Countryside Bloggers: A New Hope!

Well with a new Star Wars film in the offing this Xmas, I am at this juncture reminded of the following quote from the 1977 original classic:

Darth Vadar: 'I’ve been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master'.

So with this in mind the occasional Moulton staff member will still contribute to the blog, but it will also harness the talents of a new generation - students across several years of our FdSc Countryside & Wildlife Management and BSc Land Management programmes! The first post of which is by Sam (see below).

Nice!

Hello, is this planet Earth?

I'm not aware of a book review being done on this blog before, and even if there has been, I'm sure it would have related to countryside. But this one I felt I had to review.  The book is by Tim Peake, Britain's first "official" astronaut. Normally you would expect this type of book to be full of the same type of stories as other similar books, stories of the riguors of flight training, the strict diet that he had to maintain for years previously, etc. But this book is full of photos, and not of the NASA training centre. It is mainly of Earth, and, in my opinion, really shows what we have, and why we must fight as hard as we can to preserve it.

From a distance you realise the beauty of this planet and what it gives us, along with the varying terrain and the glorious oceans. As Tim Peake himself writes in the book;

"It's impossible to look down on Earth from space and not be mesmerised by the fragile beauty of our planet.'

I may have been 400km up, but I have never felt closer to Earth than when I was on board the International Space Station. 

I'm delighted to share with you this collection of photographs with some of my thoughts from my mission. Although I briefly left the santuary of our planet, I rediscovered the wonder of the place we call home".

I urge you to go out and buy this book, whether you are involved in a course looking at countryside management, are considering a new course or are having doubts about a career choice. Because the beauty of this planet really makes you want to try as hard as you can to preserve it, manage it, and make it a better place for every organism on it. For those of you inspired to try and make a difference, remember Moulton College has an open day on Thursday 1st December, between 17:00 and 19:00, and you can register on the day for a course that inspires you.

Tim Peake's proceeds for this book go to The Princes Trust.

Nature Appears to be in a State

Well that's all a bit depressing, but with the publication of the annual State of Nature Report 2016 it seems British wildlife is still in trouble. It seems the authors are quick to point the finger at the custodians of the British countryside - our farmers, but the real reasons for reported declines may well be far more complex.

Sir David Attenborough launches the RSPB authored report today and using modern Red List criteria, which identify species of the highest conservation concern, 8,000 species were assessed. Of these, 15% are reported as being 'extinct' or 'threatened with extinction' from Great Britain.Turtle doves and hedgehogs are reported to be in serious decline, but it's not all bad news. Indeed some species including otters and red kites are on the rise.

Our courses provide a platform to train conservationists in methods to best halt these declines - why not get in touch today?!

Water vole print found by a Moulton student along the River Ise last year

Moulton College Research features in prestigious British Wildlife Photography Awards 2016!

After the publication of a rather striking image last month in the National Geographic taken by photographer Nick Upton from our ongoing research project on the conservation of British mammals, the College was pleased to hear that more of Nick’s pictures have resulted in him claiming top prize in the hard fought ‘best documentary series’ category. 

You can view the gallery of images here and you will note that Moulton's own PhD researcher Emily Howard-Williams and her faithful sidekick ‘Tui the dog’ play a prominent role!

Nick will receive his award – won over thousands of other entries - at the famous Mall Gallery in central London tonight where all of the images can be viewed by the public from September 6^th – 10^th. The work is already proving popular with the public and press alike, with the likes of The Guardian featuring it today. Great news all round!

It's not too late to study Countryside Management or Agriculture with us, apply today!

Moulton Research reaches Global Audience in the National Geographic!

In the Spielberg classic film 'Jaws', there is an infamous scene where fisheries expert Hooper (played by Richard Dreyfuss) confronts Mayor Vaughan (played by Murray Hamilton) about his decision to keep the beaches of fictional Amity Island open, despite the presence of the notorious great white shark. The following dialogue ensues: 

Hooper: Mr. Vaughn, what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all. Now, why don't you take a long, close look at this sign.

[refers to the graffitied billboard]

Hooper: Those proportions are correct.

Mayor Vaughn: Love to prove that, wouldn't ya? Get your name into the National Geographic.

