UKH

At  Staden Quarry this evening (Thursday 7th July) we were advised by a very nice lady that although climbers are welcome, several cows in the field are now calving and one in particular is quite jumpy.

Access is not restricted but I'm sure many climbers will be familiar with the behaviour of calving cows.

Also the owl nest on Suscipiat (VS 4c) appears to have been vacated but the route will need quite a few rainy days before it's clean.

Was she from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust? 

I don't know but she spoke with some authority and appeared to be responsible for the cows in the field so I assume either the landowner or current tenant.

Was under the assumption that Buxton water was the landowner and they didn't want animals in.

There have been cows there when I've visited a number of times over the last two years.

The landowners are Nestlé but it is managed by DWT on their behalf.

https://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/news/historic-site-set-become-ne...

Thats a pity as talking to the Nestle manager couple of years ago and he wanted BMC to manage.

Surely a wildlife trust are more suited to manage a site like this than the BMC?

That seems a fairly positive development, but I'm not sure where the livestock fit in. Maybe DWT have not yet taken over, or there's some arrangement with the farmer. I'll ask if I see her again.

Was there loads of cattle or just a few of a smaller breed? Low concentration grazing often forms part of regeneration plans. 

They wanted the BMC to take on the rock part.

They do a great job at Horseshoe:

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/horseshoe-butterfly-transect

There was about 20 cows today, I found it easy to walk around them without causing a disturbance but then I used to work on a dairy farm and feel confident, gave them lots of space, didn't think there was a problem until I saw this post

All meadow and pasture that is ‘left to nature’ is also grazed by livestock at times, for a multitude of reasons. It’s what would have happened pre-farming age with wild herbivores. 

That's not really what I was getting at. If the land is owned by Nestlé and managed by DWT, then the livestock are presumably owned by a third party. I assume that I can't arbitrarily choose to graze my livestock on someone else's land, so given the agreement between Nestlé and DWT I am curious what the arrangement is.

If there are cows and calves present then it might be worth reminding people (quite forcibly) that it might not be a good idea to walk dogs in their vicinity.  

I know you love to big up and protect the BMC against any criticism, but are the two cases in question comparable?

I don’t see how it’s difficult to understand what the agreement may be. Nestle may well be an international conglomerate but they’ll have a land manager who knows it needs grazing so will have offered it out, as will the DWT if they’ve taken over. I mean they may well be trespassing heifers, but I doubt it. Unless you mean the arrangement directly between Nestle and the DWT but that doesn’t seem at all relevant, really.

I guess not and that's the point. Horseshoe is a limestone quarry enclosing an SSI and Staden a limestone quarry enclosing a grass field.

Furness quarry just happens to be contained within the Stoney Middleton S.S.S.I. awarded on geological and cave systems merit, not solely for a scruffy noisy quarry. Staden is very similar, but has a nicer aspect and is quiet.

So what?

I'm talking about how well the ground level of the two venues has been looked after. The BMC get plaudits and so far Staden is just another pasture.

Well seeing the article saying the trust has taken over management is from Feb, they may need a little longer…

I'm not comparing with the trust, just pointing out the current difference and how an SSI can be successfully managed inside one of the busiest UK climbing venues.

I walk a lot in Ploughman's Woods near where I live and the work the Notts Wildlife Trust is doing is very impressive, despite the horrible impact of Ash dieback ....in massive contrast to the many other woods nearby whereby you need to trespass to even compare chalk and cheese.

https://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/nature-reserves/ploughman-wood