Breaking News Newsletter for Breaking New Ground Landscape Partnership Scheme
November 2015
A newsflash for project partners and participants with news items, project updates, special features and forthcoming events.
Flint in the Brecks: Saving William Carter’s panels
Projects Round-up
Brecks Building Skills Workshops underway We were made aware of the existence of the Orchard Barn’s Mortar Brandon Library flint the Point workshop was panels as a result of a great success, with research carried out lots of people learning to by BNG’s ‘Flint in the use traditional mortars. Brecks’ project being The next workshop is all delivered by the about flint, on November Breckland Society. 14th and places are still The panels were available! See made by master flint Photo © Nick Ford www,tinyurl.com/ knapper William bbsworkshops Carter (1857–1904) of the Gun & Building Flint Manufacturers, in Brandon, and donated to the Brandon Library by his descendants. The panels were flagged up by members of the Breckland First Pinelines planted at Euston Society as potentially under threat because the building is expected to be demolished, and their The first of a kilometer of future was unclear. new pine lines has been Following discussions between the BNG team, planted at the Euston Suffolk County Council and Brandon Town Council estate. The trees were as well as the family of William Carter, it was grown at Barcham’s in decided that we should try to do something about Ely, and the rest of the saving them. After further discussions with our pines will be planted board’s grant committee, funding was made over the winter . available through the BNG People’s Pot grant scheme and a plan developed to remove them from the wall. Suffolk County Council archaeologists came to assess the situation and a small project turned into a “Flint Rocks” exhibition major piece of work that involved removing a large This fascinating exhibition will part of the library wall. The project team was open at Ancient House Museum delighted to be able to engage a local building firm on November 21st. From fossils to GC Godwin to undertake the work. flakes and soldiers to strike-aAll of the pieces were removed intact and are now lights, the exhibition throws light being stored at Brandon Country Park pending a on this very versatile stone. decision on how best they can be made available for Discover the people who worked the continued enjoyment of the local community. and used it, and find out about In the short term, pictures of the individual panels flint’s Japanese cousin, obsidian. will be made available on our website, and one will These letters are taken from the also be featuring as part of the ‘Flint Rocks’ flint alphabet which will form part exhibition that launches at the Ancient House of the exhibition st Museum in Thetford on the 21 November.
Project Focus C6: Revealing the Hidden Landscape of the Brecks : LiDAR LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is a relatively new method of surveying landscapes in great detail. It involves flying over a landscape and sending down laser pulses – the time taken for a laser pulse to be reflected back builds up a 3D picture of the relative height of the land and vegetation below. Known as a dot cloud, these reflection points can be processed to form an incredibly accurate and detailed computer model that can be viewed in many ways. Due to the nature of the laser beam, which can send out more than 300,000 pulses per second, LiDAR is able to penetrate woodland more than other forms of remote sensing or ground survey and thus gives us the opportunity to “see through the canopy” to a hidden world. As part of our LiDAR project, Revealing the Hidden Landscape of the Brecks, the Forestry Commission and Forest Research set out to survey a 150km 2 of the Thetford Forest and Kings Forest areas in the Brecks to determine what lies underneath. In comparison to the intensively farmed land around it, the forest is thought to have had a relatively benign effect on surviving ground features and it was hoped that these areas would prove to be a rich source of evidence from thousands of years of previous land use. The image on the right show three pictures; the first is a conventional aerial photograph of the West Tofts Heath area. Second is a LiDAR image showing ground cover coloured according to height, a potentially very useful land management tool. The third is an amazing LiDAR image in which the tree cover has been digitally removed, and the ground contours coloured to highlight features on the ground. This type of imaging provides an incredibly detailed relief of the ground features and clearly reveals the extent and survival of the earthworks. At the start of the project no-one had imagined that the LiDAR data would discover the sheer volume of the features revealed through this process, and discussions are now starting to determine how BNG and its project partners can make the most effective use of the new data available.
