It was a windy and bitterly cold day when 6 MNTVers met in the carpark off Lifeboat Road at 10am. Hallam, one of the Formby Rangers was there as were 10 Merseyside volunteers so, in total, we were a large group and hoped to get plenty done!
We walked to the dunes where we would be digging up the poplars and as much of their roots as possible. As Sefton Coast is an SSI (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) we were shown photo's of some of the protected wildlife that, if we were to see, we were not to touch or disturb them but to let Hallam know immediately.
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| Species to look out for - Natterjack toad, Great Crested Newt, sand lizard and common lizard |
So, we started work and then realised how long some of the roots were!! and that, as they wended their way through the sand, they either crossed over or under roots from other tree's or got their roots fully intertwined. or their roots went downward rather than horizontally.
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| only part of a root!! |
Louise, another Formby Ranger also joined us so we all got to work and dug up as many roots as we could, then carried them to the edge of the dunes so we could load them onto the trailer for taking away and disposing of.
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| trying to dig up and untangle the roots |
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| spreading out to avoid finding roots intertwined |
Three or four loads were removed during the day, leaving at least another loads worth at the side of the dunes to be removed tomorrow.
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| 'It just seemed easier to sit down to dig' :-) |
Although it was cold and a tricky task, we enjoyed getting to know the Formby Rangers and the Merseyside volunteers during the day:-)
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| MNTV group photo in front of the trailer full of poplar brash |
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