The cows are coming to town!
The South Herts Commons Grazing Group is organising a series of roadshows in April.
The roadshow will go to Chorleywood Common, Colney Heath, Bricket Wood Common and Nomansland on 2 weekends in mid April. Come along for a fun and informative day out. There will be rare breed cattle and sheep with an experienced local farmer on hand to tell you all about them. You could build a bird box or take part in a scavenger hunt, and see some rural crafts such as wood turning.
One of the main aims of the roadshow is to talk to people about reintroducing grazing to the commons. In the past, cattle and sheep would have been seen on all of the common land around Hertfordshire. Unfortunately this ceased around the time of the last world war, and as a result the landscape began to change. Trees began to take over where once there were wildflower meadows and lowland heath. No one really noticed this happening until it became clear that we were losing a significant amount of these precious habitats. A lot of work has been put into restoring the meadows and reclaiming the heath from tree cover, but the best management is to reintroduce grazing animals. At the roadshows you will find an exhibition about grazing, and information about what will be happening at each of the commons. Everyone is welcome to come along and try out access gates and see the type of fencing to be used.
Dates for your diary: The roadshow will take place from 11am – 3pm
- April 14th Chorleywood Common
- April 15th Colney Heath Common
- April 21st Bricket Wood Common – event to be held at Smug Oak Green
- April 22nd Nomansland Common
The South Hertfordshire Commons Grazing Group has representatives from the parish councils of Chorleywood and Colney Heath, along with St Albans District Council and the Countryside Management Service.
