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We have asked the council project manager, Claire Watts, to respond to some of the topical questions being asked about the Forge Dam situation. Is the project working as expected? The answer is mixed for the different outcomes the project was working towards: To remove enough silt from the Dam to maintain an open body of water: Although the project removed approximately 5000m3 of silt, you will have seen that during extended periods of dry weather there is a land bridge to the island. Whilst it was planned that there would be some areas of shallow water and even small areas of silt exposed during the summer to benefit wildlife, the continual flow of water through the main spillway which was an unintended consequence of the de-silting means that the overall water level in the Dam is lower than planned. To find a way to slow down the speed at which Forge Dam silts up: Ideally the training wall should sit just below the water line. We have observed that during high flows it is having the desired effect of keeping the Brook moving through the Dam. However it should ideally be sitting just below the water line which would protect it from exposure to the weather and hide it for the most part from view. The tree which has fallen across it will be removed soon. As in the previous answer, the problem is that in dry weather, the leaking sluice means that the pond level is lowering. To improve the condition of footpaths around the pond: On the whole, I think this achieved its objectives, the new path surface around the pond and new handrails up the ramp are a big improvement and we have managed to improve the drainage of some of the boggier areas of the bridleway and footpath routes out towards Quiet Lane. We will be consulting with interested groups shortly on some new access control furniture at the exit of the bridleway onto Quiet Lane. It is always a last resort to add in any restrictions to accessibility, but we will not allow any habit of parking in the former compound area to establish. Look out for further information regarding the proposals for this area shortly. To provide new / update information for visitors about Forge Dam Park: There are 2 new information boards on their way. One for the pond side is with the printers and will be incorporated into the existing notice board on the north bank and a new one about Festival Wood is now with the designer. So what’s happening about the leaking sluice gate on the main spillway? We have kept a watching brief over the past 12 months to understand the impact of the leak. There is some benefit to water flowing through, as previously during dry weather the flow of water to the pool at the bottom of the spillway, and further on to Wire Mill Dam, dried up. This resulted in 2021 in serious fish distress in Wire Mill. There has been a lot of coverage in the national news recently about the high levels of fish distress seen in rivers and ponds as a result of June’s weather and we can expect this to be an ongoing problem as seasonal patterns change due to climate change. However, this consideration needs to be balanced against the needs of Forge Dam to retain sufficient water during extended periods of dry weather so that the island is still an island. The immediate options to stem the flow were tried and failed last year. The ideal solution is to install a control mechanism so that we can control the flow of water through the spillway penstock – benefiting the downstream environment without causing detriment to Forge Dam. The Council will commission a design solution for this as the next step and will keep you updated on progress on this. Will the silt trap get emptied this year? Yes, the silt trap will get emptied much more regularly and plans are underway for it to be emptied later this summer. What are the plans for the recovery of the area where the contractor’s main compound was? We have allowed a season of natural growth with some wildflower seeding to see how the compound area recovers. However, we are also looking at other options which can make use of the fact that this is a naturally wet area and that there is much more sunlight reaching the ground now that the clump of self-set alder trees which was previously there has been cut down and used in the construction of the training wall. Options under consideration include a “scrape” – which is a seasonal pond and would complement the hibernaculum built by the conservation volunteers earlier this year by benefiting amphibians which are scarce in the area (lots of fish in the Dam itself means it’s not a great habitat for amphibians), more wildflower planting using species which like wet conditions and / or the re-introduction of a limited number of damp loving trees to complement the wet woodland on the other side of the Brook. The Council’s Ecology Unit will provide guidance on the best approach and this will be an autumn project. What about the smaller compound near Quiet Lane? We will take action to make sure this area cannot be used for ad hoc car parking, however it is useful to retain an area of hard standing as we know that tasks such as emptying the silt trap and future work on the spillway will require a base area for contractors. In partnership with the Public Rights of Way Service, we will be consulting shortly on designs for an access point which works safely and easily for all bridleway users. Questions If you wish to know more or have any specific questions for the council regarding Forge Dam, please contact parksandcountryside@sheffield.gov.uk directly.

