DEAN GREEN TEAM Wildlife Conservation Group in the Forest of Dean Gloucestershire

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3 December 2020

Woorgreen Lake GWT Reserve

Grid Ref SO626127

Finally, the Dean Green Team are back in action with the Gloucester Wildlife Trust in the forest at Woorgreen GWT Reserve.

Two groups of 5 people were out in the very soggy weather and they arrived at different times and kept apart the whole time. Our GWT Ranger had organised things very well with two different start times. We were met at the first locked gate, got our vehicles though, then re-locked. Repeated at second gate, then drove past the site where the first group were parked and working in the woods. The block of the alder woodland, planted when the lake was created, was marked out at the corners with red tape.

 

We were invaded by the Highland Cattle, full of curiosity and hoping for tender leaves from the cut brash!

For 15 mins they did not budge, nearly trampling the fire and investigating our bags etc. while we kept clear.

Eventually, our Ranger chased them off. He had briefed us about this and we were told to be wary of the black ones.

First task in this very soggy, damp, and wet environment, and in the rain, was, with difficulty, to get a fire going. We also began to stack the cut logs into small wood piles for reptiles.

After about 45 mins we had, with difficulty, got a small fire going.

An important message for us and the public is not to tame the cattle or get closer than 10 metres, as any "incident" with one of them, will cause its immediate labelling as a "dangerous animal" and it would have to be put down.