Peaks and City Takeover, Day 3: Blacka Moor
So today was the day for bundling the majority of those on the Peaks and City Takeover weekend all into a coach and off into the Peak District, with a lopper in one hand and a bow saw in the other. The Sheffield Wildlife Trust, a well-known contact of ours, were our partners in crime for the day, leading us out onto the wild and rugged Blacka Moor nature reserve.
After a twenty minute stroll through the gorgeous hills of the reserve, we reached our site for the morning, where our task was to dismantle and shift uprooted trees into habitat piles. Although perhaps appearing on the surface just like a bundle of large twigs, these piles make a cosy home for small mammals which move in and hide amongst the wood. The strength of our volunteers was tested as whole trees had to be chopped and dragged across the hills, but the sheer volume of helping hands we had meant that the task was done and dusted all within a few hours work in the morning.
Following a well-deserved break (including complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits), and stuffed full of sandwiches, we then tackled the next half of the task in the afternoon. This involved more habitat management, through removal of trees encroaching on the moorland. The tree-felling, though proving to be an arduous task, was very important as it helped ensure the preservation of the brilliant mosaic of habitats in the landscape of Blacka Moor. The work of our volunteers was quickly rewarded when a wonderful common lizard was spotted basking in the sun next to a felled tree – just one of the many species that benefit from our conservation work done in the Peak District!
Exhausted and happy, and a little muddy of course, we said good bye to our friends at the Wildlife Trust and took the coach back to the SU where we had a delicious buffet waiting for us. The closing of the Takeover was enjoyed by watching a slideshow of photos of the highlights from the weekend over a plethora of sandwiches and cake, and we were lucky enough to have the wildly bohemian Isembard’s Wheel folk band whisk us away in style to a Celtic dream as the sun set on our lovely city and our fantastic weekend.
Thank you to all who came on the task at Blacka Moor and to the takeover weekend in general – I’m not just speaking for myself when I say an amazing time was had!
Words by Katie Powell of SUCV