The low water level in Forge Dam, bridle path gate issues and playground lack of progress have dominated social media and email traffic these last 3 weeks ….. so here is a roundup to try and explain everything that is happening. And also to reassure people that FoPV has not switched off interest in the Forge Dam area ! We have several Valley projects actively being pursued, including at Forge Dam, but Council officers are very much under pressure at the moment because of absences and we are sometimes having to wait patiently for action. We have asked people to write to the Council direct when those officers, and only officers, can deal, but they may also experience delays. But certainly things have moved on these fronts: The iconic Forge Dam playground slide developed a wide split in the metal at the very top, on the bend last week ……. perhaps because of the heat…… but it was repaired by the Council playground team within a few days. Thanks Playgrounds team! FoPV now has about £20,000 in the Forge Dam playground improvement fund and has asked the department to cost a number of possible improvements that could be funded immediately. We may have a little while to wait because of staff shortages but we are hopeful that the main unit can be professionally cleaned and painted afresh; and that some disability access improvements can be introduced. We are mindful that not all disabilities are visible. The low level of water in the millpond has worried many of us . It looks alright when the dam is full but far from what we expected when the level has fallen a foot or more. One reason of course is the lack of rain ……. although this week’s deluge has rapidly raised the level again and today it looks great again! The Council is looking at options for controlling the flow of the Porter Brook at the spillway. At present there is no penstock to limit the flow when there is no rain. You probably remember concern about Wire Mill Dam in 2021 and 2022 when the summers were exceptionally dry? Bowsers were needed there to save the fish. At least now the brook is flowing freely and keeping that millpond habitable. I’m following the literature on climate change and keeping in touch with other concerned organisations but maybe we are seeing it for real? FoPV is signed up to the National Trust’s Fit for the Future and the Sheffield Nature Recovery initiative. The bridlepath exit onto Quiet Lane has caused concern to users because someone cut off the chain and padlock intended to hold a gate open: 2 instances of criminal damage in a matter of a few days. Signs to stop “wild “car parking there have gone up and the Council also removed the gate altogether temporarily ……it had been agreed at a local site meeting last year that the gate should be chained back to allow riders safe passage while further thought was given to a permanent solution. The Council is working on the idea of fresh fencing, an entry set back from Quiet Lane to improve the safety for all bridlepath users, appropriate horse friendly options, plus tree planting. FoPV conservation volunteers have not worked in vain: The seeding done last year above the Forge Dam is now coming through and at last it has had rain! Whips planted to replace the lost hedge sections on the bridlepath have clearly taken. And detritus was unearthed and removed on 8 June …… plus the fly tipped tyres up the brook! (We are now watching more recent seeding on 2 damaged verges in Whiteley Wood /Bingham Park and intend to repeat this kind of remedial work throughout the valley over time) Ann le Sage Chair

We inspected all thirteen boxes in early May and found that there were signs of activity at eleven of them! Five had moss and cups lined with feathers inside; a pair of nuthatches were busily bringing leaves to another; two blue tits and one great tit had laid eggs and two boxes had an adult blue tit sitting tight and glowering at us. A bumble bee was occupying one of the mossy nests and the pair of coal tits seen nest building in April had been usurped by blue tits. One nest had eight cold eggs inside. British Trust for Ornithology research shows blue tits have one of the largest clutch sizes of all birds - up to 16 eggs! However, most clutches contain 8-12 eggs. Blue tits lay one egg a day until incubation starts a day before the clutch is complete. This helps ensure the young hatch within a couple of days of each other and can fledge at the same time. We hoped that these cold eggs were part of an incomplete clutch being held in suspended animation, rather than a deserted nest, and this proved to be the case. We completed a second inspection of all the boxes later in May. There were tiny chicks in six nests. Blind, featherless and with huge bright yellow mouths or ‘gapes’. Another nest contained eggs and an eighth box had a great tit sitting tight. The parents have been constantly flying in with caterpillars and insects to feed the young and leaving with faecal sacs of white poop to keep the nest clean. Nestlings are very well trained and poop right after being fed. The poop is held in a capsule of mucus that is sufficiently robust for the adult to pick it up in its beak and carry it away from the nest. Eight out of thirteen nests with eggs or young - this is amazing progress for our first year!!! Andrew Darby FoPV Bird Surveyors Group

