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Sunday 2 Jan 2022 – Site Maintenance & Step Work at Stansfeld Park, Oxford
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Happy new year! Stansfeld Park in Headington Quarry, Oxford is set within 18 acres of woodland with ponds, marshland and meadows. The undulating landscape results from quarrying for limestone in the area that was used to build many of Oxford's colleges, churches and civic buildings. When quarrying ended, a variety of habitats formed, including limestone grassland, ash and hazel woodland, dense hawthorn scrub, ponds and wetland. The Trust have rejuvenated the site partly as a local amenity and educational resource, partly as a hub for science and tech commercial start-ups. It's a state of the art development and well worth coming to have a look. For more on Stansfeld Park under the management of The Oxford Trust see their website: http://theoxfordtrust.co.uk/stansfeld-education-centre/. As usual at Stansfeld we'll be working under the direction of Dr. Roger Baker -- the centre's Outdoor Learning and Ecology Manager. The plan for today, among other things and conditions permitting, is to install sleeper steps and some post and rail fencing. For more info nearer the day make sure you're signed up to the OCV mailing list for the OCV weekly task emails that give all the details of each forthcoming task.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 9 Jan 2022 – Woodland Management at Matthew Arnold Field, Oxford
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Matthew Arnold Field in Boars Hill is a mixed woodland, grassland, and wetland site, named after the poet, and cultural critic Matthew Arnold. Today we'll be working for the Oxford Preservation Trust, who own the site, to manage the woods in line with a long-term plan to open up the ground floor to more light, cut back the thicker areas of scrub (the willows especially), keep the paths open, and do some ad hoc DIY plumbing using the materials at hand to enhance the wetland habitat. Some of us may be working near, even in, the woodland ponds, so wellingtons might be useful.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Dan Moden
Tuesday 11 Jan 2022 – Committee meeting at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Judge's room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably go for a drink after the meeting also.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 16 Jan 2022 – Reserve Maintenance / Hedge Laying at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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Our first visit of the year to this National Nature Reserve in the Chilterns which commands extensive views across the Oxford plain. At the time of writing, our January visit to Aston Rowant should see us pick up work on the hedge-laying project at the top of Hill Lane. We made a good start back in November and today will be our third, and possibly final, session. It may be that the Natural England warden will have more pressing things for us to do, so watch out for the task email for final details.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tim Howard
Sunday 23 Jan 2022 – Willow Pollarding at Aston's Eyot, Oxford
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We're back at Aston's Eyot in East Oxford today to do some more work on the willows that line the banks of the Cherwell and the Thames. We'll be working for, and with, the friends group that manage the site. The plan is to tackle only those willows that we can pollard safely. Pollarding will save the trees from complete collapse, significantly prolong their life spans, stimulate new regrowth, and keep the paths along the river banks passable. Some of the willows on the Thames bank have already collapsed and are beyond pollarding. We might experiment with these by, in effect, laying some of the material to create a waterside willow hedge that might mitigate the effects of erosion along the bank.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 30 Jan 2022 – Scrub Control at Grim's Ditch, Blewbury, South Oxfordshire
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Grim's Ditch is an earthwork, a scheduled ancient monument, up on the downs south of Blewbury, just off the Ridgeway long distance footpath. So this will be scrub bashing with a view. The site is privately owned and the owner has a Countryside Stewardship agreement with Natural England to maintain the monument in good condition, which primarily involves the periodic removal of invasive scrub -- and that's where we come in. We were last here in February 2017 and it's just about time for another visit. This time, however, we'll aim to 'pop' as much as we can with our tree-poppers, although that will mean we'll have to carry them a fair way from the van to the site (and back again). Watch out for the task email for access details!

  • Leader: Jenny Hill
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Tuesday 1 Feb 2022 – Committee meeting at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Judge's room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably go for a drink after the meeting also.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 6 Feb 2022 – at Piddington Wood, Buckinghamshire
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Piddington Wood is a broad-leaved, semi-ancient woodland near Piddington village, south-east of Bicester. The wood is owned and managed by the Woodland Trust and today we'll help out with the first stage of a scheme designed to coppice the extensive stands of hazel. The plan is to work on a rotational basis over a number of years in a rolling process of incremental renewal. We'll also harvest hazel stakes and binders to use on the hedge laying task at Burgess Field next week. For more on the wood, including maps, see the relevant Reserve Page on the website.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Tim Bletsoe
Tuesday 8 Feb 2022 – Night hike 7.30pm at Homebase car park

Join us for a night walk through Brasenose Woods and Shotover Country Park and on other footpaths in the area, maybe seeing wildlife if we don't scare it off from miles away. The route will be about 4.5 miles and we'll go at the speed of the slowest. You don't need to be a regular volunteer to come on socials, everyone is welcome. You'll need warm, waterproof clothes, gloves, sensible footwear, a torch, and optionally a drink or snack. We'll meet at 7.30pm at the Homebase and Aldi car park, which should be a good place to lock up bikes and congregate. Strictly speaking, the car park is for customers only so if you're driving you should probably park on nearby streets instead.

