Pond Clearing

To encourage the return of a wide variety of wildlife, one of the projects supported by the Beacon Hill Society is the maintenance of existing ponds.

One, situated adjacent to the road on the northern boundary of the wood, is depicted on several old maps of the area. On November 9th 2003, about a dozen members and children assembled at the pond. Following the long dry spell, the pond was in fact completely lacking in water, which meant we were able to work in the middle of the hollow without any need for wellies or waders. A good deal of the surrounding overhanging branches were cut back and removed, and some willow trees which had colonised the centre of the pond were grubbed out, and removed with the aid of an ingenious method of ropes and a pulley, plus lots of muscle power.

There are several other ponds or potential ponds within the wood's boundaries, and hopefully we can re-establish these as well; the provision of a number of ponds within close proximity is of great benefit to wildlife, and if amphibians do appear, which is quite likely, their populations will increase rapidly, and could provide a valuable educational resource in the future.