This rather obscure link leads me to report that if you pop down to your local newsagents today and flick through the latest August edition of the National Geographic magazine, you might find a great white but you will also find a striking image linked to one of our ongoing research projects here at the College! The image was taken by a professional photographer who visited the College last summer to document our ongoing conservation work with the photogenic but incredibly elusive harvest mouse. We have been investigating the ecological habits of this most charismatic of creatures as a means of prescribing pro-active conservation measures to ensure its survival in our green and pleasant countryside.

With a global circulation of around 7 million, this truly puts Moulton’s research on a global stage! To find out more about this and other research activities we undertake, why not check out: https://twitter.com/MoultonResearch

A Euro Haze Descends to create 'A Perfect Storm'.......

Well, after an unprecedented night including the resignation of our Prime Minister, it seems a slender minority have pushed the BREXIT movement so we are now faced with leaving the EU. But where does this leave farmers who claim subsidies from Europe or indeed the future for British wildlife? 

On the farming side, the alternative plans for subsidy support to replace basic payment and rural development schemes are hazy. The average farm support subsidy across the EU is around  €12,200, and whilst this may not seem a great deal - it is often the difference between profit and loss for small sized agri-businesses. A few months ago the Yorkshire Agricultural Society gazed Nostradamus-like into the future and concluded rather gloomily that BREXIT would not be beneficial for UK farmers (link to report here). Today the National Farmers Union have re-iterated the fact that British farmers face a period of uncertainty (link to statement here).

Looking forwards, Defra will have its work cut out to try and create new national policies to provide synergy between the demand (and cost) for public goods and the need for higher farm income. Their subsequent steering will have to integrate food security, sustainable management for natural resources and climate and balanced territorial development – something that the CAP was always criticised for. With BREXIT creating additional fiscal instability, the idiom of 'public money for public goods' will no doubt rear its head more emphatically than ever before.

The confirmed exit from the EU may not provide a Halcyon paradise as some commentators suggest

For our native wildlife, there is no doubt that European Directives and Regulations have strengthened protection - either for individual species or for where they are found. Again, it is not clear either how or to what extent these policies would be replaced, but one can't help thinking that the loss of the European Protected Species as sanctioned through the Habitats Directive (1994) might be missed most of all. Worryingly, the Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental Management (CIEEM), the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) all concurred with a recent report by Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) that concluded the UK environment would be 'vulnerable' after exit (link to paper).

A sleepy hazel dormouse - one of the native species that until today received extra legislative protection through EU Directives. Pic: J Littlemore. 

Whilst the debate has clearly been an emotive issue where political manoeuvring has been a clear impetus and the media frenzy concerning immigration seems to have swayed public opinion, the future of farming and of conservation is clearly in the balance. It will now require a steady hand at the tiller to steer a way through this particular perfect storm......

The views expressed by the author of this article are theirs alone.

Conserving our Green and Pleasant Land!

Georgina Wallis is busy. Not only has she just managed to complete her Foundation Degree in Agriculture with great aplomb, but she has accomplished this feat whilst working as the Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer for the River Nene Regional Park (RNRP). Her role is key in supporting local farmers to balance sustainable intensification of their farms with wider environmental considerations such as managing water pollution, protecting biodiversity and even combating climate change. 

Georgina explains….. ‘In my role at the RNRP, I have enjoyed helping farmers in implementing new countryside stewardship schemes on their land so they can seek to balance production with caring for the environment’. She adds ‘This year I was able to carry out an industry project alongside my course where I interviewed a wide cross section of farmers. Thankfully there was a strong agreement across all farm types and sizes that agri-environmental schemes should be part of an integrated farm approach, justifying my professional role’. 

The integration of environmental friendly farming practices is not new, but with recent changes to the Common Agricultural Policy persuading land owners to take on the new schemes is an ongoing battle. The value of infield options including pollen and nectar mixes is much publicised; indeed turning just a small amount of commercial farmland into habitat for pollinators actually increases some yields, despite the loss of land in production (Nowakowski & Pywell, 2016). 

Georgina (left) on a farm visit

With an additional challenge of representing the England women’s ‘tug-o’-war’ team, it seems Georgina will continue to be in demand! 

Her story is similar to many of our other Graduates, who benefit from the close links we have with industry throughout our courses. For more information on our agriculture and countryside management courses, why not get in touch today?

Bioblitz on Botany!

One simple way to gauge the biodiversity value of habitats is to find an expert, and this week we found one - Brian Laney. An accomplished natural history wildlife recorder across a range of Taxonomic groups, Brian accompanied tutor Julia and her Countryside Management students on a botanical ramble around the fields near Lodge Farm.