  • Contact: Chris
Sunday 13 Feb 2022 – Hedge Laying at Burgess Field Nature Park, North Oxford
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Burgess Field Nature Park is another Oxford nature reserve that used to be a city landfill site. It's large - 8.5 hectares of more or less open ground, right next-door to Port Meadow. The land is owned by the City Council, but the hands-on management is kept up by a local Friends group with occasional help from OCV. Given its location the site has huge conservation and recreational potential. The plan for today is to continue with the hedge laying we began last December. There's another 50 meters or so that's already been sided-up and is ready to lay. This is about as tough as hedge-laying can get -- hawthorn, planted line astern, grown out, and long past its optimal age for laying -- but we'll do what we can! The Friends are willing and able to do some replanting with new whips to cover any gaps and to thicken the girth of the hedge, so it will take a year or two (or three) but we might yet rejuvenate and improve the hedge-line with the associated multiple wildlife benefits.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 20 Feb 2022 – Scrub Control at Crecy Hill LWS, Tackley, Oxfordshire
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NOTE THE LATE CHANGE OF TASK! Storm damage at Aston Rowant means that we've moved today's task to Crecy Hill instead. Check out the task email from TIm.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tim Howard
Thursday 24 Feb 2022 – Pub night 7pm at The Kings Arms, Broad Street

Join us for food and drinks at the Kings Arms. We'll be ordering food at 7pm, but feel free to drop in later for drinks if you prefer. You don't need to have volunteered with us to come along to socials, feel free to drop in and say hello if you are thinking about coming to a task in the future. Make sure you're on the mailing list for more information, or email socials@ocv.org.uk.

  • Contact: Chris
Sunday 27 Feb 2022 – Scrub Control & Willow Pollarding at Lye Valley, Oxford
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The condition of the south fen at Lye Valley continues to improve to such an extent that today we'll be working on the perimeters of the fen rather than the fen itself. We'll be cutting back scrub on the borders with the golf-course, and the neighbouring woodland. We'll also look to pollard some of the willows that are beginning to shade out the high side of the fen just below the spring lines. If there's been rain wellies will be useful. For more information on this relatively rare habitat that is also a listed SSSI see http://www.friendsoflyevalley.org.uk.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Tim Bletsoe
Tuesday 1 Mar 2022 – Committee meeting at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Judge's room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably go for a drink after the meeting also.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 6 Mar 2022 – Hedge Laying or Site Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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Our February visit to Aston Rowant had to be cancelled, it fell just a couple of days after storm Eunice blew through, so we've rescheduled the task for today. Aston Rowant is one of our favourite sites, perched on the cusp of the Chiltern escarpment. It's a National Nature Reserve, owned and managed by Natural England, and we'll be working with Steph - the reserve warden. What we do today will depend on how well we've progressed laying the hedge at the top of Hill Lane. If there is more to do, then we'll do it today. If not, we'll be helping out with other winter jobs, usually ongoing work to maintain or restore the grassland habitat. The details as to what and where will be described in the weekly email, so now's a good time to check you're on our mailing list.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Saturday 12 Mar 2022 – Hedge-Laying & Site Maintenance at Burgess Field Nature Park, North Oxford
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Here's one of our occasional Saturday tasks. We need another day's work to complete our seasonal hedge-laying project at Burgess Field. We made good progress in brutal conditions last month, but there's still a dozen meters or so to lay to connect this season's work with last winter's. It will be tough -- hawthorn, planted line abreast, grown out, and long past its optimal age for laying -- but all the preparatory siding up has already been done. The Friends of Burgess Field are willing and able to do some replanting with new whips to cover any gaps and to thicken the girth of the hedge, so it will take a year or two (or three) but we might yet rejuvenate and improve the hedge-line with the associated multiple wildlife benefits.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Chris Skepper
Sunday 13 Mar 2022 – Scrub Control at Grays Lane Bank, Ibstone, Buckinghamshire
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Another scrub bashing task, but today's task is in a special location -- a privately owned chalk grassland bank in a secluded part of the Chilterns, designated as an SSSI. There is no public access to the site so if you want to see it, come on the task! The landowner has made significant improvements and developed a long-term management plan that includes cattle grazing, some superb hedge lines, and a significant and flourishing population of relatively rare Chiltern Gentians. We've been asked to help out with the labour-intensive work of removing the self-seeded hawthorn and rose when still in its initial stages. So we'll be popping and pulling as much as we can find - a zero tolerance policy!