Hello Conservation Volunteers Thank to you to all the volunteers who turned out today for a variety of tasks around Forge Dam. We were aware of a few tyres having been dumped just off Woodcliffe, so one of the main tasks of the morning was to remove them for our stand-in Ranger of the day, James, to take away to be properly disposed. A group trudged off for what they thought was hopefully a simple task......little did they know how many had been dumped......TWENTY-SIX tyres, some on steel rims had to be hauled up to the roadside to be loaded into the van. Elsewhere, another main task was to tidy up the area near the hibernaculum removing leftover debris from the recent works. With little rain over the last few weeks (as can be clearly seen by the lack of water in Forge Dam itself) the ground was rock hard, but with the aid of mattocks the remains of black, plastic sheeting was dug out along with other unnatural rubble. The top half of this area had been seeded with wildflowers and grasses at the end of last year and is starting to grow but it was noticeable people had been taking short cuts across it and damaging the seedlings. Lengths of logs have been laid down on this side to discourage people walking across this area. On the opposite side by the dam bank some Himalayan balsam was spotted growing and has been removed. (This will be our next task, venturing into the Wet Woodland to pull out this year's growth before the seeds develop. For those who haven't done this before and fancy giving it a go it is quite a therapeutic task once you get your eye in to spot it, walking around, chatting, and pulling it out!) On the west end of the dam, water from the Wet Woodland was running across the path. This was partially tackled on the last work morning but needed further work. Our drainage experts were back to tackled this and have found the end of the drainage pipe, dug down, cleared it and water is now flowing through it and not over the path. Up on the top green opposite Fulwood Old Chapel, the remains of the gazebos which were damaged by the high winds on the Duck Race day were being laid out. The aim was to see how many could be salvaged by cannibalising damaged ones to make good ones. By cutting the links between damaged poles to remove them and replacing with the exact same poles, 3 gazebos were reconstructed. To make life easier for those who erect and dismantle the gazebos on race day each gazebo was colour coded with plastic tape on the poles, and any "orphaned" poles coded with a number of rings of coloured tape, so we know where and which way they fit! Dave, Tony and Peter continued rubbing down the railings on the cobbled path to remove rust and painting with a red oxide primer.....still a way to go! Ann was also out giving the flowers a well needed watering. The next work morning is on Tuesday 27th June 2023. John Gittins and Philip Edmeades have offered to help Dave and myself organise and run the work mornings. John and Philip will be in charge on the next working. An email will be sent out nearer the time with details. Lyndon A Selection of photos from the work morning Dumped tyres and wheels 26 tyres and wheels loaded into the council van Debris removed and logs laid down Some of the debris removed End of the drainage pipe uncovered and cleared Water flowing out of the pipe on the left and not pooling on the right Water not flowng over the path anymore Peter, Dave and Tony rubbing down the railings End of the morning, a little more done........ A gazebo puzzle.....it goes the other way round Rowena! First one with poles erected and colour coded (yellow and green stripes) Orphaned poles coded with white tape (3 on this one)

Wildflower seeding in Bingham Park/Whiteley Woods Hello Conservation Volunteers On Thursday 25th May we started a joint initiative with Sheffield Parks and Countryside to tackle one of the four FoPV nature related/environmental activities, to repair the degradation of the grass and wildflower areas in the valley starting with the main "drag" in Bingham Park/Whiteley Woods by the Motore coffee cart near Ibbotson Dam and also a second area further up the path. This was to be a trial to see how effective the action would be and how visitors react to it. This additional work day was all hastily arranged with SP&C only two weeks prior, being the last chance to seed before the summer so there was always a chance things might not go quite to plan! In order to prevent stray feet (both human and dogs!) on newly seeded areas we needed to fence areas off and the decision was that wooden posts the same as those we had installed at