We have a ‘planting and plugging’ day at the pond enclosure at the Winton/Bidwell corner of Albert Recreation Ground on Saturday 22nd April, 11am - 3pm.
The pond was jointly planned by The Conservation Volunteers, (TCV) and Haringey Council back in 2012, work was organised by Froglife and carried out by Ponds UK in August 2016. Unfortunately, due to holidays, key officers on long term sick leave, very poor communication and the natural lack of growth over winter the pond enclosure remained neglected, looking like a muddy ditch surrounded by mounds of earth.
With the spring some wild flowers and grass has grown but we need to plant more and weed out what shouldn’t be there. The pond appears to have a leak. We are letting the water level drop and Alan Shearman from Froglife has arranged for the delivery of Bentonite clay to spread on the exposed area which will plug any gap when we will refill it on the same day, 22nd April. We will also be planting lily pads, oxygenating plant 'bombs', water mint etc and wild flower and grasses for the seating mounds.
Please bring along your garden tools (marked with your address), your wellies, your energy & enthusiasm! Alan will be providing information packs and education on the types of reptiles, bees, butterflies & birds that we are trying to attract.
The next stage is making sure that people know this area is open for young & old (but no dogs) and the grass and mounds are for sitting on – it’s an area for play and picnics. Later on we will also be planting hedges and native fruit trees to make it into a wildlife area.
We have a very small park on our doorstep & we are aiming to use every spare inch to maximise its use.
Do come along on the 22nd if you have the time or inclination.
And let us know that you are coming so we have enough information packs for everyone.
Comments
Sounds a lovely pond. I'll check out your point about transferring tadpoles.
The pond has now been filled with water and I'm hopeful that the project is getting back on track. Will update asap.
Katy
The latest update on the Frog pond fiasco is that Robby and the Haringey Parks people have filled the pond with water today. Tadpoles have moved in and are staging a sit in. Let's show the complainant that we value wildlife and bio-diversity by coming along to the planting session on April 22nd . Please bring frogspawn if you have any spare in your pond.
Albert Road Rec extends a warm welcome to all amphibians !
It seems not everyone is keen to promote biodiversity and wildlife habitats in our park. Apparently a resident has complained about the state of the pond to Froglife who have now decided to fill it in. This is very sad as we had a planting and maintenance day planned for April 22nd with local residents keen to help. The Conservation Volunteers had also offered to assist in developing a healthy pond. It's unfortunate that such a promising project is now likely to be abandoned. While the pond area may look unfinished at present with a bit of local input it could have become a valuable asset to the park.
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