A surprising total of 53 common plant species were found all within a small area, and notable records for butterflies were also made. Check out the rather nice and sunny photo gallery below........

Brian (pictured left) with intrepid students

The Call of the Wild

Children learn better when they are doing stuff, right? So can they learn more and better retain information in an outdoors setting compared to a conventional classroom set up?

Well a growing amount evidence suggests they might, capably augmented by recent research by second year undergraduate Emma Cowie-Smith. She carried out a small study of how 'real world learning' impacted upon the teaching of year 1 primary school children - to learn more about what she found take a look.......

She will be presenting this work at a conference at the University tomorrow!

Dip Dip Hooray!

Students are often actively involved in surveying for wildlife on our sprawling estate, and in the glorious sunshine yesterday EACM and EDCM students followed tutor Julia out to a biodiversity hotspot - Clump Pond.

Neatly buffered from surrounding agricultural fields by Farmer's Wood, it is surprising what can be found in the dark, murky depth of your average farm pond. So, armed with nets and trays, these are what are intrepid students found in their pond dipping adventure.......see if you can name the species - (answers below)

Logan Freer was the brave animal handler featured in these pictures!

Lauren Hutchings and David Naylor make a record of what they have found.

All these records can be added to our annual biodiversity report, happy days.

(Answers from top: Male smooth newt x2; dragonfly nymph; great diving beetle). 

A Letter from David Attenborough!

One of our final year students, Saadia Khan, was at a recent BBC recording of an interview with Sir David Attenborough and she handed him a letter saying how much he had inspired her wish to work in conservation.  And the attached is what Sir David sent in return!

You can also read about her amazing letter here

The Challenges of Woodland Restoration

Bringing small woodlands back into management is an incredibly difficult and usually an expensive undertaking. This makes the progress in the restoration of Round Lown Woods near Sudborough that much more remarkable. Last week students on the Foundation Degree in Countryside & Wildlife Management course took a guided walk with the owners - Gerald and Sue Collini - and learnt about the practical challenges they had faced in the restoration of the wood.

Fig 1: Entrance to Round Lown Wood

Fig 2: Sue, Lynne, Kim and Gerald on an ancient earthbank in the wood

With Gerald taking the lead on implementing a management plan to extract timber for firewood sales on site, Sue has pushed her Forest Schools initiative. This recognises the value of 'natural capital' and the benefits of outdoor learning to all ages and abilities - you can read about it here.

Fig 3: Early spring sunshine dapples through to the woodland floor.

Students then convened in the bespoke woodland shack for a cuppa to reflect on their experience. Sue and Gerald are members of the Rockingham Forest Coppice Group which aims to promote sustainable woodland management practices for some of our most ancient of woodlands. So it seems the future of our woodland heritage is safe in sunny Sudborough!

DIY Charcoal Masterclass!

Many woodland owners agree that deriving an income from broadleaf woodland can be a challenge. One way of 'adding value' is through on site-production of charcoal from branchwood and other small offcuts. This useful product of course has it's uses for our summer BBQ's, but of course was once powering the forges of post-medieval England as a method of smelting iron.

Making charcoal really couldn't be simpler - all you need is an old oil drum or an old metal dustbin. This week our illustrious students had a go, and we will see the fruits of their labours in about 24 hours time!

The process is as follows:

1. Cut the lid off your oil drum using a cold chisel.
2. Turn the drum over and make five 2" holes in the bottom to direct air to the burn.
3. Light kindling and brown ends and once burning well, add up to 3" diameter branchwood until full. For artists charcoal, find an old biscuit tin and fill it 3/4 full with willow stems as wide as your little finger - strip the bark off these wands. Add the tin to the drum.
4. When hot, restrict air to the drum by piling soil against it but leave one 4" gap. Place the lid on top and then take a break!
5. After a while the dense white smoke pouring out of the drum will slow to a thinner, blueish fume. Now is the time to stop the burn by closing off air access to the base and making the lid airtight. Wait 3 or 4 hours and your charcoal will be produced!

6. Tip the drum out after 24 hours and examine the contents of the tin - two products for literally no cost at all!

Sustainable managed woods can support a small industry - for example as Hugh and Carolyn Ross have done with Hazel Woodland Products Hazel Woodland Products at Rawhaw Wood near Corby.