Forge Dam would be used but this time white synthetic rope would be used instead of the jute rope which shrinks considerably when wet. Signage informing people of why and what we were doing, to encourage them to stay on the path and not trample over the grass and flowers were also required. So, we were all set. SP&C would rotovate the two areas prior to the morning, order the posts and rope, and turn up with a truck of topsoil and tools to help. FoPV would order the special woodland meadow mixture seed as specified by SP&C as the mixture was tolerant to heavy shade, turn up with volunteers, aided by allotment friends of one of our members, Helena, who had also organised the design and printing of the signs, which were designed by her friend, Vicky Scott, a local artist and illustrator. Come the morning, Darren from SP&C turned up with two colleagues complete with everything apart from the wooden posts. Unfortunately, the tight timescale resulted in the wooden posts not arriving in time. Not to be thwarted Darren had picked up some steel pins to use instead of the wooden posts. There was a bit of head scratching as to how we could fix the professional looking signs to the steel pins (cable ties were an option but not ideal) when one of those lightbulb moments struck us! For the Forge Dam fencing we had originally bought some posts which were deemed not suitable and had been left in our store but would be ideal for attaching the signs. Dave and myself shot off back to Forge Dam to collect the 8 posts and some additional bits and bobs. In the meantime, the volunteers along with Darren and his colleagues had been preparing the ground, adding topsoil, raking, putting up the fencing and finally sowing seed. The volunteers were a little eager and dug over more than was initially intended (about twice the size of the second area!) resulting in not enough topsoil being available to cover this area - fortunately we just had enough steel pins plus a couple of the large wooden posts to fence it off. Initially, only two strands of rope were used but a third was added lower down to deter dogs running around on the seeded areas. The allotment friends had brought several lengths of hosepipe which they connected back to a tap in the allotments to give a first watering to the seeds in the upper area - it saved having to lug buckets of water from the river as John was having to do on the patch by the coffee cart further down! Funny how things work out though. The wooden posts for the signs were actually better, being taller and more substantial for attaching signs and instead of just putting them in the newly seeded areas, we put a couple up near the entrance to notify people as they enter the park. Something to think about for the next phase. Finally, the two areas were completed, signs are up, and the only issue is keeping the seeds watered which Helena and her fellow allotment friends will continue to water over the summer. As of this evening, 5th June, it looks like some seedlings have started to grow, possibly grasses, mainly in the area nearest Shepherd Wheel. Come the autumn we will review how effective it has all been, adjust and plan with a longer realistic timescale and also look at a different mix of seeds and wildflower plugs for variety. We had interest from passers-by asking what we were doing and what was the mix of wildflowers being sown, but unfortunately, we didn't have the list with us, something else to remember for the future. For those who are interested, below is the mix of the grasses and seed. Flower species Latin Name English Name Mix Composition Agrimonia eupatoria Common Agrimony 5% Alliaria petiolata Garlic Mustard 8% Allium ursinum Ramsons/ Wild Garlic 3% Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica 5% Campanula trachelium Nettle Leaved Bellflower 3% Digitalis purpurea Wild Foxglove 5% Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet 5% Galium mollugo Hedge Bedstraw 5% Geranium robertanianum Herb Robert 0.5% Geum urbanum Wood Avens 7% Hyacinthoides non-scripta English Bluebell 12% Hypericum hirsutum Hairy St. John’s Wort 3% Primula vulgaris Wild Primrose 1% Prunella vulgaris Self Heal 8% Silene dioica Red Campion 7.5% Stachys officinalis Betony 5% Stachys sylvatica Hedge Woundwort 8% Teucrium scorodonia Wood Sage 5% Torilis japonica Upright Hedge Parsley 4% Grass species Latin Name English Name Mix Composition Agrostis capillaris Common Bent 3% Anthoxanthum odoratum (N) Sweet Vernal Grass 3% Cynosurus cristatus Crested Dogstail 11% Deschampsia cespitosa (N) Tufted Hairgrass 5% Festuca Trachyphylla Hard Fescue 14% Festuca rubra ssp. litoralis Slender Creeping Red Fescue 14% Festuca rubra ssp. rubra Strong Creeping Red Fescue 14% Poa nemoralis Wood Meadowgrass 22% Poa pratensis Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass 14% Lyndon A Selection of photos from this special work morning Preparing the ground Seeded and roped off Shoots starting to appear! (grasses?)

