Legacy Habitat Christmas Grand Prix 2009

Friday 11th of December was the date for our Christmas party and the great Legacy Habitat Christmas Go-Karting Grand Prix 2009.
Last year's victor Martha Brown was looking nervous before the event, desperate to hold on to her title. Many others were there to try and ensure that she didn't.
This year's event was held at Raceway karting in Pontefract, Yorkshire, a change from last year's Sheffield venue.
After initial warm up rounds, it was in to the competition rounds and Martha was looking strong, winning her first 2 heats. Matt Dixon and I were also doing well. The 3rd heat proved to be the troublesome one for some due to a collision between Martha, Ian Henderson and I in which Martha claimed to have sustained an injury. I suspect her confidence was now waning and was looking to prepare an excuse.
The collision helped set the starting grid positions for the final which were to end up deciding the outcome of the competition. Matt in pole, me in 2nd and Martha in 3rd. Tensions were also building as those involved were out looking for the perpetrator of the collision.
Matt got off to a flying start with me chasing his tail all the way, but just could not overtake, fluffing a corner on the final lap made sure I stayed behind. Martha was struggling to keep up with the front markers, presumably having trouble with that 'injury', and battling it out with Ian for 3rd and 4th place.
The racing was over and it was time to hear the final results:
3rd place: Martha Brown
2nd place: ..... Matthew Dixon?
1st place: ..... Martyn Werner?
A very strange final placing, and a slightly hollow victory, I can only assume that Matt was somehow penalised for unsportsman-like conduct and causing general mayhem on the track. Anyway, the judge's decision was final and that was good enough for me ;-)
Rob Fratczak claimed the prize for the fastest lap overall, this remains undisputed.

Despite the argy-bargy, which was all part of the fun, a great afternoon was had by all. This was followed by a lovely meal at Zeugma back in Sheffield and all washed down with a pint or two in the local.

Merry Christmas to all our blog readers and wishing you all a prosperous year in 2010.

Course: Great Crested Newts, Licencing & Mitigation

Legacy Habitat Management Ltd are pleased to announce that they will be demonstrating great crested newt fencing installations at the Great Crested Newts, Licencing & Mitigation course run by Amphibian & Reptile Conservation in partnership with Golder Associates and the Field Studies Council.
This event will take place over 3 days from January 19th to 21st at Preston Montford Field Studies Centre.

Training will cover:

•  Project Planning
• An introduction to licence applications
• Completion of the Natural England Template for Method Statement to support application for licence in respect of great crested newts (Form WML-A14-2)
• Running a mitigation project
• Great crested newt fencing demonstration by Legacy Habitat Management Ltd
• Project management and completion
• Workshop using a local scenario

For further details of this course, please visit the ARC website or download a pdf course brochure.

Legacy Habitat Times - Autumn 2009

Our latest Legacy Habitat Times newsletter is now available for download from our news page, along with previous issues:
Click image below:

Providing recent news of our newt fencing, water vole fencing and other wildlife fencing activities. This issue also includes an article on ecology and the law, highlighting some of the issues raised when development impacts on European Protected Species.

New Tools Section on wildlifefencing.co.uk

wildlifefencing.co.uk now has a tools section for your wildlife fencing needs.
We aim to bring you quality fencing tools at competitive prices. Current product range is small but we are looking at expanding the range in the near future.
Please keep checking the site for new products.

Busy, busy, busy

Legacy Habitat Management contracting staff have been extremely busy on the ground installing newt fencing over the closing summer months. This time of year is often a very busy time for newt fencing work as the newt trapping window starts to close.

 
Great Crested Newt trapping can only take place whilst outside temperatures allow. If the temperature drops below 5°C, newts become immobile and cannot be trapped. This means the potential loss of a trapping days, which can in turn hold up any development projects. Developers are often therefore very keen to get any newt fencing projects, with associated trapping, out of the way before colder weather arrives and trapping cannot be completed, thus, possibly delaying a development project until the following spring.

