Barton-on-Sea Summer Fayre on 1 July 2017

Come and chat on 21 January

Barton Summer Fayre on 9 July at Long Meadow Becton Lane

Meeting announcement: Grassland Restoration Plans Explained

Long Meadow Woodland Survey Training on 21 November 2015

Angela Peters and Paul Brockman will lead a short training session in the Woods north of Long Meadow on Saturday 21 November from 10am until 1pm. They will cover the following subjects:

• What makes a good woodland
• How to survey a woodland including guidance on identification
• Why manage a woodland, and issues relating to woodland management

Meet at the Long Meadow car park, and the session will be delivered on site in the woodland. If there is heavy rain, the session will be postponed. Please wear suitable clothing for fieldwork and bring a pen and paper.

A maximum of 12 people can be accomodated so booking is essential. Please email here.

Barton Common Restoration Explained on 14 November 2015

Wildflower project hailed success

Long Meadow Barton Common Group has been part of the below project. The 3 areas of wild flowers planted in Long Meadow from the group have been very successful and enjoyed by all using the meadow.

From the Daily Echo:

Hampshire wildflower project hailed as one of the country's best by experts

A WILDFLOWER project in the New Forest has been hailed as one of the best in the country by experts from Kew Gardens. Hundreds of people have helped grow swathes of native flowers at six community meadows and ten schools in the Lymington and Barton on Sea areas. The Grow Wild scheme aims to brighten up schools and public places as well as providing nectar for bees and other pollinating insects.

Those benefitting from the project include patients at Lymington New Forest Hospital, who have seen neighbouring meadows buzzing with wildlife. Grants of between £1,000 and £4,000 have also been awarded to similar schemes across the Forest.

Vinny Ganley, England Partnership Manager at Kew, said: “The Grow Wild project in the New Forest has been fantastic. “It’s one of the best examples from across the country of a community coming together to re-establish wildflowers and help our bees and butterflies.” The scheme has created colourful displays of poppies, corn marigolds and bluebells. Those involved include pupils at Pennington Junior School and Priestlands School in Lymington. Wildflowers have also been planted at Bransgore Primary School.

Project co-ordinator Gill Hickman, from Transition Lymington, said: “So many areas have been transformed by wildflowers. “My hope is that with these successes we can get similar schemes off the ground to inspire communities and enhance biodiversity.”

The success of the scheme has also been welcomed by Angela Peters from the New Forest Land Advice Service. She said: “We’ve been delighted to support this project, which has shown the flower of flowers to draw communities together. “It’s been wonderful to see so many children and schools getting involved. Their enthusiasm will be vital in future years to help conserve vital habitats for our wildlife.”

Other organisations involved include Barton on Sea Community Group, the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and the town councils at Lymington and New Milton.

Original article here.

Barton Common and Long Meadow – an update from the Community Wildlife Plans Project and New Milton Town Council. June 2015

Last winter volunteers helped New Milton Town Council clear some of the scrub and Rhododendron from Barton Common. The Community Wildlife Project ran 7 fortnightly tasks over the winter 2014-5 for volunteers to come and help clear scrub using hand tools. This has created more space for wildflowers and insects to spread across Barton Common. This work was carried out as part of the Council’s Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement with Natural England through which the site is being managed more sympathetically for wildlife.

On Saturday 2 May a guided bird walk on Barton Common was led by the County Bird Recorder Keith Betton. 16 local residents attended and with Keith’s expert guidance picked up some skills in bird identification. Species seen and/or heard include whitethroat, blackcap, chiff chaff and dunnock amongst other common bird species.

This spring 5 New Forest ponies owned by a New Forest Commoner were released onto Barton Common to continue to graze the site. Grazing with stock maintains the grassland habitat that is so important for wildflowers and insects.

Barton Common is home to many invertebrate species such as marbled white and green hairstreak butterflies and heath spotted orchids, and these and many other species will benefit from the management taking place at Barton Common through the HLS scheme. Volunteers monitor the butterfly populations through a weekly ‘butterfly transect’.