Hello Conservation Volunteers It was a welcome return to warm, sunny weather after the previous soaking for the volunteers who turned out for our latest work morning around Forge Dam. It has always been our intention to install a bench on the viewpoint above the south bank, and Ranger Matt turned up with a large, sycamore bench top and larch poles (the latter looking more like chopped down telegraph poles from Whiteley Lane!) for a team to go off and start digging the post holes. During the torrential rain on the last work morning, we had noticed drainage issues on the bridleway, so a team set off to attend to these, stopping off at the top of the dam to try and alleviate water from the wet woodland running across the newly tarmacked path (we need to have another look at this). On the bridleway recent works on the path had pushed up banks of earth against the bottom of the railings preventing water draining away. This has been dug away and water should hopefully now not pool on the path. An impromptu litter picking session also took place! We had also seen last time that water was not flowing out of one of the new blue drainage pipes under the bridleway and water was flowing over the path. We had an investigatory poke with a full length of rods which surprisingly did not reach the end of the pipe, which is a bit of a puzzle as this would put the end of the pipe somewhere up the field at the other side and not where it pools at the bottom and runs across the path! Another poke with two packs of rods is required to try and determine where the other end of the pipe is situated. The drainage team returned via the viewpoint to see how the bench team was progressing to find only one post had been installed all morning. There seemed to be a lot of standing around by the "lads" whilst Heather was digging the second post hole! The photos do show the team did finally manage to finish the new bench installation, a nice location to take a rest and admire the restored dam. Dave returned with a team to tackle the railings on the cobbled path behind the cafe after getting washed out last time. About half of the railings have had the flaky paint and rust removed and treated with a red oxide primer. It will require a few more sessions to treat the other half and put on an undercoat and final topcoat. Peter was back in the store putting some finishing touches to the tidying up with some more hooks for tools and labelling up the positions so we know where they need to be put back! A really great job, and well overdue. To finish off the session, the plant bed opposite the playground was covered with some of the mulch left over from the previous hawthorn whip mulching session. The petunias planted by the beavers the previous week were starting to wilt, but after being mulched and watered will hopefully now pick up and flourish. The next work morning is on Thursday 8th June 2023. An email will be sent out nearer the time with details. Lyndon A Selection of photos from the work morning Ranger Matt explaining why it is taking so long to dig the post holes! (about 1m is underground) Barry having a go with the post hole digger Heather working hard while the guys look on! Phil takes over with the easier task of puting the post in the hole! Phil, Barry, Heather and Rod taking a hard earned break on the new bench Glyn, Mel and Chris creating a drainage channel to divert water runoff Chris and Mel clearing drainage on the bridleway Mel doing a spot of mulching after completing drainage work Stuart putting on the red oxide primer Tony taking off flaky paint and rust with a tungsten carbide scraper First half primed

Hello Conservation Volunteers Well, that was the wettest work morning for a long time so many thanks to those who turned out in the torrential rain and went home absolutely soaked to the skin! Although the weather curtailed some of the other tasks we had planned for the day such as attending to the railings on the cobble path which are starting to rust at the bottom, the main task of mulching the hawthorn whips which were planted last December went ahead. We were joined by Ranger Matt's stand in for the day, Tom, plus Rob who works for the Council's Community Forestry. Rob had previously dropped off some wood chip mulching but arrived with another load and also went to collect another during the morning. Rob firstly told us the reason mulching was necessary was to suppress other plants growing and competing with the whips, as well as helping to retain moisture, particularly during the dry summer months, before giving a quick lesson on how to distribute the mulch. I think most of us thought we would just