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Other Projects in Stocksbridge use the menu above to view other sections and the one to the right to go to specific projects The Steel
Valley and Upper Don team is now involved in a wide
range of environmental enhancement projects in
Stocksbridge and the Upper Don Valley. They often
work in conjunction with South Yorkshire Community
Forest Partnership. Projects include: Low
Road Knoll
Top Fox
Glen Glen Howe Park
(as agents for Sheffield City Council If you would
like copies of any of the information mentioned
here, or you would like to volunteer to be involved
in these or any other environmental or community
projects in Stocksbridge, Deepcar
Nature Trail A self-guide
booklet is available for school groups and others
to use. The aim is to
make young people aware of the the wealth of animal
and plants that live the countryside around our
towns. "On
this trail we are going to try and look at some of
the different things that we can find in the
countryside around
Deepcar".
The booklet
aims to be user-friendly, describing for instance
items of equipment that teachers and children might
like to take. There is lots to see and
teachers need to allow 4-5 hours to complete.
Warnings are given about any difficult local
conditions. One or two of
the stopping points and the activities of interest
are described here. Why not order
the booklet and go round the nature trail
yourselves. We have included some examples here of
the type of work children can do at each
site: Vaughton
Hill Even in
built-up areas like the village of Deepcar you may
finds signs of wildlife. As you walk down Vaughton
Hill, make a list below of all the different plants
and animals that you see or come across: PLANTS
AND ANIMALS ................. ................. ................. Low Lathe
Farm Once you are at
the top of the hill by the farm, you have quite a
good view of the local countryside. Take a good
look across the area. Can you see much of
Deepcar? What can you
see? List as many things as possible: ............................... ............................... On the way up
to the farm, did you see any farm animals? If so,
how many and what were they? ............................... Can you see any
farm animals in or around the farmyard? .................................... Hedges are a
common and interesting feature of our landscape, of
great importance to our wildlife. They act like a
'corridor', allowing movement of wild animals and
plants from one area to another. List two reasons
why a hedge is important: ................................ Now, look at
the hedge that runs down just below the farm. How
old is this hedge? We can work out a rough age for
a hedge by counting the different 'woody' types of
plants (trees, shrubs, climbers) that make up a 30m
stretch of hedge (in general it is one new species
per century - as most hedges were plants from
single species and the others arrive naturally over
time). So how many different woody types, not
including bramble, make up this hedge? ...................... River
Study What is this
river called? ........................... How deep is the
river? ........................... Do you notice
the green weed in the river? Why do you think it is
growing in certain places and not
others? ........................... Is the river
polluted? ........................... Can you see
fish or anything else in the water? ......................... Use your nets
to find things in the places where you can't see.
Make a list of everything you find. ............................ As you walk
down the river be on the look out for three
particular types of bird that like to live along
it. These are: Be very quiet
as these birds are very shy and fly away at the
first sign of noise. Wharncliffe
Woods As you walk
through this wooded area, what do you
notice? ............................ Here on your
left you may see stumps where trees have been
felled. A private woodsman has the right to fell
and sell the timber. What do you think he sells the
timber for? ............................ Tree
Study 1. Find a tree
that you can easily study and a separate piece of
paper. 2. What tree is
it? (write this down on your sheet)
................. 3. Measure its
girth at about 5 feet (1.6m) above the ground.
Age
............. For a very
approximate way of working out how old a tree is:
for every 2.5 cms (1 inch) of girth the tree will
be about one year older. Example: 100 cms = 40
inches = 40 years old. Tree Canopy
Maps Measure the
girth at ground level. Then measure the distance of
the furthest extent of the branches (looking up!)
in at least 8 different directions. Make a scale
drawing of your results. Prehistoric
Site This area, just
below the electricity sub-power station, is famous
for its remains of prehistoric tools and
weapons. About 6,000
years ago prehistoric man was quite active around
Deepcar. His remains have been found in places all
over the surrounding area, but it was on this site,
just above Deepcar, that the greatest number were
discovered. During this time, when the Stone Age
people wandered the area, Deepcar would probably
have been at a higher level, with the confluence of
the River Porter and the Don forming a small
swampland. In fact the word carr is Saxon for
marsh. The area would have looked considerably
different then! Have a good
look around. You may, if you are very lucky, find a
prehistoric tool or something else! A plaque was
placed on the site by the local community to
commemorate the prehistoric finds.
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Prepared by STEP on behalf of DTA - Yorkshire and Humberside Region |
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