Will Fry on The Fens

Will Fry's Changing Places Substack had a recent post on The Fens: the location for King's Ely. It explored the way that places are represented in order to justify colonising or changing them.

e.g.

William Camden’s Britannia (the Lonely Planet guide of its day), written in 1586, depicted the Fen-dwellers as “a kind of people according to the nature of the place where they dwell: rude, uncivil and envious to all others”. This is an early example of the idea that the nature and character of a place can shape the people in it.

It refers to James Boyce's excellent book 'Imperial Mud' which looks at the landscape of the Fens.

Norman Ackroyd RIP

I was sorry to hear this evening of the passing of Norman Ackroyd on Monday: one of our very greatest landscape artists.

He was a remarkable printmaker and artist. He shared the laborious process of making his etchings in several documentaries.

Listen to this programme with Robert MacFarlane.

RIP the great artist Norman Ackroyd (1938-16.09.24): etcher-magician who conjured weather & light from metal & acid; his work constitutes one of the great visual records of this archipelago’s edges.
We travelled together—& I made this programme with him: https://t.co/Y5licHxpcP pic.twitter.com/8bQDR95Fph

— Robert Macfarlane (@RobGMacfarlane) September 18, 2024

Here's the first part of a documentary on his method featuring some of his art...

AONBs are now called National Landscapes

From today, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are now called 'National Landscapes'. This is another change which will impact on many printed resources / textbooks / websites and resources that are under construction which focus on landscape management.

This site has a nice interactive map of the 46 areas but currently has the old name.

Check the website for more details.

Welcome to National Landscapes – a new chapter in the story of designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in England and Wales. Find out more at https://t.co/LZpHYAkvmq 1/5 pic.twitter.com/j4XIkjV0v5

— National Landscapes Association (@NatLandAssoc) November 22, 2023

Some nice graphics on the Twitter feed - check the thread today to kick start the new association and name. 

From the site:

The new name reflects their national importance: the vital contribution they make to protect the nation from the threats of climate change, nature depletion and the wellbeing crisis, whilst also creating greater understanding and awareness for the work that they do.

This is a significant milestone for the UK and the next step in fully realising the National Landscapes’ vision to be the leading exemplars of how thriving, diverse communities can work with and for nature in the UK: restoring ecosystems, providing food, storing carbon to mitigate the effects of climate change, safeguarding against drought and flooding, whilst also nurturing people’s health and wellbeing.

National Landscapes teams have been at the forefront of delivering natural solutions to the main challenges facing the nation for many years. The new brand underscores their commitment to redoubling their efforts and engaging with a wider audience. In 2019, teams set themselves the most ambitious targets for nature in the sector and continue to work to meet them.

By 2030, National Landscapes aim that, within their boundaries: at least 200,000 hectares of the most valuable natural areas (Sites of Special Scientific Interest or SSSIs), which equates to 1 ¼ times the size of London, will be in favourable condition; 100,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside of SSSIs will be created or restored, which is roughly nine times the size of Manchester; and 36,000 hectares of woodland, which is a little smaller than the Isle of Wight, will have been planted or allowed to regenerate. National Landscapes Partnerships will also focus on habitat restoration to ensure the protection of some of our most endangered species and increase their work to help more people to enjoy time spent in beautiful places.

There is a list of all the new National Landscapes on the website. This can be viewed as a list or a map.

As I thought, when looking at the graphics, each National Landscape has been given a new visual identity / logo.

I will be spending part of my Christmas holidays in the Norfolk Coast National Landscape.

I can see an activity where a list of the areas is shown and students have to identify the appropriate logo - it takes quite a bit of knowledge of the landscape and local wildlife to identify some of them...

Project Godwit

Every day on the way to work in Ely, I pass the turning to Welney Wetland Centre.

This is operated by the Wildfowl and Wetland Trusts, and is famous for its floodlit swan feeding sessions, amongst other things. They are currently involved in Project Godwit: a five-year EU Life funded project that is aiming to secure the future of breeding black-tailed godwits in the UK through habitat management, research, supplementing the population through headstarting, and engaging local communities. 

Project Godwit is a partnership between RSPB and WWT with major funding from the EU LIFE Nature Programme, the HSBC 150th Anniversary fund, Natural England, the Heritage Lottery Fund, through the Back from the Brink Programme, and Leica UK.

The project aims to secure the future of black-tailed godwits in the Fens.

 

www.projectgodwit.org.uk

The project has already created a series of educational resources for KS1 and 2 students, which cover quite a few subjects including Geography. They can be viewed here.

They will be perfect for our Year 4 unit on The Fens.

Always on the look out...

..for drone filming in and around Ely to see the city in a different way.
This is excellent

Ernest Journal

We're big fans of Ernest Journal. A crowd funding campaign to find the 10th issue has been launched.
Details here.

Landscape Paintings

A View of Mousehole by Harold Harvey 1922 (Private Collection). Cornwall. pic.twitter.com/t31wmOx84n

— Dr Liv Gibbs (@DrLivGibbs) January 30, 2020