Countryside Stewardship
Firstly, we are very grateful to DEFRA and its staff.
The Commons and its wildlife have a secure future thanks to their commitment. Secondly the Staff of The Countryside Management Service, a department of Herts County Council who work with DEFRA bringing wildlife management and enhancement to farmland throughout our county.
Last, but not least the people on the ground, all the volunteers that have worked at The Commons. A special thanks to The Wednesday Group of CMS volunteers who have contributed over 8000 hrs of their time to the Commons.
The Commons Local Nature Reserve entered the Entry Level Scheme of Countryside Stewardship with agreement with DEFRA on 1st October 2004. A new management plan was written for the first 5 years of a ten year wildlife enhancing programme that would give the reserve stability and sound financial backing through annual payments to complete the proposed works.
All of the habitats within the reserve, except woodland are included within the annual management plan; annual payments are received for grazing areas of grassland and fen plus the sowing of the arable sacrificial crop each spring on Windmill Hill.
The long term plan over 10 years is the real opportunity to provide for wildlife. A programme of hedge planting and laying of existing boundary hedges in each of the ten winters; it will see three kilometres of hedges in management by the end of the period.
The North Fen was part of an area of woodland when it was part of The Panshanger Estate in 1898 and some of the old pollard trees can still be seen within the woodland scrub of this area. Stewardship has covered the cost of managing the remaining live ones and for the creation of seventy new ones throughout the reserve, a good example of these are the row of oaks on your left on entering Windmill Hill as you cross the bridge from Howlands Meadow and walk up the slope.
The installations of stock fencing, water troughs and field gates have all been part of the ten year plan. It has enabled us to manage areas with the sheep which where once time consuming when they were cut and cleared by hand.
The arable and grassland area of Windmill Hill has changed dramatically over the first 5 years. Creation of 200 metres of Beetle Banks, the sowing of one hectare of pollen nectar mix grassland and planting of 800 metres of new hedgerows is already benefiting scarce farmland birds and mammals.
Three ponds will have been created by the end of the agreement in 2014. One was paid for in the plan and two extra ones have been created with surplus funds. Another addition is the hard surface track leading from the gate opposite Eastmead between the church and school leading to the top of Windmill Hill. This has been invaluable in getting the heavy ploughing equipment through the reserve.
The reason for this extra creation of habitat and infrastructure that was not included in the original plan is that the majority of the work has been carried out by volunteers and labour costs have been kept to a minimum.