8th June: Permit still not reactivated
Unfortunately we are still awaiting a reply from Forestry England to our request to have our permit to resume normal Club Activity at Setley Pond, we have contacted them again today and hopefully will receive a reply this week. Please be patient. We are sure that we will be meeting again very soon, all be it with new safety procedures for members to follow. These have been drafted for both sections of the club and submitted to with our permit activation request. Unfortunately the lack of respect shown by visitors from the general public over the past few weeks have caused numerous problems in the National Park, which I believe is possibly delaying permission in letting us resume our activity at Setley; a major area for ground nesting birds and other vulnerable natural resources.
I will post another update when I have more news.
David .
Extract from Latest update from the National Park Authority for your interest:
Respect and care for the New Forest
New Forest organisations are working together to keep people and the Forest safe with a simple New Forest code.
This beautiful area needs protecting, and we’d like to thank the vast majority of people who are respecting the National Park. Sadly, over the past few days we and our partners have had to deal with numerous incidents involving BBQs, fires, people feeding and petting ponies, and inconsiderate parking.
Wildlife has been compromised by litter left in the Forest, and people have been putting lives at risk by swimming in rivers and ponds where it’s unsafe to do so.Call for ban on disposable BBQ’s
We’re calling on retailers across the Forest to remove disposable barbecues from sale and for a continued ban on fires and barbecues in the open countryside of the National Park.
The move follows large numbers of disposable barbecues being used while the New Forest is at extreme risk of fire. Multiple fires have had to be put out in recent weeks and numerous areas of scorched earth have been left across the protected habitats when a fire warning is still in place.A haven for dragonflies
Southern Hawker…Beautiful Damoiselle….Broad-bodied chaser. These are just some of the wonderful dragonflies and damselflies we’re lucky to have here in the New Forest.
With clean streams, more wet bogs than anywhere else in north-west Europe and many ponds, the New Forest is a particularly important place for these delicate creatures.Save our foals
The New Forest pony is a valued rare breed, and every one matters. At this time of year, when there are foals born on the Forest, there’s also a spike in accidents.
Skittish foals have even less road sense than older ponies and are very unpredictable. They often run in circles near their mothers, making them more likely to be involved in an accident.
Please help livestock by slowing down, especially at dusk which is the peak time for crashes, and spread the word on social media using the hashtag #SaveOurFoals
