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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pratincol" data-source="post: 3487599" data-attributes="member: 65801">Dan the man says'The thing is that wildlife almost always automatically loses to start with.  Occasionally you have to allow a compromise which restricts the rights of the humans to a degree. (It is also the case that the wildlife can't stand up for it's own rights, so some humans have to go and stand up for them against the other humans.)'A perfect example of this on Scout Scar,the SSSI I mentioned where the authorities kindly erected signs to keep dogs on leads[not just under comtrol] during the bird breeding season.Over the years more and more dog owners appeared with not just one dog but two or more.It was,over the years, being used more and more,as a dog walking area /dog toilet.After a while I noticed birds reducing in numbers.[ yes I realise there are other factors but this one, of dog disturbance, is potentially avoidable]They saw it as their right to walk unfettered so whilst they generally stuck to the paths the dogs would run off exploring the surrounding vegetation which round here is unique.It has been allowed to grow naturally with no sheep grazing allowed.When I asked the authorities to erect the dog lead notices they were gradually ripped off and even before that happened 99% of dog owners just ignored them.The dog owners do not want their rights restricted by having to hang on to a straining lead -it would spoil their walk.Knowing,too well, about the selfish gene and human nature, I foretold what would happen to the signs and  realised that the owners would just ignore them, but what else can we do and at least make an effort? One morning I heard an old man shouting 'Toby!','Toby!' looking for his  dog which he had lost in the dense vegetation.He had no idea where it was.He saw my bins and said,'Eh you don't see the birds you used to see up here years ago!' I thought to myself.'I wonder why!''Are you in favour of, for example, allowing unrestricted access by humans to tern nesting beach areas in the breeding season?'says dan the man.Well if you really care about birds and wildlife and not just yourself, there is no answer to that.I asked the warden at Foulney Tern reserve if he had any problems with the public disturbing the birds.He said they generally respected their requests and didn't just wander willy- nilly over the island  even if they had a right to do so.The Thirlmere fencing project was opposed by the right to roamers even though they would still have thousands of acres left to trample over.I would have thought some of them even might have some interest in wildlife and not just a selfish motivation to walk wherever they please.The area below was one of the worse affected by the floods.Water swept down the fells at a rate of knots.They are covered by very short sheep trampled grass.After the floods it was said that shrubs,trees , and other natural vegetation helps to reduce fast run-off and might help prevent overwhelming flooding.So even the right- to- roam -wherever- they like brigade would presumably still oppose fencing schemes,knowing this.Just to show you how bloody- minded these people are, walking up the fells east of Thirlmere is sheer torture and the gradients are thigh- killing.There is a dedicated diagonal path which in itself is steep but slightly less arduous.Nobody in their right mind would climb these slopes unless they used the gradient path- although you might if you are a masochist.So people generally don't just wander all over the fells here.North West Water wanted to stop SHEEP roaming here.By fencing some of it off the vegetation would grow back again and the spin- off would be the return of birds and wildlife.At the moment you are more likely to see more birds in your ASDA supermarket car park  going to buy a leg of lamb than you will see on these sheep-filled fells.Even so the right to roam bods objected, even if it was highly unlikely they would ever want to take up this privilege.Brilliant!There are some great examples locally where farmers have fenced off areas and planted native trees or allowed natural regrowth.In one case he was advised to do this after a great rush of water ran down the fell and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.You can still wander at will over miles of fells and enjoy the views in this valley.I don't see these fenced off areas and think,'How selfish doing that-they have restricted my rights to roam wherever I want to!'- and then clamber over the fence to enjoy my human rights.The breeding Whinchats love this newly fenced off area by the way.In the past two years I have seen newly fledged birds with their parents on the tree protection tubes ,the fences built around the individual trees and the boundary fence.Prior to the tree planting it was just rough open sheep grazing land.Incidentally there is a local valley where the land owner has done the same thing.Within the fenced off area I have found breeding Whinchat,Stonechat,Redpoll and a host of other birds.Before that it was sterile sheep grazing land.I would have been lucky to see a Meadow Pipit prior to that!</blockquote>

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