Hi Dave,
Sorry not to have responded sooner to latest developments re Wyver Lane hide: I have been away for a few days. The DWT really is making an ass of itself and, in the process, contradicting its own CEO. The following is a transcript of her reply to my first email. No mention of any possibility of removing the hide or of building a screen. She does, however, say that they are looking into ways of keeping the hide locked at night, which I assumed would involve you acting as their security man. Perhaps her and the Landscape types need to talk because at the moment it seems that they haven't a clue about what each other is doing or proposing. I am now going to email her again to demand to know what is going on and will decide on the basis of her reply whether to let rip in the local media.
Fwd: Wyverhide1
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 10:50
Jo Smith (
[email protected])
To:you
Dear Neil,
Thanks for your email, and for taking an interest in the work of the Trust.
The decision to remove the lock on the hide at Wyver Lane was taken as part of a wider programme of work to inspire more people to care about wildlife by making our reserves more welcoming to new audiences. *This programme, including this particular element of the programme, is whole heartedly supported by all the senior management team and our Board of Trustees.
Given the peril and pressure our wildlife currently faces we all feel it is essential that people become engaged in conservation and learn to care about, and protect, wildlife and wild places. *As David Attenborough said - no one will protect what they don't care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced. *
We want more people to experience the wonder of nature at Wyver Lane, from a hide where disturbance to wildlife is minimised, and therefore inspire more people to care about wildlife and help us protect it.
We know there are risks to opening the hide up, and we will monitor the situation carefully. We are also currently investigating whether it might be possible to lock the hide at night. We have many nature reserves with open access hides with very few problems. *Indeed the Wildlife Trust as a whole have a culture of open and free access, so that nature can be enjoyed by everyone.
Thanks again for your interest.
Kind regards,*
Jo
Dr. Jo Smith
CEO*
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
Defending Wildlife, Restoring Landscapes and Inspiring People
www.derbyshirewt.co.uk
Follow me on twitter @JoSmithDWT
Begin forwarded message:
From: Enquiries <
[email protected]>
Date: 25 September 2017 at 11:49:46 BST
To: Jo Smith <
[email protected]>
Cc:*
Subject: FW: Wyverhide1
*
From: Neil Hallam
Sent: 25 September 2017 11:40
To: Enquiries <
[email protected]>
Subject: Wyverhide1
*
To: Jo Smith, Chief Executive, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.
From: Neil Hallam; Derbyshire WT membership No – 49969:
Date: Sept 25/’17.
Subject: Wyver Lane hide.
*
Dear Jo Smith,
Like all the other users of the Wyver Lane hide to whom I have spoken recently I am extremely concerned about the Trust’s decision to remove the lock and make the facility open to all on a 24-hour basis.
I am among those who used the original hide prior to it being burned down by vandals and recall with a shudder the shocking conditions created at that time by leaving this facility unlocked.
The walls were covered in crude and explicit graffiti, a deterrent to the hide’s use for its intended purpose, and it was not uncommon to find used condoms in and around it.
The hide was also used by drug-takers who routinely littered the place with needles and drug paraphernalia while residents of Wyver Lane had to contend with the rowdy behaviour of kids who used it for under-age drinking sessions with a ghetto blaster at maximum volume.
Inevitably, the facility was also used as a toilet. Human excrement was smeared up one wall and the place stank of urine.
On several occasions there was evidence of fires being started in the hide and eventually it was destroyed by an arson attack.
These are not alarmist rumours. These are things I witnessed personally and can be verified by other WT members who regard the removal of the locks as ill-conceived and misguided.
In the light of this situation, I would be grateful if you could answer the following questions:
*
1 On what basis was it decided to remove the lock?
2 Who took the decision?
3 Is it now DWT policy to remove the locks from all its hides on all its reserves?
4 Who was consulted about the unlocking?
5 Were those who made the decision aware of the abuse of this facility when it was previously unlocked?
6 Why did the Trust not take up an offer from the Wyver Lane reserve’s most regular observer to lock the hide up each evening, thereby obviating its misuse at night?
7 Is there any truth in a rumour that this reserve is to be opened to public access, with an inevitable and entirely adverse impact on wildlife?
*
Yours sincerely,
Neil Hallam
*
Ps: It is proper that I tell you that I am a retired national newspaper journalist and that, dependent on the answers to the above questions, I may opt to place a story about the situation in the local news media. NH
*
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