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Dan Moden
Sunday 20 Mar 2022 – Hedge Laying or Site Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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Our early spring visit to the Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve in the Chilterns. The site is managed by Natural England and, as usual, we'll be working under the guidance of the site warden. The details of the planned work will be announced on the mailing list in the week preceding the task. So if you're not already on our mailing list, then now is the time to join it. We're always looking for new task leaders (OCV depends on some volunteers being willing to lead) and an Aston Rowant task is a great opportunity to try it out under the supervision of one of the wardens. Contact Phil at tasks@ocv.org.uk for more details.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Dan Moden
Sunday 27 Mar 2022 – Post and Rail Fence Work at Jubilee Fields and Long Meadow, Wootton, West Oxfordshire
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Jubilee Fields were purchased from the Duke of Marlborough by the Wootton Conservation Trust in 2003 to mark the Queen's Jubilee. It's a lovely site at any time of year, a classical example of a traditional water meadow environment, lying between the rivers Glyme and Dorn. Livestock grazing is a key part of the management plan for the site. It follows that their fencing needs to be in good order, although today we'll be knocking down more than we'll be putting up! The plan is to demolish the redundant post and rail fencing round the mature coppice on Round Top, along with three substantial post and rail tree guard-structures. We'll use the recovered materials to replace a short section of dilapidated post and rail fencing on a nearby slope.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 3 Apr 2022 – Riverside Path Work at Aston's Eyot, Oxford
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Aston's Eyot has riverside paths along both the Cherwell and the Thames. In two places on the Thames path there has been some significant erosion and we'll attempt to put that right today. We'll dig out the banks on the landward side of the path to create room for a couple of gently curving diversions. There will be a significant amount of digging and mattocking to be done as the banks have well established bramble roots. Then we'll attempt to reinforce the ground on the river side with willow stakes taken from the recent pollarding work. How effective, if at all, this will prove to be remains to be seen but it should be, at the least, an interesting experiment.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Tuesday 5 Apr 2022 – Committee meeting at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Jury room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably go for a drink after the meeting also.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 10 Apr 2022 – Revetment Construction & Path Work at Matthew Arnold Field, Oxford
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Matthew Arnold Field in Boars Hill is a mixed woodland, grassland, and wetland site, named after the poet, and cultural critic Matthew Arnold, owned and managed by the Oxford Preservation Trust. We've built and maintained the revetments that shore up the path at the top of the woodland on previous work days. Today we'll add another revetment of 12 meters or so to reinforce and redirect the path where it still remains vulnerable to erosion. We'll build the revetment, then excavate the ground on the upside to level the path.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Dan Moden
Sunday 17 Apr 2022 – Reserve Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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Our April visit to our local National Nature Reserve in the Chilterns. It's a site that includes chalk grassland slopes grazed by flocks of sheep. We're always looking for new task leaders (OCV depends on some volunteers being willing to lead) and an Aston Rowant task is a great opportunity to try it out under the supervision of one of the Natural England wardens who manage the site. Contact Phil at tasks@ocv.org.uk for more details. At this time of year we might be working on the grass slopes to improve conditions for the flora and, by extension, the insect life special to the site, or maintaining good public access along the various paths. The details of what we'll be doing and where will be in the weekly email as usual.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Thursday 21 Apr 2022 – Vegetarian Food 7pm at The Gardeners Arms, Plantation Road
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Join us for a meal at The Gardeners Arms on Plantation Road in North Oxford for a meal of delicious vegetarian or vegan food. You don't need to be a regular volunteer to come along as everyone is welcome, but booking is essential to make sure there's room for everyone. Contact socials@ocv.org.uk if you're planning to come along for food. Or feel free to drop in later for a drink if you prefer.

  • Contact: Chris
Saturday 23 Apr 2022 – Reserve Maintenance at Trap Grounds, Oxford
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We have a task double-header in urban Oxford this weekend, the first of them another of our occasional Saturday tasks. The Trap Grounds is a small pocket of the countryside in the middle of urban north Oxford hard by the canal. It's managed by an enthusiastic volunteer group (The Friends of The Trap Grounds) and includes a range of habitats: woodland, ponds, reed-beds, and areas of meadow and marsh. It's a great example of a state of the art urban wildlife site with an ideal combination of complementary micro-habitats. As usual there will be mixed-bag of things to do. Given the time of year we might well be working in the ponds and reed beds. Another job to take in hand will be to 'pop' (i.e. lever out) a myriad of small self-seeded ash saplings in the wooded areas.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Tim Bletsoe
Sunday 24 Apr 2022 – Site maintenance at Milham Ford Nature Park
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Milham Ford Nature Park stream and ponds were created in 2008-2009 in an area that had previously been 8 tarmac tennis courts for use of the previous Milham Ford School. A stream which had been piped underground across the playing field was brought to the surface, meandered, and now feeds a complex of 4 interlinked ponds. This is one of the most heavily used urban green spaces in Oxford, and we'll be working on behalf of the Oxford City Council. Most of the work will be in the ponds under the direction of freelance ecologist Judy Webb to dredge invasive plant growth and re-establish areas of open water necessary not least for the local dragonfly population. We'll also be digging out hard rush tussocks on the banks and margins of the ponds and working to improve the flow of the stream that feeds into them.

  • Leader: Jenny Hill
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 1 May 2022 – Post and Wire Fencing I at Wolfson College Water Meadows
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The Wolfson College water meadows lie immediately opposite the college grounds on the east bank of the Cherwell. Both of them are designated sites of special scientific interest (SSSI). They lie in the flood plain of the Cherwell and have been used as pasture and hay meads since medieval times. They remain a superb flower habitat, now owned and managed by Wolfson College. The meadows are grazed in winter which mean they need stock proof fencing. Last August we installed the first stretch of a new fence that will separate the north meadow from the public footpath that follows the bank of the river. To continue the work we'll need to remove the old fence, install straining posts, intermediate posts, and, finally, the new stock wire. There'll be lots to do! For more details look for the task email. For directions to the site check out the reserve web page for Wolfson College Water Meadows on our website.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Tim Bletsoe
Tuesday 3 May 2022 – Committee meeting at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Jury room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably go for a drink after the meeting also.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 8 May 2022 – Post and Wire Fencing II at Wolfson College Water Meadows
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Another day on the Wolfson water meadows with more work on a new fence that separates the north meadow from the public footpath on the bank of the Cherwell. Today we'll look to extend the fence along the gentle curve of the riverside path with more staining posts as necessary. If you were with us last week you'll know what to expect. If not, it would be good to see you! How much we get done today should give us a good idea of when we'll be able to complete the job. Full details as usual in the weekly task email, so make sure you're signed up to the OCV email list. No pickups this week. Meet at the bridge at 9.30am.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 15 May 2022 – Reseve Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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We're back at one of our favourite sites this week. We'll be helping the Reserve warden maintain the nationally important calcareous grassland habitat. At this time of year we might actually begin to see some of the plants natural to the chalk grassland and the insect populations that depend on them. We could be helping out with fence and gate repairs, or tackling other maintenance jobs required on site. As usual everyone will be welcome and full details of the project and the meeting place will be given in the weekly email. If you've ever thought about getting more involved as an OCV task leader then this would be a great one to start with -- contact Phil Hunter tasks@ocv.org.uk for more info.

