ilovescilly

2010-03-27T02:40:00.001-07:00

I was hoping that yesterday would be a major turning point, the WLT was having a debate broadcast on our local Radio station ,and we could then get on with our lives unhindered and back to normality! the petition set up by David Badcock proved that there is overwhelming opposition to the way that the trust is managing or not managing the untenanted land, The Radio station manager 'Keri Jones' himself stated earlier in the week that it was very difficult to organise a meeting with the WLT, this should have set off a few alarms, the meeting which was held with a member of the AONB came up with nothing that made me feel that things would change for the better,the AONB appeared to be in support of the WLT so much so that it was as if they were one, so really not a debate as the radio is not allowed to take sides ,yesterday we had the BBC guy come over to Bryher to see the damage done by the cattle and ponies, it was organised that he would be met and shown around by Peter Miller of Bryher but the WLT managed to get to him first! not sure how it panned but very disappointed.

2010-03-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

Email to radio scilly

Dear Keri

RE: questions for the WLT

I only really sat up and noticed when I woke one day to find

the electric fencing outside my home and the fact that the WLT could

not give me any assurances that they would remove it and never put it

back, its a tiny piece of land between me and the hell bay hotel but

still they would not give me any assurances, and so for me its not the

effect of these animals on the landscape so much, but that they have

no consideration for house holders and then they refused to speak to

us (Bryher Islanders) taking away our voices, our freedom of speech

which is a fundamental human right, we find ourselves powerless and

can only watch as the WLT ride rough shod over Bryher, we've always

considered Bryher our own, islanders taking pride in their

surroundings, our families have invested heavily over the centuries

both emotionally and financially, the roads that the WLT use to move

their animals from place to place WE laid down,we didn't get paid, why

would we? its our island!

Now we are feeling disempowered.

I think the Duchy of Cornwall as the landlords are remiss for not

stepping in before this all got so out of hand.also our Bryher

councillors rather than takes sides should have been consolatory,and

exorcised counselling to aviod rifts in the community, some

leadership.

I can't think of anything to ask the WLT, I'm just disgusted! I would

ask our community leaders and the DofC to step in and sort it all out

for us .

yours sincerely

Richard Pearce Bryher

2010-03-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

2010-03-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

Round to Green bay, the gate shut for WLT ponies, the Hedges have been distroyed.

2010-03-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

a couple of unused WLT stile steps just abandond where they stood!
The track to works point badly churned up.

2010-03-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Around rushy bay today, not sure what that rubbish is doing there.

2010-03-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

A couple of pic's for showing 2 ponies that have escaped and 2 still inside the fencing, no sign of the other 2.They were only moved from shipmanshead yesterday morning so haven't managed 24 hours before finding an escape route!

bizarrely they actually fenced off part of the main road to rushy bay, you have to go round the outside of the fencing and onto the heathland that they want to protect.

2010-03-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

Two cattle left in this metal box, no water, for 15+ hrs some feed (hedge trimmings) thrown in with them on the floor already covered in their own poo! which you can clearly see spattered up the metal sides.
The electic fence around them can't be for the cattle locked away on the inside, so must be to keep prying eyes away!!!

2010-03-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

To the wildlife trust 11/09/2009

On my walk around gweal hill I came across this cattle box, its rocking about and I could hear the two cattle inside kicking against the sides trying to get out, obviously distressed, they will stay in there all night and then get shipped off to St Marys tomorrow at 8:50 not sure if it goes back to St Marys before heading off to St Martins at 9:50 or whether they go back to St Marys via St Martins, I couldn't see any water in the cattle box, I think there is none, so I'm wondering how long these animals will be couped up with no water and why they couldn't have been put into the box tomorrow morning.? maybe this is normally husbandry, in which case please forgive my interference Richard
.I took some pictures and a small film.

and to my surprise, I got a reply.

Dear Mr Pearce
Thank you very much for your e-mail regarding the movement of cattle from Bryher to St Mary's last week. Please be assured that both animals were in good condition and free from stress when they arrived at StMary's. They are both well and out grazing in their new location.
Yours sincerely.

I've since been told on good authority that this is not legal, the cattle where left over night in the cattle truck without water for 15 hours maybe more if they went via st martins(which would be as close as the wlt animals get to st martins!!).

2010-02-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

Here we are at Rushy bay, Bryher beauty spot, any disabled access?

2010-02-26T11:26:00.000-08:00

Look what the wildlife trust did to Samson, the one island that has escaped mans interference since the mid 1800s until now, it looks like mcdonalds fast food has moved in, Samson is the jewel in our crown, this is terrible!!

2010-02-26T02:30:00.001-08:00

Wildlife trust cattle get out again, this time rampaging through hillside farm , It takes years to cultivate the hedges but minutes for the cattle to eat.

2010-02-26T00:49:00.001-08:00

Good morning Steve

firstly I feel the need to say that I passionately support wildlife

and the environment,

my problems with the wildlife trust is their lack of consideration

for the opinions of locals, on Bryher, after some complaints, they

agreed to a local work party which was set up with their

representative on Bryher at the community centre, and then when the

opinions of the majority didn't go their way , they refused outright

to talk to the work party, in effect they took away the voice of the

people, when I wrote to them I had no reply but instead woke one

morning to find electric fencing right outside my home, I mean

literally yards from my gate!.( I have photos)

I subsequently wrote again and asked if they would remove that

fencing and this time they answered my email, and said that they

couldn't guarantee that they could do this.

