleans up after their dog we can avoid that. Paul, our ranger, fully supports this approach.
Dogs are not permitted in the fenced off areas, but people are allowed in to but should remember to shut the gates after them.
In the 60s we cycled over to fish; never caught anything other than small perch. In those days the water really was black in the Black Lake.
The amount of dog poo there these days is astounding. So much for SSSI.
"The amount of dog poo there these days is astounding. So much for SSSI."
I'd say "so much for responsible dog owners!". There may be some, but clearly the evidence on the ground is that they are vastly out-numbered by selfish irresponsible ones.
It's just one thing those trying to return the common to its natural state as an SSSI, an example of a fast-disappearing natural environment more rare and more threatened than the rain forest, have to cope with.