  • Leader: Dan Moden
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 22 May 2022 – Woodland Management & Water Works at Matthew Arnold Field, Oxford
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We'll be working for the Oxford Preservation Trust to a management plan that will maintain and enhance this special peat fen and woodland habitat. The surface water rises from natural springs, and anything that reduces the uptake of moisture from the fen will be to the good, so we'll cut back willow and reed. There will also be some extensive ad hoc DIY dam work using natural materials to control the waterflow in, through, and off the fen. If you're not cutting, you'll be digging. Whatever you do, wellingtons will be necessary, even if there's been no rain.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Dan Moden
Sunday 29 May 2022 – Post and Wire Fence Demolition at Jubilee Fields and Long Meadow, Wootton, West Oxfordshire
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Jubilee Fields were purchased from the Duke of Marlborough by the Wootton Conservation Trust in 2003 to mark the Queen's Jubilee. It's a lovely site at any time of year, a classical example of a traditional water meadow environment, lying between the rivers Glyme and Dorn. As the site is grazed the fences on the Fields site need relatively frequent work to keep them in shape. Today we’ll help out with the first stage of a project to replace the main post and wire fence that divides the level meadow of Round Top from the bank that drops down to the flood plain. We’ll dismantle and remove two parallel fences, one of which is now redundant, along with their gate structures. On the constructive side, there's a length of worn out post and rail fence that needs replacing. Check the weekly task email for details

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Sunday 5 Jun 2022 – Scrub Control at Crecy Hill LWS, Tackley, Oxfordshire
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The aim of today's task is to try out some summer scrub control work. This is ordinarily a job for the autumn and winter months -- well outside the nesting season. But today we'll be working to remove isolated hawthorn and rose saplings from the grassland areas before they can get a chance to develop. We'll be using tree-poppers to lever out the saplings complete with their root systems. We'll also be looking to pull any ragwort we can find given that the reserve borders grass meadows used for forage. As a bonus, if the sun shines, the reserve should be at its most floriferous.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Tuesday 7 Jun 2022 – Annual General Meeting - 8pm at Oxford Town Hall
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All are welcome to join for our Annual General Meeting where we will carry out elections for the committee and review our activities over the year, in addition to running through the regular committee meeting items. We should be in the Jury room but check with reception on entry to the town hall. If you'd like to join online please use the link https://join.skype.com/Nx8ZGqA5zIrx and if you have any questions email secretary@ocv.org.uk. We'll probably go for a drink after the meeting also.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 12 Jun 2022 – Reserve Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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We're back at our local national nature reserve in the Chilterns today. It's a site that includes chalk grassland, grazed by flocks of sheep. Over the winter many of the more badly afflicted ash trees have been severely pollarded to make them safe, which has left a lot of timber and brash to be processed and converted into habitat piles. Otherwise, early summer means we may be working to improve public access on the site with work on the reserve's extensive paths and fence lines. Whatever we do it should be worth coming along if only to check out the wild flower habitats. Full details will be in the weekly email as usual. We're always looking for new task leaders (OCV depends on some volunteers being willing to lead) and an Aston Rowant task is a great opportunity to try it out under the supervision of Steph, one of the Natural England wardens who manage the site. Contact Phil at tasks@ocv.org.uk for more details.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 19 Jun 2022 – Post and Wire Fencing I at Wolfson College Water Meadows
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The Wolfson College water meadows lie immediately opposite the college grounds on the east bank of the Cherwell. Both of them are designated sites of special scientific interest (SSSI). They lie in the flood plain of the Cherwell and have been used as pasture and hay meads since medieval times. They remain a superb flower habitat, now owned and managed by Wolfson College. The meadows are grazed in winter which mean they need stock proof fencing. Last May we installed 150 meters of a new fence that will separate the the north meadow from the public footpath that follows the bank of the river. To continue the work we'll need to remove what remains of the old fence, install straining posts, intermediate posts, and, finally, the new barbed and stock wire. There'll be lots to do, especially given that the further we get from the Wolfson College bridge across the Cherwell, the further we have to go with all our kit. Another couple of days should see us complete the project. For more details look out for the task email. For directions to the site check out the reserve web page for Wolfson College Water Meadows on our website.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Sunday 26 Jun 2022 – Post and Wire Fencing II at Wolfson College Water Meadows
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Today should see us finish the fencing project at Wolfson that we started last August. The Wolfson College water meadows lie immediately opposite the college grounds on the east bank of the Cherwell. Both of them are designated sites of special scientific interest (SSSI). They lie in the flood plain of the Cherwell and have been used as pasture and hay meads since medieval times. They remain a superb flower habitat, now owned and managed by Wolfson College. The meadows are grazed by cattle over the winter and a new post and wire fence will ensure that they stay where they are meant to stay. For more details make sure that you're on the OCV emailing list and look out for the task email specific to this task some time in the week preceding. For directions to the site check out the reserve web page for Wolfson College Water Meadows on our website.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Ray Hitchins
Sunday 3 Jul 2022 – Ragwort Pulling at Old Manor Stables Letcombe Bassett
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Letcombe Bassett is a small village south west of Wantage. The village, and the down lands that rise immediately behind it, lie within the northern boundary of the North Wessex Downs -- a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. The chalk geology, and in particular, the grass habitat it supports are essential to the flora and fauna that depend upon it. The local landowners, and their tenants, voluntarily take on the responsibility of maintaining the ecology unique to the environment in which they live and work. To that end, we've been asked by a local race horse trainer to help control ragwort in a small, shallow comb half way up the face of the down, not far from the Ridgeway Long Distance Path. We'll aim to clear two distinct paddocks in an area grazed by livestock that will help keep the balance of the local flower population without the need for the extensive use of herbicide.

