Perhaps the flooding was a blessing for us in terms that we have been used to the shut down for several months and it's merely a continuation, so strangely the current crisis in our world is but another eye roll. Much like the flooding the situation as for everyone has been changing daily and we've been trying to react to that so my apologies I haven't been able to update in the interim; To guide you through our thought process in coming to this decision;
Tree damage - whilst some of the work has been rectified much is yet to be touched. Even last week we found a tree creating a magic carpet as it's root plate lifted up and down just yards from the reception hide. Our contractors racing to clear up damage across the region and facing their own staff challenges have yet to be able to rectify the many issues around site.
Operational works - the Water Treatment Works are currently undertaking clearance work at the lagoon sluices to meet water quality standards and catch up from the flooding shut down. This work could damage or compromise the boardwalks and paths in that area.
Staffing - most of our reserve staff and volunteers have self isolated as some have experienced symptoms or are in vulnerable groups. We are unsure of our ability to monitor or react to any hazards raised in opening the site or in the work above. The reserve is not a simple site it has many structures, hides, bridges etc and we need to ensure they are in a safe order. Much has not yet been inspected since the flood closure as we have been fighting to complete essential habitat work for breeding season and not looked at 'human stuff.'
Buildings - we knew from the off that we would have to close the reception hide (all School visits were suspended last week for the foreseeable future), toilets and wardens base. With no facilities we do have to think of our residential neighbours and water quality.
Hides - of much debate we have come to the conclusion that we can't open them. Some like the Izzard and North Marsh hide would be undoubted clusters and against all government advice. Closing individual ones just moves the pressure elsewhere. We considered leaving the hides locked. However we know people would then just look around the edges or over walls - again in clusters most often. We then need to factor in the wildlife - we know we have scheduled species interested in the site and we can't risk disturbing these or the SSSI's. Excitingly the site is really wild and nature has reclaimed it. As Warden, especially as a marsh harrier passed low above me whilst adjusting the sluices last night, I don't feel it right for the wildlife to have to go from zero disturbance for 4 months to people crashing around trying to see through undergrowth and around hides causing more disturbance than normal operation. I'm sure all our Tophill regulars would agree that the wildlife comes first above our curiosity. I'm also minded that many of our regulars at Tophill Low are self-isolated as they are in the 70+ age category or vulnerable. Is it fair that a minority have free reign to potentially cause havoc on a semi-open site whilst the majority can't enjoy it?
General shut down - We have all seen what's happened in southern Europe. It seems inappropriate to be taking down closure notices and re-opening etc when realistically we know what's coming. We were already shut and are simply staying so.
Membership - in line with most landowners and charitable organisations we wouldn't be charging for access were we to have opened at this time. We'd already decided the whole annual membership and ticketing process would just be an uneccesary contact and risk for staff and volunteers at the beginning of the week. Please do not send any further membership forms in. We don't know when or how we'll be running a membership system next. For those whom have already posted memberships - our great thanks. We will be returning them uncashed so everyone knows where they stand and like everyone we hope to get to some normality soon.
Whilst we agonised over this decision last night fair play to Pete Short and his Blacktoft Sands team whom have come to exactly the same conclusion here
A big open landscape reserve - or one of our excellent Yorkshire Water Reservoir walks on other sites are good way to get fresh air, exercise and escapism with minimal people interaction - have a look here for some of our other exellent venues. Unfortunately Tophill like Blacktoft is too intimate and concentrated - normally a great thing for visitors but not now.
It is possilble we will re-evaluate this decision as the season progresses depending on government guidance. Unfortunately again the photography exhibition is postponed. Hang on to your entries - We'll aim to run one with both years at Christmas. Currently all events are cancelled until the June 14th Open Day. We'll see what the guidance on this is nearer the time.
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So as an update; Amy is currently prepping a round up to post in coming days of some of the great Trail Cam footage from this winter.
In the brief few days between crisis's we managed to get a few volunteers together to finish the fox fence under controls and risk assessments given we were still undergoing flood repairs. Now's a good time to skip back through the blog; but basically since 2016 /17 the fox caused havoc on the south marsh. For 2018 we installed the 6 foot high, buried and electrified fence around the landward sides of the marsh. Although we ran out of time to complete it the horse shoe succesfully protected the marsh that year and we got great breeding success and we looked forward to bettering it in 2019.
Alas in 2019 the fox went to the trouble of walking 1/2 a mile around the river bank, pushing through the shelter belt, over an 8 foot deep trench with the consistency of quick sand and then several hundred yards of fen swamp to then swim out to the islands through the unfenced side. Full marks for application but it made for a disappointing year with prospecting marsh harrier and garganey all disappearing and at best a few ducklings reared.
We started trying to close the rear edge of the marsh in September. Conditions are terrible with thick mud and hundreds of yards to traverse to get materials and tools to the work site. In the words of our volunteer Mike "I've spent 50 years putting thousands of yards of fencing in and this is the most difficult." We abandoned in October because of the heavy rain compounding misery - assuming it'd fair up the next week - which turned out to be mid March.
Massive credit to the team whom put in several extra shifts to complete this over recent days:
Unfortunately not long after we started losing people to self isolation and eventually our risk assessment meant that all volunteering and group work was suspended. Amy and I pressed on and managed to get the last bits of wire up in a fashion so it was totally enclosed:
By yesterday we were down to just me. Tophill can be an eerie place alone and to give you all something to look forward to marsh harriers, shelduck, oystercatchers, grey wagtails, kingsfisher, barn owls abound all over. Worrying that we may not be able to get back any time soon my priority was getting the electric fence turned on before I left the reserve to go back to nature. Steven Spielberg recorded this tribute to my efforts with Laura Dern playing myself and our resident tech expert Brian Mulvana played by Richard Attenborough:
As the sunset last night I was pleased to ape the above in our slightly less dramatic manner:
Marsh secured for breeding season I then climbed in to my helicopter and gazed whistfully at the site as we let nature take its course:
We hope to see you very soon in our sequel 'the Lost World'... Its not quite a T Rex - but this greylag nest and its promise of new life this season seems very welcome this year. As I left the parents returned to it safely inside their 10,000 volt compound. Stay safe too!