As a country person,I have no problems with cows or cow poo, or even

the burning, but it should be on farms, I hate the fencing around the

headlands and feel that it takes away that wonderful feeling of wide

open spaces that we have and share with visitors and I think that

these days and especially these days! we need to consider tourists.

It would be nice if they got back to cleaning beaches and clearing

the foot paths.

p.s on the plus side its good that they employ a few local people

cheers

Richard Pearce

2010-02-26T00:10:00.000-08:00

No Bryher beach clean by the trust 2009 so this was gathered off the beaches last summer by visitors for collection, its still there 26th Feb 2010, assuming the trust tend their cattle daily, then they pass this at least twice a day!!!

2010-02-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

Wildlife trust ponies escape and stampede through a Bryher farm causing damage.

2010-02-25T23:58:00.000-08:00

No entry!

2010-02-25T23:56:00.000-08:00

Electric wired every where.

2010-02-25T23:54:00.000-08:00

The road on Bryher fenced off, so we have to start a new one.

2010-02-25T23:52:00.000-08:00

This well used road on Bryher just suddenly stops, wired off by the wildlife trust, this means that vehicles will now have to go alongside the original track creating another track and cutting up more countryside.

2010-02-25T23:39:00.000-08:00

Just a total disrespect of Bryher by the wildlife trust .

2010-02-25T23:36:00.000-08:00

Every where you look, electric fenceing, put down by the wildlife trust.

2010-02-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

Wild ponies blocking the foot paths

2010-02-25T23:33:00.000-08:00

Just look at all this electic fenceing, how are we sopose to get through? is this nice?

2010-02-25T23:31:00.000-08:00

or this? Bryher cut in half by electric fenceing.

2010-02-25T23:29:00.000-08:00

or this? how can anyone think that this is exceptable!

2010-02-25T23:27:00.000-08:00

One of the nicest views on Scilly spoilt!

2010-02-25T23:25:00.000-08:00

electric fencing just thrown into the hedgerows by the wildlife trust

2009-03-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

A lot of people ask how we can live in such a small place, well, we tend to make use of all the limited land we have for recreation,there is a wonderful feeling of wide open space on Bryher which is sadly being replaced by fencing. Take a look at Bryher (top left) showing in blue the land that the wildlife trust is commandeering for the crazing programme,we just don't have enough to spare, we are the smallest island with the most blue area, take a look and see how much blue is on StMartins and then Tresco.

(The area coloured in Blue is the area that the wildlife trust are taking from us for grazing)

2008-11-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

imagine living on a small island,population of 92 (census of 2001). Bryher has an area of 327 acres - just over half a square mile (1.3 km²).each family has its own favorite part of the island used for picnics and recreation and some have been used as favorites for generations some to harvest bracken as bedding for their live stock, even the beaches were favored by certain islanders for collecting seaweed for fertilizing the land and before that for kelp for the production soap etc,on an island this size you need to make the most of every square inch, even some of the off shore islets and rocks would be made use of, today we still use the same spaces as our forbears but more for our leisure in the same way that mainlanders use their parks etc, now try to imagine those parks and outdoor spaces being taken away from you, how would you and your neighbours react?
In July 1986, the Isles of Scilly Environmental Trust was formed as a registered charity. it was seen as a way for the duchy of Cornwall to give something back to the islanders and a committee of Local people were in put in place to over see it, the rent to the duchy of Cornwall being a single daffodil., footpaths where maintained in some of the less accessible places and beaches were cleaned all for the good of the wildlife, tourist industry, and the community.. over the years it has been taken over by various outside agencies, their polices have driven the original board members away as they have ceased to regard to the wishes of the islanders.Meanwhile, we on Bryher had been carrying on with our everyday life's much the same as our ancestors had before us and unaware of the fate that the wildlife trust was planning for us on our little bit of land. In 2003 a note was sent round the island, The Trust was to hold a community meetings on Bryher to discuss land management, not at the Bryher Community centre but at the local pub which is run by a trustee of the wildlife trust,not all the community are made to feel/or feel welcome there, which is why a community centre is so important, its a sort of neutral territory, I'm told the a hand full of people attended that meeting (some may have just been going to the pub) maybe we should have all gone but its simply not our way,''laid back'' or ''apathetic''? well! either way,we are all self employed with busy lives.
One day Three ponies where brought to the island, sounds innocent enough doesn't it? and it was nice that a couple of locals got employed to look after them, we put our heads down and got on with our chores, before long a couple more ponies had arrived and some cattle, fencing started to go up including electric fencing and damage to the foot paths and headlands and erosion around the ancient prehistoric sites, where increasingly becoming apparent comments from holiday makers about the Electric fencing and unsightly storage area's where the trust left their materials, ropes, fence posts and wire, even an old bath thrown into the undergrowth.Horse riders where encountering gates and fences,the wild open unspoilt feeling of these areas where being destroyed.
A meeting was held, this time at the community centre and i think that the wildlife trust where taken by surprise at the strength of feeling amongst the gathered islanders, they suggested that the work party should be set up and that they would take our opinions into consideration