throw it around the whips, but apparently the correct way is to put about half a trug of mulching around the base of each whip and then create a slight depression around the base of the whip in a doughnut shape! So, armed with various colourful trugs on a very grey day, spades, and wheelbarrows we made our way down the bridleway duly mulching each individual whip (about 370), with Rob bringing his truck with more mulch to fill the wheelbarrows - although the rain was doing a very good job of its own to fill them up! The good news is that the whips are starting to green up, so have taken. In a few months (when it's a little drier) we will check to see how many have not survived. Some left over mulch has been deposited at Forge Dam to be used on the flower beds which a couple of volunteers had been weeding and tidying up, removing the twigs and sticks deposited over the winter. Over time the tool store had become an untidy mess which last week Peter and Dave spent a morning clearing it out and fitting more hooks. Peter spent the morning in the dry busily installing more hooks (apparently planned before he saw the weather forecast) - a wise choice Peter! Just one more session should see it finished off. It really does look so much better. We just need to keep it that way now! The next work morning is on Tuesday 23rd May2023. An email will be sent out nearer the time with details. There is also the additional work morning on Thursday 25th May 2023 where we will be in Bingham Park/Whiteley Woods installing fencing and planting wildflower seeds in a couple of areas which have been badly eroded. Lyndon A Selection of photos from the work morning Rob demonstrating how to spread the mulch More mulch! Unloading the left over mulch at Forge Dam Peter at work in the dry! (Why do we have a mirror?)

Hello Conservation Volunteers Another great turnout for our latest work morning, a big thank you to all those who attended on a lovely sunny morning. Forge Dam was looking splendid in the sun, new path, benches back, and the new ducklings were enjoying their swim in a larger pond without the silt! The muddy areas used by the contractors are now also starting to green up with the grasses and plants starting to return - hopefully the wildflower seeds we planted will come through later in the summer, and the yellow hi-vis jackets could be seen stretching from Whiteley Woods to the top of Forge Dam and also up in Festival Woodland for the various tasks of the morning. Question: how many men does it take to install an information board? Well looking at the photos, 7! One of the morning tasks was to install an information board in Festival Woodland which will soon have a display panel with information about the history of Festival Woodland and a map of the various trees which had been mapped out and labelled previously. The Magnificent 7 successfully accomplished their task and the board is looking good in its position at the bottom of the main path (we trust the board is still standing and doesn't need its third leg!) At the top end of Forge Dam near the hibernaculum a group were being instructed by Ranger Matt on making a dead hedge to block off the gap on the bridleway to stop people taking a short cut and damaging the newly planted hawthorn whips. This natural fence looks so much better than the previous attempts with first the rope and then the plastic orange fence (which both got trampled down) and should now protect the whips until they have grown and can fight back against anybody taking a short cut! There is a mass of non-native cherry laurel on the steep bank side near the horse hop which is crowding out the native woodland plants and grasses which are trying to grow underneath it, in particular wood fescue. Another group have cut back some of the cherry laurel and the wood fescue should hopefully start to flourish this summer, if you look carefully you will see it starting to grow. More cherry laurel was also cut back near the start of the goit. There is an interesting article here on wood fescue in Forge Dam and the conservation work of FoPV volunteers in the past to protect it https://blogs.tees.ac.uk/ambroisebakerresearch/tag/forge-dam/ The final group after clearing out some debris at the goit grill worked their way further downstream clearing blocked drains as well as cutting back and moving fallen trees and branches from the path, and then worked their way back up the other side on the bridleway doing the same. The new plumbing rods made the job much easier, being more flexible and actually screwing together properly - none were lost in the drains! Also being bright red they couldn't be