| Conservation
and Being Green
The Lake District National Park is a very special
place, and we care profoundly that our visitors both appreciate and
understand that its special nature is maintained in a sound sustainable
way. The Lake District has
recently been awarded the coveted title of being the first accredited area
of sustainable tourism (The Green Globe Award).
Recent events (foot and mouth, poor sheep prices,
wool prices so low that it costs more to clip the sheep than farmers get
for the wool, and the
reduction of subsidies) has left farmers in a very
weak position to carry out conservation work. Tourism too creates it's own
pressures on the landscape and at least 150 miles of footpaths need urgent
erosion
control.
Our hope for the future is that by caring now,
that the pleasures we enjoy today we will be able to share with our
children and successive generations. We
all have a part to play both as accommodation providers and as visitors.
Please help.
You may consider any contribution that you are willing to give as
being small, but it does make a difference, and it is much appreciated. |
Supporting conservation work within the Lake District
from tourist donations and accommodation providers |
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Our
Environmental Targets for 2005-6 are:
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to continue to produce all our own eggs (duck and chicken).
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to plant
50+ Ash trees for coppicing firewood.
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to plant
more native broadleaf trees for animal shelter.
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to
plant more damsons and other fruit trees for our own consumption.
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to
form specialised wet areas around the farm to encourage frogs etc.
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to
plant more food for wildlife.
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to
plant more trees suited to river banks to stabilise
our riverbank.
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to
beat the bracken around newly planted trees to give them a chance
to grow unrestricted.
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to put up more bird nesting boxes.
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to maintain our "green notice board" for
guests to read to encourage them to adopt good
environmental practice.
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to re organise and improve our recycling area
to encourage further good practice.
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to continue encouraging our guests to use our compost heap
and show efficient composting.
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to build greenwood furniture for our guests'
use.
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to source more eco-friendly
janitorial supplies and
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office supplies.
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We are in the process of setting aside a
large area of rough grazing to turn into native mixed woodland.
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We will be fencing during 2006 the south side
of Tongue Gill and will provide a much wider wildlife corridor down
the beck.
Are you doing your bit? We
are trying to do ours.
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Our recent
contributions to the local environment include:
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Supporting the Tourism and
Conservation Partnership with collecting
boxes;
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providing The National Park Authority with 150 tons of stone
for footpath repairs;
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carrying out various hedge and tree planting around the farm.
(This has included planting 140 native trees and a mixed hedge with
holly, ash, field maple, hawthorn, beech, alder, rowan and hornbeam), and
other tree planting include plum trees ( cherries , apples, pears, crab apples and Westmorland
damson trees;
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putting up various bird boxes around the farm to encourage nesting
of different species;
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commitment to the ESA scheme with DEFRA
and our tenant farmers to adopt a
more sustainable approach to farming our land. For instance we have drastically
reduced the number of sheep stocked
on our fell land to encourage natural tree regeneration.
We practice environmentally friendly farming and have reduced
overgrazing.
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Planted riverside trees and roadside trees.
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Acquired natural grass cutters in the form of
geese.
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Planted 1000 snowdrops around the farm.
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Completed the planting of fruit & nut trees in
the orchard.
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Made a 20% saving on electricity bills
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Saved paper by 70% by using emails and phone
calls to hostel external communicators.
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We have adopted a scheme whereby our
meadowland will be cut for hay or silage later in the year to allow
more chance for more flowers and natural herbage to reseed itself.
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We only receive farmyard manure and do not use
nitrate fertilisers.
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We planted a rose hedge at the bottom of the
orchard.
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Left uncultivated areas around the farm to
encourage wildlife. Most of
our old trees are felled and left to rot.
This is important for ecology including insect life and the
wildlife food chain.
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How the Lake District Tourism and
Conservation Partnership works
The adjoining pictures illustrate
where and how your voluntary contributions are used. Money donated
by yourselves in collection boxes and other contribution schemes is
then pooled together by the partnership to fund pressing restoration
schemes. The photographs show part of the restoration of the
Grasmere lakeshore footpath. This two year project has been funded
by collections received by ourselves, five other Grasmere businesses
and the National Trust. The footpath receives many tens of thousands
of walkers feet every year and had in places caused severe damage to
the lakeshore habits. During high water levels walkers were
forced off the path and this had added to further erosion.
With very skilful landscape work
by the National Trust, drains have been re- instated bridges
re-built, fences moved, footpath realigned and re-surfaced to
give walkers and families with pushchairs an all season access to
the lakeshore. Using your money, skilled local labour,
local materials and the endemic lakeshore seed bank vegetation
we now have a footpath that will
give pleasure to tens of thousands of people for many years to come.
Our thanks to all who contributed.
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As part of our
visitor care we are happy to provide:
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bike
accommodation, advice, map and trail routes both on and off road;
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local
information and advice including bus and train timetables, walk plans,
linear walk ideas, etc;
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access
and loan to our map and walk library (a small donation to the Tourism and
Conservation Partnership would be appreciated);
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continued car
parking on your departure day if we have space; and
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facilities
for sorting your rubbish into designated recyclable bins for glass, aluminium
drinks cans, polythene shopping bags, paper and cardboard etc...we then take all the recyclable rubbish
to the correct sites for recycling.
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| For those interested the identification of our flora and
fauna, these links will help:
The Woodland Trust
COPPICE ASSOCIATION North West
British Garden Birds
British Trees Website Home Page - native, forestry, conservation,
British-trees,
Royal Forestry Society
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For those interested further in the environment, the
following links will help:
DETR - Are you doing your bit
FLD - The Friends of the Lake District
Lake District Tourism & Conservation Partnership - Funding Conservation through Tourism in the Lake District, Cumbria
BBC - Weather Centre - UK Weather - Regional Forecast
Centre For Alternative Technology
Crowded Planet
Bins-n-Benches vandal resistant street furniture, litter bins, bollards,
ironmongery, animal traps and lots more
NRF Recycled Products Database Search Results Company Details
Encams - Prevent Rubbish - FAQ's |
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