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Swanage Folk Festival continued
By Sunday morning around a quarter of the traders had pulled out because of the windy conditions. All the ones near the sea had gone - they had the worst of the wind. We were able to move into a slot vacated by a trader pulling out on the less windy side of the site, so we were better off than yesterday. It was still pretty cold and windy, but at least it wasn't raining.
Hit a couple of my pet hates today. People with issues. They inevitably have no interest in anything to do with the Wildlife Trusts, they just want to sound off about something and you happen to be the nearest available target.
Today, was unusual, I got lambasted by both the hunting lobby and the anti-hunting lobby...
The Trusts are totally neutral when it comes to hunting and there are times when you can see why. You can waste and awful lot of time and money that can far better be spent on managing reserves to make them better for all wildlife. (we don't allow hunting on our reserves - quite apart from any pro/anti hunting sentiment that's because we have members of the public going round them with families and young children. There's a safety consideration.)
I'm not going to quote my own stance on the issue, mainly because I don't want to convey an inaccurate impression of the Trusts' position. We have both pros and antis among our members and we just set the issue aside and get on with other things. We don't go in for fanaticism in either direction.
I also got pounced on by someone complaining about trees being felled on a particular reserve. I get this one quite often. It doesn't happen to be one of our reserves, but that doesn't stop people complaining to me about it.
I know the reserve in question and I can see both sides of the debate. The area was originally heathland and in the Victorian era it got planted with pine - as did a lot of Dorset heathland. We now have only fragments of the heath left - it's a highly endangered habitat which is home to some very rare species of plants, birds and reptiles. That's why the charity in question is clearing the pines, to restore the original habitat and protect the species.
However, people who live nearby like the trees. I mean, who wouldn't? Mature pine trees can be very attractive.
So, I can see both sides, but I still get royally pissed off by people who want to hold me personally responsible for something being done by a charity that isn't even the one I'm associated with. And I have to be polite to them.
One wonders if these same people bothered to turn up to the planning enquiry when the tree-felling was originally discussed. Some people who complain are at least trying to act themselves, but I have noticed that some of the loudmouths always expect someone else to take action and get really cross when you suggest that they take action themselves. (I noticed that today's one had no apparant urge to write to the charity that he was objecting so loudly about. I wonder if he even knew which one it was! I told him, but I'm not sure it sank in.)
But on the plus side, I spoke to a nice lady who had also seen water voles in Swanage (which is where I saw my only one to date).
Hit a couple of my pet hates today. People with issues. They inevitably have no interest in anything to do with the Wildlife Trusts, they just want to sound off about something and you happen to be the nearest available target.
Today, was unusual, I got lambasted by both the hunting lobby and the anti-hunting lobby...
The Trusts are totally neutral when it comes to hunting and there are times when you can see why. You can waste and awful lot of time and money that can far better be spent on managing reserves to make them better for all wildlife. (we don't allow hunting on our reserves - quite apart from any pro/anti hunting sentiment that's because we have members of the public going round them with families and young children. There's a safety consideration.)
I'm not going to quote my own stance on the issue, mainly because I don't want to convey an inaccurate impression of the Trusts' position. We have both pros and antis among our members and we just set the issue aside and get on with other things. We don't go in for fanaticism in either direction.
I also got pounced on by someone complaining about trees being felled on a particular reserve. I get this one quite often. It doesn't happen to be one of our reserves, but that doesn't stop people complaining to me about it.
I know the reserve in question and I can see both sides of the debate. The area was originally heathland and in the Victorian era it got planted with pine - as did a lot of Dorset heathland. We now have only fragments of the heath left - it's a highly endangered habitat which is home to some very rare species of plants, birds and reptiles. That's why the charity in question is clearing the pines, to restore the original habitat and protect the species.
However, people who live nearby like the trees. I mean, who wouldn't? Mature pine trees can be very attractive.
So, I can see both sides, but I still get royally pissed off by people who want to hold me personally responsible for something being done by a charity that isn't even the one I'm associated with. And I have to be polite to them.
One wonders if these same people bothered to turn up to the planning enquiry when the tree-felling was originally discussed. Some people who complain are at least trying to act themselves, but I have noticed that some of the loudmouths always expect someone else to take action and get really cross when you suggest that they take action themselves. (I noticed that today's one had no apparant urge to write to the charity that he was objecting so loudly about. I wonder if he even knew which one it was! I told him, but I'm not sure it sank in.)
But on the plus side, I spoke to a nice lady who had also seen water voles in Swanage (which is where I saw my only one to date).
no subject
I've never really thought much about hunting.