All you need to do now is light your BBQ and in the true English tradition, burn your chosen food to a crisp!

PS: (l-r) - Jamie and Maddie, resident artists at work!

Publishing Success!

Former PhD student - Dr Emma Coulthard - learnt recently that her first paper has been accepted to the Journal of Insect Conservation! Well done Emma!

Nature is Waking up

The study of phenology (def: the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life) has been increasingly on the agenda for ecologists as they seek to understand the impact of a changing climate on wildlife. Luckily undergraduates here have been busy studying this phenomena at a fine site based scales using a number of indicator species including macro-moths and the hazel dormouse!

BSc Land Management student Katie Hall has been examining changes in moth diversity at Pitsford Reservoir using over 15 years worth of comprehensive records. Her classmate, Deborah Crossan, has been examining trends in reintroduced dormice populations at Brampton Wood over the last 20 years. We hope to be able to reveal the results of their fascinating studies soon!

Closer to home, siskin and teal (Plate 1) have been spotted on the estate and the great crested newts are active once again in our farm ponds. It appears nature is finally waking up after a long winter of slumber.....

Plate 1: Amber listed Anas crecca (teal) - a new record for the College farm. Image courtesy of the RSPB.

Moulton Researchers on the Global stage?!

Well this has been slightly under wraps, but we had some hugely significant news last week about a famous global publication that is interested in covering our ecological research - total readership a mind boggling 7 million per month! As you can imagine, we are very excited by this news and wondered how we might be able to top our BBC coverage from the mammal conservation work, yet perhaps we might!

So watch this space avid readers.......

Robotic Farming

To solve the reported food security crisis, there is an increasing awareness that it is to science we must turn. Certainly in UK agriculture, the 'Agri-tech' agenda is very popular and now approaching the main stream.

Indeed, BSc Land Management students this week visited Trevor Griffin at Middle Field Farm, Hinckley who owns an innovative milking parlour for his dairy herd - a robotic dairy! With dairy farming feeling the pinch, this approach enables significant efficiencies to made in production costs - and all can be monitored from the convenience of Trevor's phone! Cows enter the milking sheds where they are scanned by the robots and milked without any human assistance - you can read about his technology here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-14596166

With an additional talk from David Whatoff from SOYL - who develop precision farming technologies - there is evidently room for traditional and non-traditional methods to promote the idiom of 'sustainable intensification' in agriculture.

Plate 1: Robotic milking set up

Anyone for a Game of Drystone Jenga?!

There is an art to many of the forgotten country crafts, and no where is this better illustrated than with constructing dry stone walls. A classic regional feature of much of our beautiful countryside, these take time (and patience!) to build - and as our students may now profess, will take years to master.

Foundation Degree students have been building their own dry stone wall (nicknamed 'The Great Wall of China'!) over the last term and although not finished, progress has been made (Plate 1).

Plate 1: The great wall of China (students from left: Dan, Becka, El, Nat and Sophie)

The quality of stone for building these boundary features is very important, and students have had to grapple with poor quality materials but the end result as I am sure you may agree is taking shape! Students started by digging a foundation trench before sorting through the available stones which were categorised into:

i. Foundation stones (larger stones also known as footings);
ii. Hearting stones (fragments of stones for filling air spaces in your wall, also known as fillings);
iii. Intermediate face stones (the bulk of what you will see);
iv. ‘Through’ stones (long large stones that will go all the way through your wall to aid stability);
v. Coping stones (including thicker ‘bookends’, placed over ‘cover bands’).

Each layer (or course) of the wall was then guided through the use of a batter frame. Stones were placed with their length into the wall – not along it. Larger stones were used at first and pinned in place, and joints were staggered to enhance stability. Although definitely a work in progress, it remains to be seen whether the 'great wall' will last as long as the original!

The Folly of Floods, Fogs and Forests!

With a thick fog cloaking the countryside this morning, it seems nature has gone into hiding after the drama of heavy rain caused localised flooding around the College, cutting us off from civilisation (no bad thing!). In fact so much water fed into the Moulton Brook that HE students had to salvage their revetment hurdle made a few weeks ago - it seems the power of water can never be under-estimated!