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Tuesday 5 Jul 2022 – Committee meeting - 8pm at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Jury room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably go for a drink after the meeting also.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 10 Jul 2022 – Reserve Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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The Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve in the Chilterns is managed by Natural England and, as usual, we'll be working under the guidance of one of the site wardens. This is often the best time of year to appreciate the flowers natural to the chalk grassland habitat, the main feature of the reserve. Recent tasks here have seen us 'popping' hawthorn and birch on the chalk slopes of Bald Hill. Details of today's work will be announced on the mailing list in the week preceding the task. So if you're not already on our mailing list, then now is the time to join it. We're always looking for new task leaders (OCV depends on some volunteers being willing to lead) and an Aston Rowant task is a great opportunity to try it out under the supervision of one of the wardens. Contact Phil at tasks@ocv.org.uk for more details.

  • Leader: Jenny Hill
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 17 Jul 2022 – Orchard Mow and Rake at North Hinksey Nature Reserve
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This is an urban reserve, owned and managed by the local parish council, with an unusually complex mixture of habitats in a relatively small space -- a real gem. The main task today will be to mow and rake the orchard, which occupies roughly one half of the site. We'll use our set of scythes and raft the cut stuff to a dump site on tarps. There will be full details in the weekly task email as usual.

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Monday 18 Jul 2022 – River Swimming and Picnic 6.30pm - 8pm at Longbridges Nature Park, Oxford
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It could be the hottest day of the year, and perhaps the hottest day ever in SE England, so what better time to cool off in the river? Longbridges isn't particularly suitable for serious swimmers but it is nice for a splash about, and you can always head for the main river channel if you prefer. Or just relax, have a cold drink, and dip your toes in the water. If you're not a regular river swimmer I recommend bringing footwear you can wear in the water in case of nasties in the mud. We can decamp to the Isis pub at 8ish if people want to. Email socials@ocv.org.uk if you're planning to come and we'll keep a look out for you, or just turn up.

  • Contact: Chris
Sunday 24 Jul 2022 – Site Maintenance at Jubilee Fields and Long Meadow, Wootton, West Oxfordshire
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Jubilee Fields were purchased from the Duke of Marlborough by the Wootton Conservation Trust in 2003 to mark the Queen's Jubilee. It's a lovely site at any time of year, a classical example of a traditional water meadow environment, lying between the rivers Glyme and Dorn. The plan for today involves a mixture of maintenance jobs: there's a gate post to install; the remnants of a redundant post and wire fence to remove that we didn't finish off on our last visit; some reed cutting; and some ragwort pulling. So, pretty much something for everyone.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 31 Jul 2022 – Scrub Control at Burgess Field Nature Park, North Oxford
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Burgess Field Nature Park is another Oxford nature reserve that used to be a city landfill site. It's large - 8.5 hectares of more or less open ground, right next-door to Port Meadow. The land is owned by the City Council, but the hands-on management is kept up by a local Friends group with occasional help from OCV. We'll be ranging over the open grassland areas to remove, or, where possible, to 'pop' young hawthorn, rose, and bramble before it can begin to settle in. On these occasions nothing is too small to notice. Make sure you've signed up to the OCV mailing list to receive further details in the task email.

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 7 Aug 2022 – Ragwort Control at Old Manor Stables Letcombe Bassett
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Letcombe Bassett is a small village south west of Wantage. The village, and the down lands that rise immediately behind it, lie within the northern boundary of the North Wessex Downs -- a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. The chalk geology, and in particular, the grass habitat it supports are essential to the flora and fauna that depend upon it. The local landowners, and their tenants, voluntarily take on the responsibility of maintaining the ecology unique to the environment in which they live and work. To that end, we've been asked by a local race horse trainer to help control ragwort in a small, shallow comb half way up the face of the down, not far from the Ridgeway Long Distance Path. If you were with us here at the beginning of July, then you'll know what to expect. Pulling more ragwort is the long and the short of it. It's pretty low tech but there's a definite knack to doing it well. The aim is not so much to clear the site as to keep the ragwort under control. On our last visit in July there was scant evidence of any Cinnabar moths, but by August we might well find the caterpillars. Given the size of the site and the extent of the ragwort it shouldn't be too difficult to effect a caterpillar relocation scheme.

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Tuesday 9 Aug 2022 – Pub Walk 7pm at Port Meadow, Oxford
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A walk on Port Meadow with a stop in Wolvercote at a suitable spot for a drink, and then walk back. Everyone is welcome, even if you don't normally volunteer with us. Email socials@ocv.org.uk for more information.

