A Century of Leaky Dams and the ‘Wilderness Bridge’
Tuesday 1st August 2023
A Century of Leaky Dams
Global Generation - The Story Garden Group
Today is one of those days when I get to supplement my 'meagre' teacher's pension with a bit of extra income, as I return to my former profession and spend a couple of hours working with a London-based youth organisation called “Global Generation.”
I initially explain about tree growth and the woodland microclimate before playing a simple game hunting coloured plastic balls. Each represents a requirement for tree growth - including CO2, water, light, warmth and oxygen.
One of the microclimate factors covered is how woodland affects the movement of water falling as rain. This inevitably leads to issues of flooding and the vital role that trees play in its alleviation. Then of-course we get round to building their own leaky dam. The extra significance of this exercise is that once completed, they will have made the 98th, 99th and 100th leaky dam on site – a century of leaky dams (all done in just 3 years). Amazing.
98th, 99th and 100th Leaky Dam at Wilderness Wood
I show them some examples done by other groups before they go to collect materials, decide on their designs and create a structure out of logs and sticks designed to slow down the flow of water in stream channels during a rainstorm. I just hope nearby Uckfield is aware how lucky they are to have all these children working upstream of them to ensure they never again get flooding problems from the river Uck.
Thursday 3rd August 2023 – Global Generation - The Paper Garden
Tuesday's activities are repeated today with another group from Global Generation – this time 'Paper Garden' from Canada Water in London. Their name is derived from their being located on the site of the old Daily Mail print works. By 12pm they have added leaky dam 101, 102 and 103 to Wilderness Wood.
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Small Children and ‘The Wilderness Bridge’
My daughter and 2 grandchildren then arrive and after lunch we decide to explore the wood to see what wildlife we might spot. Edie, the 3 year old, enthusiastically points out a white butterfly settling on a thistle – a Large White Butterfly. This is then joined by a Gatekeeper and a Meadow Brown before we are even out of the Middle Paddock.
Gatekeeper butterfly (https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/gatekeeper)
We spot a number of wasps, butterflies, beetles and bees an our way to Bat Park, before we set about collecting up piles of bracken left by the Working with Wood Week Eco-warriors and move a mobile rabbit exclusion structure which was made keep the rabbits off selected areas of grassland, in the hope of the grass and wildflowers at least producing seed. Little helping hands are always welcome and it gives me encouragement that their generation might do a better job of looking after the environment than my own.
Piles of pulled bracken moved by small willing hands
I am also optimistic that once we have ringed Bat Park with rabbit-proof fencing we won’t need the exclosures and the area will flourish with knee-high grasses and a kaleidoscope of bright blooms.
Leon asks “Why is there a big fence around here?” As an ex-teacher I can't possibly give him the answer without making him guess which animal it is we are keeping out. Eventually he comes up with deer and I get to explain how these beautiful animals sadly eat the tops of my hedge shrubs.
We return to The Barn where the children play on the slide and mud kitchen whilst I pop down to check the state of the New Ponds. I am delighted to find that the recent rains have recharged the ponds a little, giving me hope that they will stay in water until the autumn rains refill them.
On the way back I pause to admire the fine new bridge built by Dan and numerous volunteers, which is finished, short of a few minor adjustments. The next stage will be to create a large pond held back by an earth dam, with the new bridge crossing it and giving excellent views of the suite of new ponds in this part of the wood.
‘The Wilderness Bridge’ spans the Wilderness Stream