missed in the undergrowth like the old brown, wooden ones. The next work morning is on Thursday 11th May2023 where we are expecting a tipper full of mulch which we will need to spread on the hawthorn whips planted at the end of last year. An email will be sent out nearer the time with details. Lyndon A Selection of photos from the work morning Installing the Festival Woodland information board "Do you think that is deep enough?" David has arrived to supervise proceedings. "A bit more to the left lads"! The Magnificent 7 showing off their morning's work, aka Tony, Paul, Peter, Dave, Mike, Chris and John Linda, Ben, Glyn and Anna working on the dead hedge The finished dead hedge Les and Phil clearing the goit grill Trying out the new rods Cutting and moving a fallen tree "Nope, can't see it at this end, Les!" A large lump of concrete blocking the small pipe was removed. The water is now flowing through freely and not backing up

Hello Conservation Volunteers There were plenty of yellow hi-vis vests out for our latest work morning dotted around Forge Dam and Whiteley Woods for a clearing up session after the heavy snow fall last month which had brought down trees and branches throughout the valley. Contractors had cleared fallen trees blocking paths but left the brash in untidy piles by the side of paths. The majority of these have now been cut up, moved, and stacked further back from the paths to create areas of habitat for wildlife. The goit to Wire Mill Dam which was full of debris and was backing up at the grill has been cleared, plus two concrete posts which were originally on Ivy Cottage Lane and had somehow found their way into the goit near the bridge were removed. Over at Wire Mill Dam it was discovered that within the debris toads had laid their toad spawn. The debris has been removed with the toad spawn left in the dam so hopefully we can look forward to a mass of small toads in the coming weeks! On the bottom path another team as well as cutting up and moving the left-over tree limbs were rodding and clearing drainage channels which were blocked and causing flooding onto the path, not helped by the odd beer bottle which had mysteriously buried itself inside a drainpipe and wasn't there when we rodded them out last time! There is a section of path needing new drainage installing which we intend tackle in the forthcoming months. At the top end of Forge Dam another group tackled more fallen trees and branches, including pulling a couple out of the dam itself. A big thank you to all the volunteers who turned out to help as well as Ranger Matt's stand-in for the morning, Tom, who went back in the afternoon to fix a coping stone on the goit wall which was loose. Sadly, our FoPV catering supplier, Mandy, was away and there were no cakes for the hungry workers! The next work morning is on Tuesday 25th April 2023. An email will be sent out nearer the time with details. Lyndon A Selection of photos from the work morning Peter, Alex, Chris and John removing branches from Forge Dam Glyn and Tom cutting up brash near the goit Glyn and Phil rmoving more brash Fallen tree ready to poke an eye out - now removed! Tom rodding a drain and clearing channels and ditches to direct the flow of water Not quite working this newish drain/channel! Temporary ditch dug at the top to redirect the flow for now, but maybe needs a re-think Fallen branch removed on the green near the playground Workers clearing debris from the goit

Hello Conservation Volunteers Thank you to everybody who came along to Endcliffe Park to help prepare for the forthcoming Duck Race. The main task was for a group in waders and wellingtons to walk the duck race course from start to finish to remove any debris which would hinder the ducks on their journey to the winning line as well as looking for any ducks still hiding from last year's race. We are used to a few hiding and also escaping but last year we lost a record 82 ducks, however none were found this time around. As well as the usual branches, stones and litter which were removed by the team, a battleship was seen lurking in the bankside, probably waiting to ambush the ducks on their journey down the river! Fortunately, it was spotted and has been captured and so the ducks should now have a safe journey come 10th April. A team armed with litter pickers and black bags ventured out to collect any rubbish they could find. As well as the usual bottles and cans, a duvet and what looked like the base of a road works cone or barrier were found. Across from Holme Wheel Dam by the railings at the side of the road there is an extensive amount of bottles, cans, and rubbish which we will have