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Goodbye Bracken, Hello Heather. For many years we have harboured the dream of tackling the jungle of bracken on the leased land at Trevarth Common and giving the land a jump start on the way back to restored heathland with a consequent increase in biodiversity. Dave Hodgson our Chairman spoke eloquently on this at the AGM back in October and of the grant we had applied for. The good news, the very good news, is that the grant has been approved. Depending on the timescale of the work to be done we have been awarded up to £10k by Cornwall County Council. In more than one newsletter I have spoken of the remaining pockets of heathland that stretch from Dartmoor down to Lands End and how Carn Marth still has enough heathland to be an important component in this chain. These pockets are like Oases in that they provide the right conditions for plants and wildlife that cannot thrive in other habitats. We can now make a start on clearing the bracken that smothers so much of Trevarth Common and give the Heathland flora and fauna a real chance.
It is looking like being a Mini Theatre Festival on the Carn this year. Here are the diary dates for you:
26th July - Anvil Productions will perform ‘Othello’ .
27th July - Anvil Productions will perform ‘David Copperfield’.
29th August - Miracle Theatre will perform ‘Jason’ .
12th & 13th September - Scarlet Blade Theatre will perform ‘The Jabberwok’.
We will be putting out full details of times and tickets etc. well in advance on the theatre page and in the next newsletter and most importantly CMT members will be able to get two tickets for the price of one.
Again to coincide with the Clean Cornwall campaign, we held a litter pick on the Carn on Sunday April 20th. The day was mercifully warm and we had a team of fifteen people and several dogs. Thanks to all who turned up, especially the new faces. Working upwards from the Theatre we covered the Carn all the way over to Cathedral Quarry on Trevarth Common and filled a pick-up truck with the results. We have now done over forty litter picks and clean ups since 1986, not to mention the removal of abandoned cars and bikes, burnt out or dumped in the pools.
Time now for our regular contribution from Mark Kaczmarek:
Dear Readers,
As the days start to get longer the arrival of spring is certainly here, the ravens are now nesting on the quarry faces and the buzzards are making the most of the rising thermals to show off their courtship displays, soon the swallows will be here and I am waiting to hear the sound of the cuckoo which arrives here in April.
Unfortunately the arrival of spring attracts the anti social side of some Carn users, the quad bikes and off road motor bikes. I have been in discussions with the police and the County and District councils where the issues of enforcement regarding tackling this potentially dangerous activity have been agreed. I am hopeful that several planned joint efforts will catch the offenders.
The Mineral Tramways recent refurbishment and creation of new trails has certainly proved popular for many walkers, horse riders, and cyclists and it will soon be possible to walk or ride to the ‘Coast to Coast Trail’ with only a very short piece of road use.
Cllr Mark Kaczmarek
Since Mark sent that in, the first Swallows have been seen, as was a Peregrine over Lanner in the last, we hope, of the cold and grey weather. Cuckoos have also been heard on the hill and on Tresavean.
With the award of the Big Grant we certainly feel that the Trust is going from strength to strength. According to one of the local Jeremiahs recently, our membership was only seven and we were on our last legs. Well I’m happy to report a thriving membership of over fifty and rising in this our twenty second year of ‘caring for land on the Carn’. We have three Theatre Groups bringing performances to the Open Air Theatre for everyone’s entertainment. The Carn has not had a million and a quarter tons of granite blasted from the top, as was planned in 1986. Comparing photos taken then and looking around now one can see the huge improvement in growth of plant cover. I make no apologies for repeating that this is a success story, a local success story. Ordinary people came together to ensure the well being of this jewel of a hill well into the foreseeable future. It doesn’t get any more positive than that. Last legs Jeremiah? I don’t think so.
Chairman's Notes. Spring is sprung and the sap is rising! The cleansing rains of April have given Carn Marth a fresh green sheen and I can't wait for the hazy blue skies and flower-rich hedgerows of summer. The Carn Marth Trust is rebranding itself - we've saved the hill from quarrying and we've made it safe for public access and fun for theatre-goers. Now we want to manage our beautiful habitats for wildlife and for your enjoyment. I have a challenge for you all: recruit at least one more member to the trust! We all meet dog walkers, cyclists, horse riders and ramblers on the Carn. For only a tiny fee they can be part of the Carn Marth Trust, get amazing discounts on theatre tickets, and receive these great, regular newsletters. What a fantastic summer it's going to be.
Incidentally our Committee Meetings have always been open to those who wish to attend. The dates of the next few meetings are as follows:- May 8th, June 12th, Sept 11th and the AGM will be on Oct 23rd. They will all be held at Carharrack Methodist Church Schoolroom, start time 7.30pm.
KG. ED
May 2008
CARN MARTH PROTECTION GROUP
‘caring for land on Carn Marth’