Legacy Habitat Management are pulling out all the stops to meet your newt fencing requirements in these crucial months before the onset of winter.
We have recently carried out newt fencing projects at:

Longcliffe Quarry, Derbyshire
Ashton Vale, Bristol
Northstead Valley, Scarborough
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Sherringham Shoal, Norfolk
Wentloog, Cardiff

Remember that www.wildlifefencing.co.uk stocks pitfall traps, floats & mammal ladders for your Great Crested Newt trapping projects.

Legacy enters the minute newt fencing market

... or the mi-newt fencing market!
This rather clever piece of online software transforms photographs so that they appear to be taken using a photography technique called 'Tilt-shift':
http://tiltshiftmaker.com/
Proper tilt-shift photography requires the use of special lenses, that can be very expensive. This software, although possibly considered cheating, can produce some quite nice effects, and seems to work quite well with photographs of newt fencing, often not the most photogenic subject. The effect produces a very shallow depth of field and often makes the subject appear as though it were miniature.
See our examples below:




More information about tilt-shift photography can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt-shift_photography

The Caudon® Clip has arrived

This product has been designed specifically for use with our Caudon^® Semi-permanent Newt Fencing. Unlike our Permanent Newt Fencing which has the all important top fold permantently welded into the panels, our 1mm thick Semi-permanent newt fencing panels are manufactured as a flat panel with a scored groove along the top of the board to allow the installer to create a top fold with ease themselves.

The Caudon^® Semi-permanent Newt Fencing system provides a robust, flexible and economical newt fencing solution.

The Caudon^® Clip has been developed as a very simple, easy to install fitting to hold this top fold in position. Simply slide the clip onto the top fold portion of the newt fencing panel, fold down and screw the clip and the panel to the wooden supporting post in one process. This creates a very neat and durable top fold and eliminates those annoying gaps in the top fold where panels are joined.

The Caudon^® Clip is available exclusively from www.wildlifefencing.co.uk.

Polaris Challenge

Last weekend was a first for me, some kind of major undertaking, two days of mountain biking around the Peak picking up preorganised check points. Saturday was a seven hour course and Paul and I decided to go on an "Eastern Loop" starting from Bamford and working our way down to Haddon Hall via Houdskirk, Blacka Moor, Chatsworth etc, then back up to Bamford via Stoney. everything was going OK until I had a burst tyre wall which ultimately cost us time and points because we arrived back late.
Sunday was better, with new tyres and a different route and only five hours to play with we opted for a route through the White Peak going as far south as Tideswell, across to Chapel and up on to Rushop Edge and Mam Tor.
For the first one of these that I've done we did OK finishing a respectable 57th, 155km covered!
We've got a bit to learn tho as the winner Steve Heading had more than double our points tally.
Great thing to do as we got to visit and link up loads of bits of the Peak I had never walked or ridden + I realised just how much of the area I had worked in over the years.
Great views, great weather well organised event. Looking forward to the next one.
click here to view photos from the event

Using Blackberry as Modem for Laptop

Often working out on site and away from the office it is sometimes necessary to have access to the internet. We can pick up emails via our Blackberry 8310 devices but sometimes need to look at web pages or email attachments in more detail, which can only be done on a decent sized screen.
Our accomodation when we are away often has wireless internet access but this can't always be relied on.
The Blackberry 8310, along with some other models has an in built data-modem that, in theory can achieve download speeds of 115.2kbps, not bad considering we used to all put up with dial-up speeds of 56kbps. Connection speed is very dependent on signal strength.

The following link explains how to set up your laptop so that it can use a Blackberry device as a tethered modem.

HOWTO: BlackBerry As Modem For Laptop

One of the issues that I have found with doing this, is that the USB cable connection into the Blackberry can be very temperamental. Any slight movement of the Blackberry or cable can cause a drop in connection. This seems to be a common complaint and not just my device. The only real solution to this, is to make sure that you position the device on a firm surface where it won't have to be moved,... not always possible when in remote areas and are having to stand on one leg and wave the phone about at the window to get a signal.