  • Contact: Chris
Sunday 14 Aug 2022 – Reserve Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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This National Nature Reserve is an OCV favourite. It's set on the chalk slopes that mark the western boundary of the Chiltern Hills. The sheep-cropped grass that covers the chalk is an ideal wild flower habitat. As usual at Aston Rowant we'll be working with one of the wardens. Full details of what we'll be doing, and where and when to meet, will be in the weekly task email as usual, so make sure you've signed up to the OCV mailing list.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tim Howard
Sunday 21 Aug 2022 – Meadow Mow & Rake at Iffley Island, Oxford
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A traditional OCV task for high summer: our regular cut of this SSSI by the Thames, on behalf of the Oxford Preservation Trust. Despite its name the site is not quite an island, but there are houseboats on an inlet to one side and the open river to another. We’ll cut the sedge and reeds and rake the cuttings off so they won’t enrich the soil. The end result is beneficial to the wild flowers on the site, and, in particular, to the fritillaries hereabouts. If the sun shines this is one of the high-lights of the OCV calendar. As last year we’ll be using our set of Austrian Scythes. Look out for more details in the task email.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 28 Aug 2022 – Grass Raking at St Mary's Fields, Kidlington, Oxfordshire
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As last summer, we'll be working with the determined group of locals who maintain this popular conservation area owned by the local parish council and situated between St. Mary's Church and the river Cherwell. The job is to rake off the mown material from the yearly grass-cut. This is important to keep the fertility of the soil low and so encourage the rarer plants and wildflowers. It will be hard but straightforward work and important for biodiversity. It's a big site, and a big task, but with plenty of excellent home made cake to keep you going into the afternoon. As last year, we'll be using tarpaulins to raft the mown cuttings to the compost dumps.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Tim Bletsoe
Friday 2 Sep 2022 – Social meal 7pm at The Coconut Tree
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Join us for a meal out at the Coconut Tree, a restaurant serving Sri Lanken street food. Everyone welcome, even if you're not a regular volunteer with us. Please email socials@ocv.org.uk if you'd like to come so we can book a table for the right number of people. We'll probably go for a drink at a pub nearby afterwards so feel free to come along for that. See email for more details.

  • Contact: Chris
Sunday 4 Sep 2022 – Meadow Mow and Rake at Cuxham, South Oxfordshire
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We first mowed the meadow in Cuxham back in the summer of 2017. Today we'll return to mow and rake the meadow for the sixth consecutive time. The work gets progressively easier each time we go back, though that's not to say that you can expect an easy day's work! We'll aim to mow a relatively large area of the grass meadow, and to cut back any scrub that's beginning to encroach from the thick hedge-line at the bottom of the site. Everything we cut will need to be shifted, so we'll be using tarpaulins to raft the cut swaths off the meadow. We'll be using the OCV set of Austrian scythes (if you can bring your own, then you'll be more than welcome) and will be working for the local parish council who own and manage the site as a wild flower meadow.

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Tuesday 6 Sep 2022 – Committee meeting - 8pm at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Jury room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably grab some food beforehand and may go for a drink after the meeting also, you're welcome to join us.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 11 Sep 2022 – Meadow Mow and Rake at North Hinksey Nature Reserve
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Back in July we mowed and raked the community orchard and the perimeter of the flower meadow. Today we'll return to finish the work on the meadow and to prune back more of the willows surrounding the pond. This is an urban reserve, owned and managed by the local parish council, with an unusually complex mixture of habitats in a relatively small space -- a real gem. There will be full details in the weekly task email as usual.

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 18 Sep 2022 – Scrub Control at Jarn Mound and Heath, Boars Hill, Oxford
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We've often worked for the Oxford Preservation Trust at Matthew Arnold Field, but just a little further to the east is another OPT property -- the Jarn Mound with its Wild Garden and adjoining Heath. The brainchild of Sir Arthur Evans, a Boars Hill resident, famous for unearthing the palace of Knossos on Crete, the Mound was built as a lookout across the surrounding countryside. The OPT Annual Report for 1931/2 records that the Mound was completed in 1931 taking 20 men 34 months. 50 feet high (giving it a height above sea level of 530 feet), it was topped by a pillar and topograph. In the decades since the surrounding trees have obscured the view and the Heath has reverted to secondary woodland. But OPT have plans for some restoration work and today we'll begin with some scrub control on the Mound itself. It's never easy working on sloping ground and the Mound slopes more than somewhat, so this will be a challenge.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 25 Sep 2022 – Reserve Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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Aston Rowant is our local National Nature Reserve on the Chiltern escarpment just above the Ridgeway footpath. On a clear day there are extensive views across Aylesbury Vale past, and sometimes over, the Red Kites that cruise the updrafts. It's likely that we'll be working to protect and enhance the chalk grassland habitat. Steph Wilson (one of the Reserve's wardens) has reported exceptional numbers and varieties of butterflies on site this summer, all of which depend on the wild flower populations, which, in turn, depend on the chalk grassland, which is where we come in. As usual exact details of the work planned for today's party will be announced nearer the time via the OCV email list -- so make sure you're signed up!

