I took a trip along the road today to see how our expert fencers Di and Leon are getting along, as the new fence at Hawk's Nest Pond is getting put up today. As mentioned previously, the pond and its immediate surroundings were gifted to Falklands Conservation in memory of Lyn Blake who farmed the area for many years, and were are very grateful to Tony Blake for his generosity.
Now that the fence is nearly complete, it feels like a proper reserve and we can
begin to think about how to manage it for conservation and public access. It seems likely that this will fall within my remit; it isn't a legally protected area, but it does give me a further opportunity to test some of the ideas that are emerging out of the Protected Areas Project, and a legal designation may well be applied for in due course. It also provides an opportunity to make conservation activities accessible to the community and help us all to appreciate the potential benefits of protected areas. Small areas such as this can be valuable for many reasons; they provide refuges for vulnerable plants, they protect and improve habitats for birds and invertebrates, and they provide an easily accessible place for a picnic and a bit of bird- spotting.
It's a bit early in the season for spotting many birds, and the club- rush stands look pretty dead, but in a few weeks time the site will be full of life and growth. We all agreed that a reserve opening ceremony with a few celebratory lemonades would be appropriate; I'll keep you posted and issue an invitation soon.
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