Legacy Habitat Times - Latest Newsletter

Our latest Legacy Habitat Times newsletter is now available for download from our news page, along with previous issues:
Click image below:



Providing recent news of our newt fencing, water vole fencing and other wildlife fencing activities.

Unimog Maintenance

Its maintenance time again...
"Unimogs are great bits of kit,... if you look after them."
A phrase we have heard many times since taking delivery of our U1600 Mercedes Unimog from Atkinson VOS Ltd.
As with any vehicle of 25 years there is always going to be some issues to address.
Ours had started producing some smoke from the exhaust after working particularly hard on a water vole fencing job in Essex. There was also a fairly strong smell of partially burnt diesel. This called for some examination of the big block of iron at the heart of the beast... the 6 litre, 6 cylinder engine.

First of all, we had to raise the cab to give all-round access to the power unit. Unimogs do have a removeable bonnet and front grill but this only gives partial access to the engine.
On examination we discovered that our Unimog didn't have the necessary hydraulic, hand-pumped ram fitted to raise the cab so we had to use an arrangement of lifting gear and lifting straps to do this job. Suprisingly few pipes, cables and other services required disconnecting before raising the cab. Only the air intake pipe from the air filter, and a couple of heater hoses.

With the cab raised it was possible to get clear access to the top of the engine. We employed our local mechanic, Ryan from 'The Garage' to do the engine work for us. Rocker cover was removed and diesel injectors prised out of the block. These were sent away for testing. Diesel injectors should produce a nice uniform spray pattern, testing showed ours to produce more of a dribble. This clearly explains the smell of partialy burnt diesel and reduced engine performance. New diesel injectors were fitted and diesel filters replaced to help protect these new injectors.

Lowering the cab was more tricky than lifting. First of all we had to ensure that the splined steering column shaft lined up with its other half (The steering column separates when lifting the cab). It was then a case of very gently lowering the cab to its mountings whilst a collegue checked that no wires, pipes, fingers or other bits n bobs were going to be trapped when the cab came to rest.

Once the cab was back sitting on its mountings, the 4 securing bolts on the floor pan, inside the cab, could be put back in place. 3 of the bolts went in ok but one could not be located due to a very slight misalignment of the cab. The cab must have twisted very slightly on its pivot points when lifting. With 3 of the bolts in place, we started the engine and drove a short distance to allow the vibration to seat that cab correctly, enabling the 4th bolt to be fixed.

Rhododendron Control

Year 4 at Shorne Wood Country Park (Kent County Council) rhododendron control. With one more winter period of removal to complete, things are looking good. Brewers Wood was year one clearance and I was starting to wonder whether we'd ever get on top of regrowth, but this weeks' follow up has been a revelation. There is now very little regrowth from remnant stumps and no signs of seedling regen. Birch, sweet chestnut, ash and oak seedlings abound as well as vigourous ground cover like bramble and bracken.

The woodland rides have been opened up and the entire woodland floor is much lighter with large flushes of bluebell. By year seven all five clerance areas should be rhodi free!
The organic grazing compartment cannot be sprayed and so a five tonne 360 is being used to grub out remnant stumps around the stands of birch and wind blown chestnuts; victims of the 1987 storm.

Caterpillar Skidsteer Track Replacement & Maintenance

Legacy Habitat Management recently undertook some major overhauling of the running gear on their workhorse Caterpillar Skidsteer 277B. Since owning this machine it has put in many hours hard labour resulting the need to replace the much worn rubber tracks. We decided to undertake this work ourselves and ordered the necessary tracks from Finning (UK) Ltd.

We also had to purchase the appropriate track tensioning tool from Finning as this was missing from our machine.

First process was to jack up the Cat 277B Skidsteer so that each track was clear of the ground by at least 3 inches. The lifting was done with 2 trolley jacks allowing the machine to come to rest on 4 x 2 tonne axle stands, one at each corner of the floor pan.

Tension was released from the track by undoing the bolts on the tensioning wheel. The track tensioning tool was then used to crank the drive sprocket unit forward to give more slack to the rubber track. All bolts holding these units in place had to be soaked in penetrating oil prior before they could be shifted and some had to be grinded off, to be replaced later.

