Minutes:
Elliott Lorimer, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Manager explained about the 'Pendle Peat Pie', which featured on the front slide of the presentation. The idea was developed by Kerri Morrison, the artist in residence employed as part of the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership 'Gatherings'. The pie has been used to explain about the importance of peatland and its associated habitats. The pie was served at the Clitheroe Food Festival in August 2019.
The Traditional Boundaries programme has seen four training days held on drystone walling during the summer with around 60 participants taking part and 18 metres of wall restored.
The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team has been working alongside the Pennine Peat LIFE project, which has commenced peatland restoration work on two sites on United Utilities land above Langden Brook.
The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Unit has also been managing peatland restoration works supported by Defra Peatland Fund on two sites on the Tarnbrook Fells in Abbeystead Estate. Planning and preparation is now complete and contractors have visited the site in the last couple of weeks.
Sarah Robinson from the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Unit reported the plight of curlews within the UK and the recent development of a project to help this species recover and eventually increase in number. The project is currently at a point deciding on three discrete areas within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to act as curlew conservation hotspots in a project bid to go forward to the Esmée Foundation and National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Lancashire Environmental Fund continued to support the Bowland Haytime project which achieve 15 hectares of field-scale hay meadow restoration during the summer.
Robin Gray from the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty had been developing a Tree, Woodland and Forestry Strategy for the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. He has been working with the Forestry Commission, estates and other Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty partners on the development of this strategy. Lancaster City Council were keen to get involved with this and Robin was planning to represent the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at a seminar being held by the Council to outline the strategy for interested individuals and volunteers.
As part of the Undergrounding for Visual Amenity Programme, two overhead lines (near Dunsop Bridge and Brennand) had now been buried and nearing completion with only the remaining poles and lines to be removed.
Sarah Dornan, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Countryside Access Officer gave an update on volunteer management of 'Promote Routes'. The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Unit had recruited 12 new volunteers and helped maintain more than 40 routes. The Promoted Routes had also recently been added to the View Ranger app. This is a user friendly app for users to access route descriptions and maps and was easily updateable.
Elliott Lorimer updated on the Forest of Bowland Defra Environmental Land Management System test, which was investigating methodologies for the implementation of Government proposals to base future agricultural support payments on the principle of 'public money providing public goods'.
Festival Bowland events programme held 90 events, with over 1500 people in attendance from February 2019 to October 2019. £600 was raised from donations by event attendees which would go back in to the local charity, Champion Bowland to support small-scale community projects.
Goosnargh Gin worked with the Bowland Haytime project to produce a Haytime gin, with a donation for each bottle sold going towards supporting environmental education for children on hay meadows.
The National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty helped co-ordinate a National Moment to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the National Parks and Countryside Act. It took place at Arnside Knott on 21 September 2019, where Simon Armitage, UK Poet Laureate read a new poem, Fugitives, which was written especially for the event.
The Northern Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Group visited the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, visiting projects and activities on and around Pendle Hill. Over 30 people came together from six other Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and shared best practice and learning.
Robin Gray has also been carrying out a refresh of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Fundraising Strategy. This strategy will be brought to a future Joint Advisory Committee meeting for consideration by the Committee.
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