This gallery contains 3 photos.
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Since the Ban The Burn! campaign launched, a few people have been asking for information about the legal battles between Natural England and Walshaw Moor Estate(WME) that began when Natural England issued a Notice of Modification of Consent to WME in 2010.
Hydrology is a science dealing with water on the surface of the land, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere. Most people will probably have vague memories of learning about the water cycle in GCSE science classes – here’s what it looks like
Ban the Burn! campaign lifts off.
Ban The Burn campaigners launched a national campaign on Sunday evening, August 12th, in Hebden Bridge. The Ban the Burn! campaign aims are:
Please distribute and publish this press release as widely as possible.
On Sunday August 12th, flood-hit residents of Hebden Bridge and campaigners from across the country will set out from St George’s Square in the town centre on a BAN THE BURN protest walk to the Walshaw Moor grouse-shooting estate. Following the walk, at 6pm the BAN THE BURN national campaign launch will take place at Hebden Bridge Trades Club.
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Walshaw Moor Estate Ltd (WME) is to receive a publicly-funded subsidy payment of £2,504,668.08, over the 10 year period of its Environmental Stewardship Agreement with Natural England. Starting from June 2012, the Agreement -Number AG00410821 – covers 3,486.1 hectares and commits WME to carrying out a range of environmental management measures.
Why is Natural England allowing WME to burn blanket bog, when the Burning Code strongly advocates a ban on burning this habitat?
This gallery contains 8 photos.
The blanket bog on Walshaw Moor is very degraded and species-poor. So here are photos of healthy blanket bog and some of its key plant species. This is how Walshaw Moor should be. It badly needs restoration. (If you’d like … Continue reading
Went for a walk to Heather Hill on Widdop Moor/Walshaw Moor to find out what blanket bog looks like, since I’ve been hearing quite a lot about it recently.
We couldn’t find very much, because most of it was very degraded. And what there we did find was very species poor. But the photo below shows a small patch we came across.
On August 12th (the “Glorious Twelfth”, that marks the official start of the grouse-shooting season) there will be a “BAN THE BURN” Walk to Walshaw Estate, leaving from Hebden Bridge at 9.30 am.
Plans for the walk include offer of accommodation and a meal at the Trades Club
This will be a very mellow, family friendly event. The walk will stick to public footpaths, and there will be a shorter route accessible by public transport.
Walkers can stay at Blake Dean hostel for Saturday and Sunday nights, and space is also available in the Hebden Hostel. It should be a really fun weekend.
The walk will be followed by a Campaign Launch and meal in the Trades Club from 5pm. PLEASE, PLEASE COME IF YOU CAN! BRING YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS! LET PEOPLE KNOW!
The walk’s demand: a total ban on blanket bog burning
Walshaw Moor is owned by a local businessman, Richard Bannister, who bought it in 2002 and acquired the adjoining 4,000-acre Lancashire Moor in 2005. The Daily Telegraph has reported that
“Under his stewardship the estate has gone from producing 100 brace of grouse a season to 3,000… …Around 70 per cent of his estate is covered by blanket bog and keepers operate system of ‘cool burning’, following the flames and spraying water to prevent damaging peat and moss”
The walk is campaigning for a total ban on burning on blanket bogs, for these reasons:
“A loss of only 5% of UK peat carbon would equate to the total annual UK human green house gas emissions.”
Earlier this year, Natural England dropped a legal action which attempted to ban the owner of Walshaw Moor from burning peat bogs. I found this a bit odd and put in an Environmental Information Regulations request to Natural England, to try and find out what was going on.
Request to disclose Natural England’s expert witness statement
I asked Natural England to disclose the contents of the witness statement about Walshaw Moor land management, that Natural England’s Executive Director for Science, Evidence and Advice had prepared for a proposed judicial review that the High Court ordered into Natural England’s attempt to ban burning on Walshaw Moor.
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