The drive sprocket was then removed to allow for complete removal of the track. Some careful, but forceful ‘crowbaring ‘ was still required to remove the track fully, pulling the track over the front idler set first.

If undertaking these works yourself, be prepared to have a can of worms opened for you at this point. We discovered worn bogie/idler wheel bearings, bogie hubs, which were supposed to be full of hub oil, completely dry and empty, and perished wheel rubber. All of these issues needed addressing before replacing the tracks, we’re hoping not to have these tracks off again for some time, if ever. Make sure you have the means to remove a 5/16” grub screw from the hubs for oiling, a normal allen key may not be suitable, we snapped a few in the process, they are very tight.

After completion of oiling all the hubs and replacing necessary parts it was time to wrestle with the new tracks. Lifting gear is required to move them in to place. Bogie wheel rubbers and the insides of the tracks were coated in washing up liquid to ease the installation of the new tracks. Tracks where lined up alongside running gear and levered into place using crowbars as ‘tyre levers’, locating the track over the front idler wheels first.

After levering the rest of the track in to place, no mean feat, the drive sprocket was reassembled and unit cranked back in to place using the tensioning tool. A number of bolts that had to be ground off for removal were replaced, tracks could then be re-tensioned, we were then good to go............ not quite, next on the list, a leaky water-pump, but that’s another story......

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Low Impact Newt Fencing

Legacy Habitat Management has recently carried out newt fencing works on part of the gas pipeline project for West Burton Power Station. Due to the sensitive nature of ground conditions and top- soil structure in some places, newt fencing had to be installed with as little ground disturbance as possible.

Newt fencing installation methods usually require cutting a trench much wider than the fencing material itself, inserting the fencing and then backfilling the remainder of the trench. This creates unnecessary soil disturbance due to the extra width of the excavated trench.

Legacy Habitat Management has developed an installation system that only requires making a very narrow slot through the top soil in which the newt fence is tightly fitted. This reduces ground disturbance and produces very little spoil, also reducing the need for time consuming back filling. Back filling, can often be the cause of weak points in a newt fence.

Minimal ground disturbance along the fence line can been seen in the above photo of a freshly installed newt fence.

Water Vole Fencing

Legacy Habitat Management recently installed 800m of it's water vole fencing system around two ditches for EDF at West Burton Power Station.
The first ditch had to be cleared of its water vole population to allow extension of the ash tip and a newly profiled receptor ditch was fenced and protected with rabbit fencing.
Rigorous standards were required by the client both for the water vole fencing and the H&S systems and proceedures.

wildlifefencing.co.uk stocks "Wildlife Fencing Design Guide"

The Wildlife Fencing Design Guide (C646) is an indispensable guide for anyone working in the wildlife fencing sector.
Produced in conjunction with the Highways Agency it provides specifications and construction details for all types of fencing used to control wildlife.
The guide covers topics such as Roadside Fencing, Developing a Wildlife Fencing Strategy, Fencing Fundamentals, Fence Construction, and Wildlife Fencing Specifications for Badger Fencing, Amphibian Fencing/Reptile Fencing, Rabbit Fencing, Otter Fencing, plus more.

To purchase your copy or view further details, visit www.wildlifefencing.co.uk

Welcome to Legacy Habitat Blog

Legacy Habitat Blog has been created to keep you updated on news and recent activities relating to Legacy Habitat Management Ltd.
Legacy Habitat Management are one of the UK's leading contractors for wildlife fencing (Great Crested Newt Fencing, Amphibian Fencing, Badger Fencing, Otter Fencing, Water Vole Fencing, Rabbit Fencing, Stock Fencing), Protected Species, Mitigation Works, Invasive Species Control and Conservation Management.
Please visit our website for further details: www.legacy-habitat.co.uk
We also supply wildlife fencing materials, including our very succesful newt fencing systems, via our e-commerce website: www.wildlifefencing.co.uk