to tackle on a separate work morning. Another small group tackled some of the fallen branches after the recent heavy snowfall, cutting, moving, and tidying up. Ranger Matt delivered the tables, plastic mats and spikes needed for setting up stalls and equipment which have been moved to a secure location ready for the Monday morning. Thanks again to our very own FoPV Work Morning catering supplier aka Mandy, who supplied the Lincolnshire Plum loaf - very tasty! The next work morning is on Thursday 13th April 2023. Lyndon. A Selection of photos from the work morning Clearing the river Chris finding a frisbee What's this we have 'ere then? "Admiral" John displaying the captured battleship In dry dock A wet soggy duvet and ? (it was heavy)

Project Officer’s Blog: Footpath contractors 'EC Surfacing' will be back on-site week commencing 27th March to rebuild the temporary bridge – re-using the 3 big pipes which have been “in storage” below the weir since the original bridge washed away at the end of October. In February, we were bumped for a more urgent job and we then lost our weather window due to the snow and subsequent high river levels, so are now pushing on hard to get the final topping of the tarmacking completed before Easter. Unfortunately, there is no way to complete the tarmacking works without closing the pond side path for a few days. The Memorial benches will be bolted down securely following the completion of the surfacing works, so no more being blown over by the wind tunnel effect in the valley. Whilst EC Surfacing are on site, they will also be improving drainage on the bridleway and woodland footpath. You will all have seen the new safety signage and reach and rescue board. I appreciate that not everyone likes them, but in time they will become “part of the furniture”. Over 400 people a year drown in the UK. Having taken the water level from a few inches to over 2 metres, it would be deeply irresponsible not to have re-assessed the risks at Forge Dam and in doing so we have followed the advice of the Fire and Rescue Service. I am sorry if you don’t like the signs or the board, but the alternative is much worse. During café opening hours, there is a spare reach pole kept available at the café, and the café team also have the code to open the boxes. The tree team, having just completed the highly technical job of removing the fallen alder that was laying across the river channel (using a chainsaw from a small boat is no mean feat), are aware of the tree that the snow brought down into the millrace / wheel housing area and it will be removed as soon as possible. Thank you as ever for your patience and your passion for this special place. Claire Watts Project Officer, Parks and Countryside Service

The FoPV Bird Surveyors have been in discussion with Matt the SCC Ranger for the Porter Valley about erecting some bird boxes in the valley. We are aiming to improve breeding success for small woodland birds in the face of a shortage of natural nesting holes. One species we are particularly hoping to help are pied flycatchers (see picture). The striking black and white male birds arrive in April from West Africa, ahead of the brown and white females, and are known to pass through the valley but to our knowledge, have not stopped to nest. One of the reasons why is that suitable nest holes in trees are already taken by the time they reach our shores. Birds like woodpeckers, parakeets, nuthatches, great tits, blue tits and coal tits will already have occupied available holes during March. So by putting up the nest boxes now, we hope they should still be empty when the pied flycatchers arrive. However, if any of the non-migratory species start late or raise another brood, and choose one of the boxes, all well and good. The boxes have been made by one of the surveyors using a design from RSPB/British Trust for Ornithology. The boxes have steel plates around the entrance holes to discourage access and predation of nestlings by squirrels and woodpeckers. Following advice from the SCC Ecology Unit, special aluminium nails are being used to attach the boxes, as this metal is not toxic to trees. Locations are not being listed as disturbance is also a factor in reducing breeding success. The boxes will be monitored by the FOPV bird surveyors following the British Trust for Ornithology Nest Record Scheme Code of Conduct. However, if you come across a box with birds entering and want to stay and watch, please stand quietly at least 10 metres or twenty steps away. Remember birds may be brooding inside or watching you from an unseen perch nearby. Fingers crossed for a successful breeding season!