Reminder of Flaxton Environment Group Open meeting 17 September

Reminder

All are welcome to the the open meeting of the Flaxton Environment Group at 7 pm on Tuesday.  There will be a talk by Mark Hewitt, Conservation Officer for Escrick Park Estate, entitled ‘Cows or Mowers? Conservation Management of Grassland and Heath.  Mark has a wealth of experience managing nature reserves and is currently conservation lead at Skipwith Common. For those not familiar with Skipwith Common, some notes are included below. He has also managed grassland reserves so his talk will have relevance for the management of the village green.

The talk will last about an hour and will be followed by an introduction to the Flaxton Environment Group and a discussion about possible future directions and opportunities for involvement.  this is your chance to express your views on what the group should do and how it might develop in future.

Skipwith Common

Skipwith Common it is home to many habitats and is one of the last remaining areas of lowland heath in northern England – and one of only two extensive areas of open heathland in the Vale of York (the other being Strensall Common). Hardy Hebridean sheep, Longhorn cattle and Exmoor ponies help to nurture the wildlife and manage the rare heathland naturally through grazing. There is a variety of rare heathland plants and dragonflies and other insects. There is also a huge array of birds that can be spotted in and around the reserve.

If you are planning to attend

If you are planning to attend, please email to help estimate numbers.