RAUK - Archived Forum - Posts by Katia Bresso:

Dear All,

I have come accross a GCN survey report where they described a farm pond as being hyper-eutrophic and consequently unsuitable for amphibians owing to farm-yard effluent discharge. They therefore only did 1 night bottle trapping and 1 torchlight survey. I went on site and to me, it looks like ideal GCN pond. Could you please let me know if/where I can find info on effluent pollution and absence of GCN? My gut feeling is that more surveys should be done. I would be interested to know what you think. Cheers

Thanks for your comments.

The single bottle trapping and the single torch survey were done in May 2003. The pond is not directly affected but is present within 100m of the proposed development. There is another larger pond further away from the scheme but this one has not been surveyed at all (outside 250m I think). Also there are some ditches, some where surveyed but others were said to be too dry or too overgrown to bottle trap so they were only torched. GCNs are however known to be present within 1km (if not closer, can't remember how close) but on the other side of a very busy road and busy railway line.

There were no details of the pollution incident or whether it was an on-going problem but the pond looks ideal when I saw it although I did not probe the sediment to check whether polluted or not. I think I'll follow my instinct and Lee's advice and will get it surveyed once more in 06.

Regards

Hi everyone,

I am going to carry out a GCN survey on a pond which has been contaminated by a domestic heating oil spill back in summer 05. Decontamination works are required (emptying pond, dredging and scrapping banks). If GCN are present, I reckon we need an EN conservation licence to carry the works out rather than a DEFRA licence although I am not quite sure: EN's advice is that conservation licences are issued to protect a population which is under threat because of natural degradation. But oil spill can hardly be considered as a 'natural' degradation... or can it? when you think about it, what about ponds being restored in order to get rid of invasive species such as crassula? I know some are done under conservation licences and crassula is not quite a 'natural' occurence.

any thoughts welcome!!

cheers

katia

http://www.kbecology.co.uk/

a new TV series about wildlife is looking for good deeds to do: a bit like changing rooms or scraphead challenge but for wildlife apparently. So far they have built an otter holt along with fence installation etc.

So may be RAUK members have got some ideas  but no funds so they could perhaps help.

You can contact them on 02070134357 or marie.gallagher@rdfmedia.com

I got  a letter by EN about this (they sent it to me while sending me a conservation licence). I have asked the forum administrator to load the letter as I couldn't

hope this helps

katia

Just for an update: I have now and been granted an EN conservation licence to undertake the decontamination works (under watching brief after netting).

Katia

http://www.kbecology.co.uk/

HI everyone,

One of two ponds which have been built as part of a DEFRA licence 2 years ago has now sticklebacks in it and no GCN or other amphibians (when the other pond has common toads breeding and a few GCN and smooth newts, and the ponds are only 25m away from each other). I blame the ducks as I saw some using the pond and I can't think of any other way how the fish could have got in.

Anyway, I need to get rid of them and am thinking of electrofishing. The pond is 10m by 5m and up to 1.3m deep. Anybody has experience of this technique? Any contractors to recommend (it's in Kent).

-I must say there is also an algae problem (more or less in both ponds but more in the pond with the fish) which I am planning to sort out with good old barley straw bales.-

Thanks for your help in advance

Thanks a lot for this info.

I had thought about draining but it is not very practical for this site but I think this will be the way as teh use of rotanone is not possible still: Froglife had been granted a special licence to use this product for the trial they carried out in 2006.

Thanks a lot for your advice

Just a question, for the 'factor 2: pond area', the graph stops at ponds of 2,000m2. But what do you do when your pond is much larger? do you use the last graph reading of 0.8? what do people do please?

thanks

Does anyone has good reliable information about usage of arable land (in use, cabbage crop I think) by GCNs during hibernation.

Basically, I am wondering whether undertaking pile driving work and some trenching would be acceptable within arable land, without a licence, during the hibernation season. GCNs are known to be present in a pond within 100m. it's in Kent

thanks in advance

Thanks Ben.

Sorry, I should have been more specific: I am actually talking about actively cultivated arable land, without anything else but crops (not including grass strips or other associated features).

I am sure GCNs will be travelling through the land and even foraging at times but I am wondering about the actual strict hibernation season (Nov to Jan only, when no newt movement as per guidelines _ I know, there are always exceptions to this 'rule'...).

I am expecting that newts will not be hibernating within the actively cultivated arable cropped areas as there is no dense vegetation, fissures, leaf litter, tree roots, mammal burrows, deadwood or rubble piles for them to keep away from frost or flooding.

But this is quite a statement and I could really do with some backing up if there is information about this.. For or against!! I know this is tricky territory... any feedback would be most welcome

Thanks Gemma. that's useful. Thing is I have mentioned it to one officer of the local NE team and he seemed to think it made sense but he also said I should talk to licensing which I tried but they won't speak to you unless you have a licence application with them...