An Overseas View Of Us!

   While back on a short break from an overseas assignment in Bangladesh I took the opportunity to visit a friend, the Warden of Tollesbury Wick, Jonathan Smith, for a view of the village and its reserve that I had heard so much about.
   I thought I knew the South of England but little did I know what surprises remain to be discovered so close to London, until my family and I took a walk around the reserve on a Sunday afternoon with Jonathan. Coastal grazing marshes are a feature of the British landscape I had never appreciated before. It is easy to think of conservation purely in terms of saving habitat for rare and attractive birds. It is perhaps not so obvious that we must also conserve traditional farming methods which themselves were much more sensitive to maintaining a balance with nature. So it was a real eye-opener to listen to Jonathan describe the management approach to the reserve in which different lengths of grass and depths of water will attract and maintain populations of cattle, sheep, Brent Geese, eels, rabbits, hares and foxes. It does not take long for these sights to put behind you thoughts of the M25 and apologies for roadworks from the Department of Transport.
   The saltmarsh creeks and the sight of the sepia sails of the Thames barges cruising in on the tide behind the seawall impart the impression of a unique corner of England.
   There is too much uniformity in Britain with every high street lined with the same chain stores. It is refreshing to see a village like Tollesbury with its own village stores and the delightful marina. There is a culture and a landscape here in Essex that should be maintained and developed with a very positive view for the future.
   We hope that the reserve will continue to enjoy the support of the Essex Wildlife Trust and the people of Tollesbury.
   If you have lived here all your life the attraction of the land may not be immediately obvious. But for an overseas visitor the appeal of this combination of nature, farming and maritime history is unforgettable.

Simon Kay

2008 Open Day - Saturday May 17th
   
   You are welcome to join us on the Reserve between 10.00am and 1.00 pm. Come and see our young lambs and calves. This is also an opportunity to talk to us about the management of the reserve and to see some of its important wildlife.
   Access is from the seawall footpath on the south side of Woodrolfe Creek. Take the footpath between the back of the Marina and the Cruising Club to the Reserve entrance gate on top of the seawall. Walk for about 400 metres to the first crossing of the borrowdyke (ie. the wide 'ditch' that runs parallel with the footpath) where someone will be present to meet you. If you need more information please call either: Jonathan Smith on 01621 868628 (evenings) or 07881 815996 (mob.) or Mike Sandison 01621 741351 (evenings) or 0775420827? (mob.).
   Our Maldon Local Group's Watch Group will also be holding one ofits regular meetings on the reserve that morning, starting at 10.00am, and all children accompanied by their parents would be very welcome to join in their activities. In addition to looking at the lambs and calves they will be searching for signs of our wild mammal inhabitants - rabbits, foxes, badgers etc.
   For further information about this please call Anita Sandison on 01621741351 (evenings).