Luckily the weather held for students yesterday as they headed out to the woods to undertake some practical woodland management activities. To free up the canopy of some venerable oak trees at the site, students halo-thinned around the base and coppiced back some derelict hazel coppice. One of the issues at the site was the complete lack of natural regeneration - all new saplings providing a tasty treat for the free roaming muntjac and roe deer. So alongside protecting coppiced stools with brash, students attempt to thicken up the densities of hazel trees by plashing 3 to 4 year old poles.

Here, poles (A) were bent over and a neat incision of 3" length was cut 1/3 into the underside of the pole (B); this was fastened in a 4" deep trench using a couple of pegs (C) and causes a physiological response in the tree where it will usually send out new roots. This very ancient trick in essence creates a new tree - for nothing.

Let's hope the deer leave it alone for the meantime at least!

A Quality River!

In part two of their river restoration practical today, Foundation Degree students carried out some simple measures to diversify the in-stream ecological conditions to help improve localised water quality in the Moulton Brook. Students started by pruning back willow growth from the old willow revetments (Plate 1).

Plate 1: Students Becka and Eleanor cutting back residual growth of willow from established revetments.

Using waste trimmings, a simple flow deflector was created to help flush sediment down the stream and create a 'run' that would benefit aquatic life (Plate 2).

Plate 2: Completed flow deflector to improve water flow rates in the Brook.

So in effect freshwater habitats can be managed in an imaginative way, just as traditional methods work in terrestrial systems. To finish off the session, Nat', Dan and Sophie carried out a quick 'kick sample' to sample the macro-invertebrate life in this section of the stream. They found some cased caddis-flies, an indicator of moderate to clean water quality.

Next week we are off to the woods, so check back soon!

Brewing up Success in Higher Education!

Higher Education BSc Land Management students accompanied Farm Manager Matthew Hague to visit the main Carlsberg brewery in Northampton yesterday. Their host was Systems Manager Lawrence May, who gave attendees a tour of the working commercial brewery and discussed issues including sustainability, logistics and supply chain management. 

The evolving ties between Moulton College and the Carlsberg Group have also led to the College farm growing the null-lox variety of maltings barley that Carlsberg use for their beer, helping to feed a more local supply chain. All of this builds momentum towards the College’s proposed new Food and Drink Innovation Academy which will create a new curriculum area with evident links to agriculture.

Pictured from left: Matthew Hague, Rosie Robinson, Ollie Hughes, Sarah Bould, Lawrence May, Jerry Elliott.

To learn more about the diverse range of experiences our students have on their Further and Higher Education courses, why not get in touch today?

A Curious Tale of Hurdles and Water Quality!

Our intrepid Foundation Degree in Countryside & Wildlife Management students study a practical conservation module on their course. This was directly requested by our network of employers and means that students can practice the secret arts of traditional countryside management skills including hedge laying, dry stone walling and the like!

This week students learnt how to make a traditional woven hurdle with their tutor James at our small short rotation willow coppice - you can see the results of their endeavours in Plate 1.

Plate 1: Woven hurdle as made by (from left) Nat, Dan, Becki and Sophie.

These can be made from willow or more traditionally hazel, and are often sold as garden screens or exhibited as artisan products at countryside shows. This particular one however had a different use as later in the session students donned waders and deployed it is a revetment to manage bankside erosion along our water course running through the College farm (Plate 2).

Plate 2: Secured hurdle (outsized revetment) in Moulton Brook for erosion control

In the next session, students will backfill the hurdle and create some instream flow deflectors to create a diversity in conditions that will benefit biodiversity - all in a day's work for a Moulton higher education student!

To learn more about the exciting activities our students get up to, why not get in touch today?!

If you go down to the woods today!

Working collaboratively with a local country estate, we procured this stunning footage from a camera trap set up in the woods. Do you recognise the species?!

The Wonders of Nature

The 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition held at the Natural History Museum produced some fantastic entries - here are some of the best submissions (in my erstwhile view!). See more at: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/wpy/gallery/2015/index.html.

Forestry Education!

In December, we were the proud recipients of a teaching excellence award from the Royal Forestry Society - read the attached article in the current Quarterly Journal of Forestry to find out more!

Blog author James (left) in the woods!

Rob Stuart, ex-student

Barn Owl Bonanza!

OK OK, I know it's been a while! Trust me - if you work in education - you'll know time is never on your side but at last here's a nice post I think you'll find interesting.

We have been doing some collaborative work with a local country estate and using some camera traps recorded some interesting interactions between a resident barn owl and a feisty kestrel - enjoy!