Top: Aerial photograph Middle: Ground cover according to height of vegetation Bottom: Lifting the canopy to reveal the ground contours
Project Focus Wildlife Recorders of Tomorrow: BioBlitz at Brandon Country Park, 11th October This was a brilliant activity day, with a total of 226 species recorded over the course of the event. About 60 members of the public took part and we had help from 8 wonderful experts who identified the finds. There was a very good range of discoveries, from flowering plants, to fungi, insects, birds, molluscs, ferns and even fish! Some amazing and very colourful fungus turned up in the woods such as green elf cup; purple amethyst deceiver, coral fungus and spectacular rustgill (below right). A beautiful male ruddy darter dragonfly was spotted (below left), a comma butterfly and red admiral butterfly – all unusual as it is late in the season to still see them flying around.
Upcoming Events: Lichens of the Brecks: Heathland-Thetford Warren, 8th Nov 10:30–12:30 Countryside Stewardship Workshop-Santon Downham Centre, 9th Nov 6-8pm Caught Knapping: Brecks Building Skills-West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, 14th Nov 10-4, Flint Rocks Exhibition-Ancient House Museum, Thetford 21st Nov-7th Jan2016 Find out more and book at http://www.breakingnewground.org.uk/events
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Picture of the Month A young bug collector shows off his finds at the BioBlitz
What the Brecks Means to Me... I'm ashamed to say, that when I first moved here two years ago, from a hazy grey London overspill, I
had never even heard of this unique and incredible place. But after my arrival, I blended straight in. It felt like I was always destined to be a part of this landscape. The colours and textures, the people, the wildlife, everything just seemed to 'fit right'. And so I slotted in to my new life. Like a hand slipping into a well worn glove. But the beauty I have found here frightens me. Well, to be more exact I'm frightened for it, like an anxious parent watching over a child. I fear for the future of the Brecks. It seems so vulnerable. There are greedy, opportunist people who would destroy this beauty, to build more houses or roads. Do people still not understand the value of our countryside? Is it viewed merely as a commodity, a development opportunity? Something to be sold off to the highest bidder? It seems so much has been lost already. I fear for this place which lacks the protection of a National Park or AONB. I want to do everything I can to raise awareness of the Brecks, to help it receive the status and protection it deserves. I get unnecessarily angry, when people don't appreciate the wildlife that surrounds us here. When they don't notice the things that bring me so much joy! The buds on the trees. The scent of the pines. The beetle that scurries across the path. The hare in the field. The song of the yellowhammer and the skylark. People seem to walk round with their eyes and ears closed. We live in an area that is home to some unique and valuable species which are specific to the Brecks. But we're a generation of people who seem to spend our lives staring at the screen of a phone, and viewing our entire life through social media. Walking around somehow oblivious to all this beauty. Since my arrival here, my senses seem heightened. I see and hear more than I ever did before. Being here is the best move I ever made in my life, for me and for my family. I only wish I'd got here sooner! Social media has its uses. It's a great platform to broadcast and showcase the beauty of this Breckland landscape. But get out there and see things first hand. The sights, the smells, the sounds. And leave your phone at home… You won't be disappointed.. Alison Barnes, Sandlines Poetry Workshop Participant
Get your project noticed! “We heard lots of Soprano Pipistrelles last night and saw them flying around High Lodge visitor centre - great fun “
-Wings Over the Brecks & Suffolk Bat Group bat walk participant (30th October)
If there is something that you would like included in the next newsletter, please send details to Amy and Martina by 20th November BNG.Admin@suffolk.gov.uk
Breaking New Ground c/o Visitor Centre, Brandon Country Park, Bury Road, Brandon, Suffolk, IP27 0SU 01842 815465 e: bng.admin@suffolk.gov.uk t: @TheBrecksBNG f: TheBrecksBNG. w: www.breakingnewground.org.uk