Green hairstreak butterfly

Long Meadow continues to be managed more sympathetically for wildlife also, with the edges of the Becton Bunny being left uncut for spring and summer period. This has resulted in a number of wildflower species flowering including meadowsweet, yellow flag iris, hemlock water dropwort, brooklime, water cress, fool’s water cress and figwort. 3 species of damselfly have been seen this summer using the stream (azure/common, large red and beautiful demoiselle)

Beautiful demoiselle damselfly

Earlier this month the non-native and invasive ‘monkey flower’ (A Mimulus species) was removed from the edges of the stream. This plant is known to be invasive and can cause dense stands so please let the council know if this plant is spotted again. Although the roots were removed, the plant can reproduce from small fragments so it is likely to take several attempts to eradicate it. Whilst pulling Monkeyflower, several plants of another non-native and invasive plant Himalayan balsam were also removed.

Monkey Flower

Annual Summer Fayre at Long Meadow in Becton Lane, Barton

The birds of Barton Common

Wildflower meadow creation

Barton Common - Volunteer Scrub Bashing Tasks Winter 2014/2015

UPDATE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF BARTON COMMON

Barton Common is now part of New Milton Town Council Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) Scheme.  This means that over the coming years the Common will start to be environmentally managed via a cutting and grazing regime that will encourage a diverse number of species to thrive on the Common.

Update 4th August 2014

Next week, 6 New Forest ponies will be released on to Barton Common.  These grazing animals will be on site all year round and will help manage the Common by controlling the grass and scrub.  Some animals may be taken off site and others may be brought in depending on seasonal and ground conditions throughout the year.

The ponies will be checked on a regular basis by their owners who are New Forest Commoners.  If you visit Barton Common regularly would you like to help by keeping an eye on the animals, gates and fences to check they are o.k.?  If so, we can train you as a "looker" which will help to ensure that any issues can be addressed as soon as possible.  We will be running an evening training session with the grazier soon after the animals have been put out.

In the winter, New Milton Council will be undertaking scrub clearance (including willow, birch and gorse) on Barton Common in order to create a more open habitat of value to wildlife.  This work will take place between 1st October 2014 and 28th February 2015 to avoid disturbance to nesting birds and will largely be carried out by contractors with help from our volunteers as much as possible.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

If you are interested in finding out more or would like to get involved in some way in the wildlife conservation of the common or other sites in New Milton please contact Angela Peters at the New Forest Land Advice Service on 01590 646654 or 07880197351 angela.peters@nflandadvice.org.uk or New Milton Council 01425 619120 or Long Meadow & Barton Common Community Group at contact@longmeadowcommunitygroup.com

*************************************************************

The ponies will be released at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday 13th August 2014.  If you are interested please come along for this momentous occasion.

GRAND FAYRE 

AT LONG MEADOW

BARTON ON SEA

THE COMMUNITY OF THE LONG MEADOW - SEA SCOUTS, BEAVERS, FRIENDLY DOG HUT AND LONG MEADOW & BARTON COMMON COMMUNITY GROUP ARE HOLDING 

THEIR ANNUAL GRAND FAYRE ON 

SATURDAY 12TH JULY 2014

BETWEEN 11 A.M. AND 4 P.M.

STALLS: REFRESHMENTS:"FUN DOG SHOW": BOUNCY CASTLE: RODEO BULL: 

ITINERARY:

