Petersfield Group's Area Newsletter Winter 2002
The South Downs National Park
Good News!
Petersfield, Liss, Longmoor and the Upper Rother Valley have now been included within the draft boundary. Thanks to everyone who wrote letters, these really did count when the Countryside Agency was making its decision.
Help is still needed.
We would like to enlist your continued support to ensure that that the area remains within the final boundary for the South Downs National Park (SDNP) by writing to the Countryside Agency. Letters need to be sent before 27 February 2002, which is the end of the public consultation period. If the existing East Hants Area of Outstanding Natural (AONB) were to be excluded from the SDNP the AONB would become too small to be viable and would be downgraded. This would result in our wildlife losing the AONB protection it currently holds and the whole area would become under great pressure for much more intensive industrial and housing development as the planning constraints given to an AONB would be lifted.
There is a sample letter in the National Park page. You can send the letter as it is by adding your address and date at the top and your signature at the bottom. You may prefer to compose your own letter, if so it is vital to include support for the criteria of the National Park, these are listed later in the newsletter. You can download the letter and alter it as you wish. The Internet site also includes links to sources of information about the SDNP.
Please feel free to photocopy this sample letter and pass it on to friends and neighbours. The number of individual letters received by the Countryside Agency is what counts. If you live within the Parish of Liss the Parish Council has additional information which you may like to use.
Criteria for the South Downs National Park:
Natural Beauty and Recreation.
Natural Beauty includes landscape quality, cultural heritage, wildlife
and conservation, and the unspoilt character of the area.
Recreation means opportunities for quiet countryside recreation that allow
people to enjoy and understand the special qualities of the National Park
without damaging it or spoiling other people's enjoyment of it. Also very
important is access to opportunities for recreation, especially on foot,
by bicycle or by public transport.
The free publication "A South Downs National Park", produced by the Countryside Agency is a good source of information and gives greater detail. Copies can be obtained from Petersfield Library.
The talk Gardening for Wildlife by George Pilkington at Herne Farm Leisure Centre on 3 November was extremely interesting and the cream tea was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Thanks to Ros Levin who organised the event and also provided the cream tea.
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What to look out for:
There is not room for this to be included in this newsletter due to the coverage of the South Downs National Park, but it will be continued in the next issue.
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Dates for your Diary.
Non-members are welcome to all events except committee meetings.
Where there is no charge for the event donations to HWT will be welcomed.
Wed 23 Jan. "Wildlife Friendly Farming" a talk by farmer
Chris Cook. 7.30 pm at Herne Farm Leisure Centre, Moggs Mead, Petersfield.
Tel: 01730 262860. Entrance £2.00. Trust sales and refreshments
available during the interval.
Sat 26 Jan. Arundel Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. 10.00 am at Wildfowl
and Wetlands Centre car park or 9.00 am sharp at Petersfield railway station
car park at end of Lavant St. for car sharing and lifts. WWT members free
on production of membership card otherwise normal WWT charges apply. Tel:
01730 266392
Sat 2 Feb. Chidham Peninsula to Cobnor Point bird walk. 10.00 am at Cobnor
Farm car park or 9.15 am sharp at Petersfield central car park (Winton
Road exit) for car sharing and lifts.
Tel: 01730 266392. All welcome.
Wed 6 Feb. Petersfield HWT Bird Group meeting. 7.30 p.m. at Petersfield
Voluntary Centre Winton House, High Street, Petersfield. Tel: 01730 266392.
News, planning future events, bird identification video.
Sat 16 Feb. Pagham Spit, Lagoon & North Wall for birds. Meet at 11.00
am at Pagham Spit, (Map ref: SZ 883 966), park nearby, or 10.00 am sharp
at Petersfield railway station car park, Lavant St., for car sharing and
lifts. Tel: 01730 266392.
Sun 17 Mar. South Moors and Budds Farm for birds. 10.00 am at Ship Inn
public car park at Langstone, next to Hayling Island Bridge, or at 9.30
am sharp at Petersfield central car park (Winton Road exit) for car sharing
and lifts. Tel: 01730 264739.
Wed 20 Mar. An informal walk in West Dean Woods for birds, wild daffodils
and other spring flowers. 2.00 pm in the reserve car park, West Dean,
(Map ref. SU 844 153) Tel: 01730 266392. Please phone for a lift.
Sun 7 Apr. Liss Riverside Walk for birds. 10.00 am. in Liss Common car
park, Liss Forest. Tel: 01730 264739. Possibility of Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers.
Please phone for a lift.
Sat 27 Apr. Nightingales at Pulborough Brooks RSPB Reserve, West Sussex.
10.30 am at the reserve car park or 9.30 am sharp at Petersfield station
car park (at top of Lavant St.) for car sharing and lifts. Tel: 01730
264739. RSPB members free on production of membership card, otherwise
RSPB charges apply. Bring a packed lunch. On our last April visit we had
good views of nightingales.
Wed 1 May. An informal walk along the Hayling Billy Line, Hayling Island.
11.00 am North Hayling Halt car park, south of the Oyster Beds, on A3023
southbound turn right down lane just past garage on right. Level walking.
Tel: 01730 266392. Please phone for a lift.
Wed 8 May. An informal walk Ashford Hangers National Nature Reserve for
spring flowers. 10.00 am Ashford Farm, Ashford Lane, Steep, in car park.
Please phone for a lift. Tel: 01730 263938.
Sun 19 May. Reptiles and Amphibians at Woolmer Common. Booking essential,
numbers limited. 9.00 am at car park by Woolmer Pond beside A325 about
¾ mile N. E. of Greatham village. Led by a Herpetological Conservation
Trust Officer. Tel: 01730 266392. Donations to the Herpetological Conservation
Trust please.
Thurs 30 May. An informal walk at Noar Hill for flowers and butterflies,
especially Duke of Burgundy. 10.30 am by the track that leads to the reserve.
Bring a packed lunch. Tel: 01730 263938.
Wed 12 June Nightjars on Iping Common. 8.45 p.m. at Iping Common car park
(Map ref. SU 853220). Tel: 01730 266392 or 01730 264739.
Shared Transport and lifts
Many events involve travelling some distance. To reduce environmental
effects and costs, we encourage members to share cars and to offer lifts
to those without transport. Please contact the event organiser if you
need a lift to any event.
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Opportunities to help
with practical work:
Coulters Dean Nature Reserve
Buriton (Map ref. SU 747 193)
Scrub clearance and other conservation work. Tel Di Mitchell; 01730 266064.
Noar Hill
A friendly group which welcomes new members, particularly youngsters
and those new to conservation. Contact Lynn Fomison Tel: 01962 7722251.
Rotherlands Conservation Group
A friendly group which meets every first weekend of the month, 9.30 am - 12.30 pm (alternating Sat. and Sun) at entrance to Rotherlands, next to Rugby Club, Penns Place, Petersfield. Active conservation work in winter and early spring; survey work/walks in late spring and summer. Contact Pat Redhill Tel: 01730 267108.
2002 dates: Sat 2 Feb, Sun 3 Mar, Sat 6 Apr, Sun 4 May, Sat 1 June.
Liss Conservation Volunteers
Practical work every 3rd Sunday of the month. Contact John Meader, Tel:
01730 895042, for details.
Chappett's Copse Nature Reserve, West Meon
Help needed on Thursdays 10.00 am - 3.00 pm. Please contact Richard Hedley Tel: 023 9255 2868
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This document maintained by Gerry
Milner-Walker
Material Copyright © 2002 Hampshire Wildlife Trust and Gerry Milner-Walker