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Tim Howard
Thursday 29 Sep 2022 – The Ants and the Grasshopper film & Rickety Press at Phoenix Cinema

As part of the Oxfordshire Great Big Green Week, the Phoenix Picturehouse in Jericho will be screening the documentary 'The Ants and the Grasshopper', charting the story of two community activists from Malawi who travel to america to talk to farmers and communities about climate change. I'll email the mailing list nearer to the time about reserving tickets. We'll grab some food at the Rickety Press just around the corner afterwards.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 2 Oct 2022 – Reed Cut & Rake and Scrub Willow Control at Burnt Mill Meadow, Old Marston
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Burnt Mill Meadow (otherwise known as Almonds Farm Fields) lies on the cusp of the Cherwell flood plain immediately to the north of the The Victoria Arms pub in North Oxford, and is owned by Oxford City Council. The site is a prime example of a unique habitat contingent upon its peculiar geographic and geological characteristics. For more details on the history of the site and the flora and fauna it supports see Judy Webb's web-site page here: https://judithwebb.weebly.com/almonds-farm-bank.html. The Freshwater Habitats Trust, together with Judy Webb and in collaboration with the current tenant farmer, have drawn up a management plan for the Meadow. Last summer, In line with the plan, we cut the reed growth along the ditch at the northern end of the site. We'll do the same today with extra work scything the southern slope and some low level pollarding of willows. The site will be, most likely, wet underfoot, so wellingtons will be needed.

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Tuesday 4 Oct 2022 – Committee meeting - 8pm at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Jury room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably grab some food beforehand and may go for a drink after the meeting also, you're welcome to join us.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 9 Oct 2022 – Reed Bed Cut & Rake at Trap Grounds, Oxford
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The Trap Grounds is a small pocket of the countryside in the middle of urban north Oxford hard by the canal. It's managed by an enthusiastic volunteer group (The Friends of The Trap Grounds) and includes a range of habitats: woodland, ponds, reed-beds, and areas of meadow and marsh. It's a great example of a state of the art urban wildlife site with an ideal combination of complementary micro-habitats. The job for today is to cut and rake a section of the reed bed on the canal side of the site. If there are enough of us we'll also take down some large invasive buddleias on the border of the reed bed. If there's been rain then access will be wet, so wellingtons advised!

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Tim Bletsoe
Sunday 16 Oct 2022 – Fen Raking I (South Fen) at Lye Valley, Oxford
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Today is the first of two days work in Lye Valley, Headington. The early autumn cut of the both fens in the valley, the north fen and the south fen, is the major cut of the year, usually done by machine by the Oxford City Council green spaces team. The raking is done by hand, and that's where we come in. The aim is to keep the fertility of the soil low by removing as much of the cut material as possible. Any number of volunteers stomping up and down the fen at this time of year also mimic some of the desired effects of livestock grazing. The balance in favour of the wild flowers on this relatively rare habitat is now well established, but will need regular maintenance to keep it that way. Ecologist and Lye Valley expert Judy Webb will be with us. (See a selection of her photographs taken on site in the photo gallery.) We'll be working on the south fen today (that's the fen with no public access by the golf course) but check the weekly email for confirmation. Make sure you're on the OCV mailing list! Wellies recommended even if there's been no rain.

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Wednesday 19 Oct 2022 – OCV Social - Wednesday 19th October 7.00pm at Za'atar Bake

Our next social will be Wednesday 19th October at 7.00pm We'll be going for a meal out at Za'atar Bake on Cowley Road, a restaurant serving Arabic food, including a range of vegetarian options, and including everything from appetizers, pizzas to full meals.

  • Contact: Sam
Sunday 23 Oct 2022 – Fen Raking II (North Fen) at Lye Valley, Oxford
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Day two in Lye Valley. Today we'll be working on the larger north fen with public access from the Slade. As well as raking it's likely that we'll be working to control the flow of the central water course that runs through the valley by using the natural materials to hand. OCV have been involved with the Lye Valley Nature Reserve for many years now, and more recently in collaboration with the active local friends group, although any human time scale looks relatively insignificant given the site's 8,000 year provenance. See the friends of Lye Valley website for lots more information on this important, rare landscape: http://www.friendsoflyevalley.org.uk As last week, we'll be with Judy Webb, and you'll need wellies even if there's been no rain.

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Sunday 30 Oct 2022 – Reserve Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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The beech woodland of the Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve always looks magnificent from late October to the onset of winter. After herding some sheep we will be popping hawthorn and clearing bramble from two enclosures. As usual, we'll be working with one of the Reserve's wardens. Note that British Summer Time ended last night!

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Tim Bletsoe
Tuesday 1 Nov 2022 – Committee meeting - 8pm at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Jury room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably grab some food beforehand and may go for a drink after the meeting also, you're welcome to join us.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 6 Nov 2022 – Fen Cut and Rake at Louie Memorial Fields, North Hinksey, Oxford
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This is still the season for fen work! The fen alongside the Louie Memorial Fields shares similar geology with the fens nearby at North Hinksey and Raleigh Park. All three are fed by natural springs and all three have great potential as relatively rare wildflower and wildlife habitats. Today we'll be working for the local parish council to carry out as much as we can of the autumnal cut of the fen itself. We've cut the fen now on successive years, so a third cut this autumn should push the habitat further in the right direction. Make sure you can cover up your arms and legs, and wellies will be useful if not necessary. As usual, we'll be using slashers, grass hooks, and scythes, and drag bags and tarps to haul the cut stuff off the fen.

  • Leader: Phil Hunter
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 13 Nov 2022 – Reserve Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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Another of our regular monthly visits to Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve, managed by Natural England and situated on the western edge of the Chilterns with extensive views across the Oxfordshire plain. The Reserve supports juniper, an extensive variety of wildflowers native to unimproved chalk grassland, together with sheep, woodland, and an abundance of red kites. For this task, we will be returning to the same compartment as last time near the top of Hill Ln. to remove hawthorn, rose and bramble encroaching on the site. We will be burning what we pull in a fire so there will be a chance to dry off and warm up if it does rain.