11 A.M.      PUPPET SHOW IN MARQUEE

11.30 A.M.  FANCY DRESS, PRIZES FOR SEPARATE GIRLS & BOYS GROUPS

12  NOON   ZUMBA

12.30 P.M.  FRIENDLY DOG HUT - MOST APPEALING EYES.

12.45 P.M.  HANDSOMEST BOY

1.00 P.M.   PRETTIEST GIRL

1.30 P.M.  DEMONSTRATION AND HAVE A GO OF DOGGY FUN GAMES AND TRICKS

2.00 P.M.  BEST PEDIGREE

2.15 P.M.  BEST CROSS BREED

2.30 P.M.  JUDGES FAVOURITE

3.00 P.M.  BALLET DEMONSTRATION

3.20 P.M.  TUG OF WAR

3.45 P.M.  RAFFLE

PLEASE COME ALONG AND SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY AND IF YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP ON A STALL OR BAKE A CAKE OR DONATE BOOKS, PLANTS OR BRIC A BRAC PLEASE CONTACT THE LONG MEADOW & BARTON COMMON COMMUNITY GROUP.

CUTTING REGIME - LONG MEADOW, BARTON ON SEA - 2014

UPDATE ON LONG MEADOW

CUTTING REGIME FOR THE LONG MEADOW FOR 2014 IS CURRENTLY DISPLAYED ON THE NOTICE BOARD IN THE LONG MEADOW. 

IT IS YET TO BE CONFIRMED BY NEW MILTON TOWN COUNCIL WHEN THE FIRST CUT WILL BE CARRIED OUT.

PLUG PLANTS WILL BE GROWN IN THE UNCUT AREAS ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH BOUNDARIES WITH MATURE PLANTS PLANTED BY THE "LONG MEADOW & BARTON COMMON COMMUNITY (ORIGINALLY LONG MEADOW COMMUNITY GROUP) WITH FUNDS RAISED BY THE 2013 "FAYRE" HELD LAST SEPTEMBER.

UPDATE ON BARTON COMMON

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL WILL BE INSTALLING THE BRIDLE PATH BRIDGE ON 22ND APRIL 2014. 

WATCH THIS SPACE

"GRAND FAYRE" HOSTED BY SEA SCOUTS/BEAVERS/FRIENDLY DOG HUT & LONG MEADOW & BARTON COMMON COMMUNITY WILL BE HELD ON 12TH JULY 2014 - PLEASE PUT THIS DATE IN YOUR DIARY AND COME ALONG AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL EVENT.

Information Day at Barton Common - Saturday 5th April 2014

The New Forest Land Advice Service is holding an information day for the public and local residents at Barton Common on Saturday 5th April. The purpose of the day is for people to find out why and how the Common is being managed for wildlife and access. You can also find out about how you can get involved in managing the common and monitoring wildlife. Please drop in and see us at the information stand near the main car park anytime between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. or join in one of the activities below. Join us for a litter pick starting at 10 a.m. at the information point/main car park. All equipment will be provided. We will also be running short guided walks around the Common starting at 11.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. which start and finish at the main car park. Dogs welcome If you are interested in finding out more or would like to get involved in some way in the wildlife conservation of the common or other sites in New Milton please contact Angela Peters at the New Forest Land Advice Service on 01590 646654 - angela.peters@nflandadvice.org.uk or New Milton Town Council on 01425 619120.

Update on the Management of Barton Common

Barton Common is now part of New Milton Town Council#s Higher Level Stewardship Scheme.
This means that over the coming years the common will start to be managed better for wildlife through 
a cutting and grazing regime which will encourage a diverse number of species to thrive on the Common.

The new sign, which has been funded by the Community Wildlife Plans Project at the New Forest Land Advice Service talks about the management regime which will be introduced over the coming months.

The Community Wildlife Plans Project will be holding an information day at Barton Common on Saturday 5th April from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. where there will be guided walks and an opportunity to find our more about the management and wildlife of the Common.  We will also be raising awareness about dog fouling and encouraging more people to pick up after their dogs whilst they continue to enjoy the site.

Volunteers from Community Payback have started to clear scrub in order to restore the valuable open habitat.  Cut scrub will be burned on site where possible.  The volunteers will be out on several days in February clearing further scrub and then all work will cease so that the breeding birds will not be disturbed.  Some scrub is being retained as valuable habitat.

A new bridle bridge will be put in over the stream and stock proof fencing will be erected.  It is anticipated that grazing livestock will be present on the Common soon thereafter.

