We're welcoming Spring at Sailors Creek
Woodland and wilderness management, enhancing the land serving people, place, nature and climate
With planting still underway and up to the limit of ideal conditions for the trees and bushes we have chosen to establish at Sailors Creek, I have been lucky enough to have some interesting conversations with a local ecologist, and a Forest Garden expert. We have talked about what it means to be managing an area of scrub and woodland in this very special spot, and how we might balance our need for sustainable and high quality local food and herbs with a changing climate while respecting our protected and established ecosystems.
We have begun to put in place our ongoing management plan for the native and non - native species we are choosing to plant at Sailors Creek. We have planted species that are our investment in a climate changed future. We will monitor all planting and annually we will take action to cut back or eventually remove any plant we decide is out of balance with the productive and managed woodland and scrub we ae working with. You can see our 'Sailors Creek Planting and Woodland Management 2022' file online under RESOURCES AND LINKS or you can view it here:
The Cornwall AONB manifesto encourages the enhancement of AONB land while serving 'people, place, nature and climate'. This entanglement of nature and human activity is of huge interest to me and the (huge fanfare) Open University degree I am studying towards; a current social science module 'Environment and Society' poses exactly these sorts of fundamental questions. What is 'wilderness' to you? What, in fact, does 'landscape' even mean? When is human environmental modification a problem, and when is it a good thing? How can we responsibly move forward through the Anthropocene, the age of significant human impact on the Earth's atmosphere, geology and ecosystems, and imagine a more sustainable future for the environment and for society? And as per usual, I would be interested to know what that means to you! Now on reflection, I can begin to fully understand how we have embarked on this project with all of the four Cornwall AONB elements (people, place, nature and climate) in mind, to various degrees, and with many mitigating factors to consider in the mix.
Our initial motivation was to clear the creek of plastic and other accumulated waste for the benefit of nature and for the benefit of people with an interest in the creek. A huge amount of waste has been laboriously removed from the shore and there is much more to do, all within the narrow intersection of statutory legislation and what is actually possible.
As you might already know we are establishing a safe mooring system for the benefit of people and their boats and also more importantly for the benefit of the established shoreline trees. They will no longer have the stress of 'taking the strain' as they have done historically, particularly as we witness the further erosion of the shoreline at Sailors Creek.
And as we spend more time talking to people and conducting our own research we are gathering the elements of a incredible picture of Sailors Creek, and the Penryn River, through time. Sailors Creek, the place, has witnessed the very many booms and busts of human activity on the Penryn River for the last 1000 years plus, and will continue to hold fast long after we are gone. I hope to start sharing some of this 'sense of place' with you on the upcoming seasonal tours of Sailors Creek, of which the very first 'Spring Tour' is being postponed until Sunday 24th April, so I have more time to panic. You can buy tickets for £10pp/£5pp on our website if you are not yet a member, or members come free!
(So become a member?) More information on this thrilling afternoon of rambling below.
Upcoming events..
Our AGM, for members only
Monthly water sampling
Volunteer days and beach cleans
Art Week at Sailors Creek end of May TBC
Rory and Anna's Springtime Giant Picnic 28 May, for members only
Rambling Seasonal Tours
The Summer Party in early July TBC, for members only
More mooring availability, for members only!
With big love and appreciation for all your support and perspective,
Anna