  • Leader: Dariusz Maton
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Sunday 20 Nov 2022 – Preparatory Pond Work at Aston's Eyot, Oxford
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This large 30 acre site is an island bordered by the Thames, Cherwell New Cut and Shirelake Ditch, just downstream from Christ Church Meadow. The land is owned by Christ Church College and is managed by an enthusiastic Friends group with some help from the Oxford City Council. The Friends have plans to establish pond habitats on site and today we'll help them out at a couple of locations. The main task will be some preparatory clearance work on one future pond site, that means rooting out scrub and, especially, bramble - which is never easy. The other job is the creation of a bog land by a second pond. The experimental plan is to excavate several trenches, line them with tarpaulins, then fill them in again! The tarps, by he way, have been abandoned on site after summer parties. There are a couple of ancillary jobs to tackle if we have a big enough turn out: one is the low level pollarding of a willow by the Thames; the other is the creation of a path diversion around a collapsed willow on the path by the Cherwell.

  • Leader: Sam Fishwick
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Sunday 27 Nov 2022 – Scrub Control at Wolfson College Water Meadows
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The Wolfson College water meadows lie immediately opposite the college grounds on the east bank of the Cherwell. Both of them are designated sites of special scientific interest (SSSI). They lie in the flood plain of the Cherwell and have been used as pasture and hay meads since medieval times, and are now owned and managed by Wolfson College. In line with their management plan we'll selectively cut back the scrub that is beginning to encroach on the meadows from the eastern fence-line. We'll be working with as many from the College as their Green Team can muster, the idea being that they'll be able to carry on the work on a regular basis by themselves in the future. The water meadows frequently flood in the winter months so bring wellingtons! For more details look for the task email. For directions to the site check out the reserve web page for Wolfson College Water Meadows on our website.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Tim Bletsoe
Saturday 3 Dec 2022 – Bird watching and winter wildlife walk - 2pm at RSPB Otmoor
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Ricky Clark will lead a bird watching and winter wildlife walk at the wonderful RSPB Otmoor Nature Reserve, ending (hopefully) with the spectacular swirling aerial display of thousands of starlings congregating over the reed beds at dusk. We'll meet in the RSPB Otmoor Car Park at 2pm, and expect to be back there c4.30-5pm. More details will be included in the email. Contact is secretary@ocv.org.uk if you have questions.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 4 Dec 2022 – Tree Planting at Trap Grounds, Oxford
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The Trap Grounds is a small pocket of the countryside in the middle of urban north Oxford hard by the canal. It's managed by an enthusiastic volunteer group (The Friends of The Trap Grounds) and includes a range of habitats: woodland, ponds, reed-beds, and areas of meadow and marsh. It's a great example of a state of the art urban wildlife site with an ideal combination of complementary micro-habitats. The plan for today is to plant a mixture of deciduous native saplings on the railway side, that's the western side, of the site. There's usually more than one thing to keep us busy in the Trap Grounds so watch out for the weekly task email for all the details!

  • Leader: Sam Fishwick
  • Driver: Tom Bulford
Tuesday 6 Dec 2022 – Committee meeting - 8pm at Oxford Town Hall
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The committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. Meetings are held in the town hall and we'll be in the Jury room. You don't need to be a committee member to join us, but please email secretary@ocv.org.uk if you'd like more information. We'll probably grab some food beforehand and may go for a drink after the meeting also, you're welcome to join us.

  • Contact: Jenny
Sunday 11 Dec 2022 – Scrub Control at Matthew Arnold Field, Oxford
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We've changed this Sunday's task from Jarn Mound to its next door neighbour reserve Mathew Arnold Field. We'll be doing scrub control here, the aim being to protect the wetland by preventing it drying out. This maintains the rare acid-loving flora, and a lot of carbon is trapped below the ground in the form of peat which would be lost if it dried out. On Sunday we'll probably be helping move some cut trees, and also maybe doing some scything and building some dams to slow drainage from the site, so lots of relatively straightforward but very worthwhile work to do.

  • Leader: Chris Skepper
  • Driver: Phil Hunter
Sunday 18 Dec 2022 – Reserve Maintenance at Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire
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Our final task of the year brings us back to Aston Rowant, our local National Nature Reserve and one of our favourite sites, perched on the cusp of the Chilterns. It's more likely than not that we'll be working either in the woods or on the grassland slopes. Exact details of the day's work will be posted in the weekly email, so make sure you're on the OCV mailing list. In pre-Covid times this task got a bit festive at lunchtime with santa hats and bonfire-roasted parsnips and potatoes. Check the task email for menu options!

  • Leader: Tim Bletsoe
  • Driver: Tim Howard
Tuesday 20 Dec 2022 – Christmas Meal 7pm at Everest Nepalese Restaurant
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We're going for a Christmas meal at the Everest at the Donnington Arms. It's a Nepalese restaurant so it will more like curry dishes than traditional Christmas fare, but you've probably already had a lot of that by now. Everyone is welcome to come, but please do email socials@ocv.org.uk if you're joining us, so I can book a table for the right number of people.

  • Contact: Chris
Sunday 25 Dec 2022 – Christmas Day at Home

Happy Christmas. No task today!

    Saturday 31 Dec 2022 – at Lower Farm, Long Wittenham
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    Task Cancelled from 16.03.24 and hidden here!