www.easternmoors.org.uk

Visit our What's On pages on our website to find out how you can come and join us this year on the Eastern Moors.  From family explorer activities, to adult workshops, family friendly guided walks with additives to Muck In Days, there's a little something for everyone!

 

Letting the Oaks breath

Thursday 14^th November 2013

On Thursday the sun was shining and our volunteers joined us for a day clearing Birch trees in the Millennium woodland below Curbar Edge. The Oak woodland was planted to mark the millennium, and during it’s time since has been taken over by Birch trees which are blocking a lot of light out for the Oaks.

We started the day by finishing off a section from a previous work party and everybody was enthusiastic to get stuck in. Using bow saws the team cleared Birch trees from around the Oaks, providing them with the space they need to grow. There was evidence of Deer activity in the area with lots of deer tracks through the woods and one of our volunteers (Mark) even came across and antler where he was working!

In the second half of the day we started in a new section with the sun still shining down on us and although we managed to clear a lot of trees during the day, there are still many more to go, so who knows we may even see you next time!

I would like to say a big thank you for all your hard work!

 

Red Deer in Love & at War

The Red Deer rut always makes autumn an exciting season and what better place to see this amazing natural spectacle than on the atmospheric Eastern Moors in the Peak District.

This autumn, visitors to the Eastern Moors, found on the edges of Sheffield, were offered two wonderful opportunities to see the red deer with the added bonus of staff and volunteers on hand to answer any questions. On Tuesday 29 October, the Red Deer in Love & at War walk and wonder took people along Curbar and White Edges, with great views of red deer within the stunning moorland landscape.  On Sunday 3 November, the Red Deer Watch gave families an opportunity to feel close to the action, using telescopes and binoculars to view the exciting activity.

Many hinds were seen with this year's calves, along with young males and mature stags supporting spectacular antlers.   Despite the rain, visitors witnessed a bellowing stag and some young males trying their luck.  The rain soaked stags showed they had a similar technique to dogs as they shook their bodies to rid themselves of the shower. 

The Eastern Moors, part of the Peak District National Park, is an upland landscape rich in wildlife, from allusive water voles to captivating adders, golden-ringed dragonflies to the mighty red deer. Katherine Clarke, Visitor Services Manager for the Eastern Moors Partnership, said: “Red deer are our largest British wild mammal but so many people don’t realise they are here on the Eastern Moors. They are so camouflaged people walk straight past them.

“The deer rut is a time where the deer are possibly at their most visible and we want to give people an opportunity to view them at their finest.  We are delighted that so many people joined us to find out more about this stunning beast living right on their doorstep!”

The rutting season takes place from late September to November on the Eastern Moors.  Stags compete for access to the hinds – the female red deer - by engaging in elaborate displays of dominance. Hinds give birth to single calves from late May to June.

As a site with almost entirely open access and a network of bridleways and footpaths, plus internationally renowned climbing edges, the Eastern Moors is a place where people can get close to some of the UK’s most beautiful wildlife.

The Red Deer events proved so popular, we have decided to repeat them next year, with additional events including an evening walk and even a 'bolving' competition, where people can come along and show off their red deer stag bolving (bellowing) techniques!

To find out more keep an eye on our facebook page, www.facebook.com, search Eastern Moors, and on our What's On pages on our website, www.easternmoors.org.uk.

Coming soon for summer 2013............

Our dedicated volunteers have been putting in the hours in preparation for the opening of a new concessionary bridleway on the Eastern Moors. Works have been underway for the past few weeks to improve the condition of the track surface by filling in puddles, wet hollows and ruts.  The route through Barbrook valley, currently a concessionary footpath, will open as a concessionary bridleway this summer. We have still to fit the new access gates and once that is done the route will be open. We hope you can come along to our launch day later in the year, keep your eyes on our facebook page, website and blog for up to date progress.



Loading the trailer with stone





 

Filling in the ruts and puddles

The final result















Wonderful work parties at Wimble Holme Hill

Over the winter we have been working with lots of volunteers to improve the condition of the bridleway at Wimble Holme Hill. The work has now been completed making the route more enjoyable for walkers, horse riders and cyclists.

After one work party day the group worked out the distance they had pushed their full wheelbarrows for, it worked out at an astonishing seven kilometres!

All the volunteers have done a fantastic job. The Eastern Moors Partnership would like to thank Sheffield Wildlife Trust and their volunteers, The Mudlarks (National Trust) volunteer group, Ride Sheffield, Eastern Moors Partnership volunteers and Derby University experiential learning group for all their hard work and commitment to the project.  

                                                                                                                                               



  After

Before

 

After



Before

Wimble Holme Make-over Continues

Posted on February 4, 2013

by John Horscroft

 

http://www.ridesheffield.org.uk/2013/02/wimble-holme-make-over-continues/

Lots of new faces at the latest dig day but, unfortunately, the same old weather.  A brisk North Westerly breeze ensured there was only one way to keep warm and that was to push the barrow as fast as possible.  Thankfully, there was plenty of barrowing to be done and Ride Sheffield’s volunteers threw themselves into the fray with gusto.  Further wood buttressing was added to prevent the trail disappearing down the hill and the ribbon of resurfacing has now reached the point where only a couple of days hard barrowing and raking is required to see the project complete.  The Eastern Moors Partnership team from the RSPB/National Trust, Rachel, Danny and Kim, gave up another sunday to provide technical input and tea and were enormously grateful for the hard work Team RS put in.  Thanks to all those who turned up and, you never know, one day we might get to do some digging with the sun on our backs!

Kick Start volunteering

Volunteering on the Eastern Moors was kick started on Sunday with a highly successful Volunteer Taster Day.  Aiming to recruit willing and enthusiastic volunteers to help with the mammoth task of looking after the magnificent Eastern Moors, the taster day led the team well on their way to achieving their goal.

35 members of the public turned out on the cold but sunny day, and brought along with them their energy and desire to help!  Many spent either a half or full day, having a go at small tree felling in Curbar Woods with Senior Warden, Kim Strawbridge, and surveying habitats on Big Moor with Projects Manager, Rachel Bennett.

The Eastern Moors team are delighted by the response and now have a long list of people wanting to find out more about volunteering.  From practical conservation tasks to improving visitor infrastructure, delivering family events and adult learning to developing websites and social media, surveying visitor perception to designing ‘invisible’ interpretation, carrying out species surveying to monitoring vegetation structure; the volunteering opportunities are endless.

If you think you might like to volunteer with the Eastern Moors team, contact us to find out more.  Email enquiries@easternmoors.org.uk

http://www.easternmoors.org.uk/get-involved/index.html