There will be opportunities up in October 2014 for further volunteer scrub bashing days which will be open to everyone to help make the site better for wildlife.

Watch this space.

If you are interested in finding out more or would like to volunteer to be involved in some way in the wildlife conservation of the Common please contact Angela Peters at the New Forest Land Advice Service on 01590 646654 or New Milton Town Council on 01425 619120

Update on the Management of Barton Common

Barton Common is now part of New Milton Town Council's Higher Stewardship Scheme.  This means that over the coming years the Common will start to be managed better for wildlife through a cutting and grazing regime which will encourage a diverse number of species to thrive on the Common.

The new notice board on Barton Common, which has been funded by the Community Wildlife Plans Project at the New Forest Land Advice Service talks about the management regime which will be introduced over the coming months.

We anticipate that fencing will be erected during 2014 and grazing livestock present on the Common soon thereafter.

If you are interested in finding out more or would like to volunteer to be involved in some way in the wildlife conservation of the Common please contact:

Angela Peters of the New Forest Land Advice Service on 01590 646654.

WOODLAND CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT WORK

WOODLAND CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT WORK - WOODS, LONG MEADOW

On agreement with New Milton Town Council, some woodland conservation management work will be taking place at the woods at Long Meadow, which may also be known as Barton Common Woodland, adjacent to Long Meadow this week.  Opportunities for enhancing the wildlife value of the woods have been discussed and agreed with New Milton Town Council. Members of the local community have been involved in learning and inputting into these discussions earlier in the year.

 A mornings woodland improvement work was successfully carried out in February 2013 by a group of local residents through the support of the Community Wildlife Plans Project, to open up part of a pond and pathway in the woods to the light which has increased it’s wildlife value. It is hoped that further volunteer woodland management tasks can be planned for the future in these woods.

This sort of work has to be carried out between the months of September and mid-February so as to not disturb breeding birds or disturb other wildlife. Some of the opportunities for enhancement of the woods involves the removal of several small to medium sized trees, mostly sycamore, next to footpaths. This type of work will allow sunlight to reach the woodland floor. This in turn will allow woodland plants, butterflies and other insects to flourish. The trees selected for removal are too large to be cut safely by volunteers, and funding available through the Community Wildlife Plans project is being used to pay a trained and qualified contractor to remove these trees.

 Another opportunity through this funding is to address the non-native and invasive variegated yellow archangel in the woods. This plant can smother native woodland plants and can be controlled by herbicide spraying. A contractor who is trained and qualified to do the work will be carrying this work out also. It is likely that this plant will need follow-up treatment to really get rid of it.

There are other non-native plants which negatively affect the wildlife value of the woods but it is too late in the season to address these with herbicide this year. It is likely that these unwanted plants have arrived in the woodland from garden waste left in the woods. The contractor will be working in the woods over the next few weeks, so some parts of the woods may be temporarily inaccessible for safety reasons. 

If you would like any further information, please contact NMTC, LMCG and/or Angela Peters on 01590 646654 or 07880 197351

PROPOSED PROJECT FOR STREAM RESTORATION TO THE BECTON BUNNY IN LONG MEADOW

Correspondence received from the Environment Agency Friday 4th October 2013.

Dear Long Meadow Community Group,

Thank you for your e-mail of the 28^th September regarding the Becton Bunny Restoration Project.

We have decided not to progress the Becton Bunny Restoration Project to the next stage of development. We believe the recent consultation process was important and we value the feedback received. Thank you to those who expressed their view.

We recognise that this may disappoint some people. However, on balance, given the feedback received, the time and budget constraints in which we must work and the obstacles to successful and timely delivery of this project, we consider this the appropriate response to the consultation process and the best use of our resources.

Regards,

Tim

Tim Sykes | Fisheries and Biodiversity (Solent) Team Leader

Solent F&B Team | Solent and South Downs Area | Romsey District Office | Canal Walk | Romsey | Hampshire |