and it was an article about the new plans for the site that we wrote about here as part of the post on Sunday 20th October.
So whilst I took advantage of the "drier" weather to scalp the areas of grass we tread most...
Pauline translated and summarised the article.....
La Nouvelle République, 17 novembre 2013
L'éperon Murat, warning, fragile!
It is one of two sensitive natural areas in the Loches area.
L'éperon Murat (the Murat Spur), at Ferrière-Larçon, benefits from protection which is entering a new phase.
About a hundred sheep are pastured on the Murat Spur, where the Larçon joins the Brignon. This is one of the headline actions undertaken for a decade aimed at preserving this sensitive natural environment (1).
The objective is simple: the animals participate in the maintenance of the dry grassland of this promontory, an environment which has become rare in the region (2).
Protection of the Murat Spur, act II.
The Conservatoire d'espaces naturels (CEN) of the Centre region is studying a management plan which is nearing completion. At Ferrière-Larçon a couple of weeks ago, the assocation made public the new plan for the next ten years. In broad outline, the planned actions are much the same as those to date.
The extensive sheep pasture, which was re-established in 2005, will continue, in collaboration with the same farmer, Pascale Jacquet from La Celle-Guénand.
The sheep-farmer has the use of the land rent-free,
In return he must follow a list of exact duties.
"I am not from a farming background", explains M. Jacquet, who practises "agriculture raisonnée" [minimum intervention agriculture #] and sells direct from the farm.
"When I wanted to go into sheep, I didn't have room. So I accepted the proposal. I apply something very like the system of transhumance in the mountains."
Of his 250 ewes, between 30 and 100 are thus pastured on the Murat Spur.
"It's typical of what we're trying to do in environments formerly maintained by farmers and which, difficult to get to, are no longer of interest for traditional farming", explains Rolland Paillat, scientific study officer at CEN and principal author of the 2014-2023 management plan.
[It is also similar to the principle of the "Flying Flocks" and other conservation grazing as used by The Wildlife Trusts and others in the UK.]
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| A more overgrown area |
The restoration of the grassland will therefore continue.
This will happen notably by the removal of numerous pine trees which will give air and space for other plant species. In particular, the eight protected plant species (all orchids) and the twelve other regionally uncommon species, such as the Summer Pheasant's Eye [Adonis aestivalis] Adonis goutte-de-sang which the Murat Spur is home to.
That is without mentioning the varied fauna which lives in the 31.5 hectares of the site, owned by the conseil général.
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| The Junipers, that can be seen behind the oak and the orchids [ Cephalanthera sp.] in this picture, are encroaching quite rapidly in some places... the sheep don't eat it! |
In all, over the next ten years, 250,000 € is expected to be invested to safeguard the Murat Spur.
(1) With Les Prairies du Roi on the outskirts of Loches, it is one of two Sensitive Natural Spaces in the Loches area.Facts
(2) Mainly financed by the Region and the conseil général.
Where...
The Murat Spur is one kilometre south of Ferrière-Larçon, along the D50.
Area...
31.5 ha acquired by the conseil général
Types of environment...
Chalky dry grassland, oak woodland (pubescent and sessile), heathland...
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| A close up of the turf. |
Flora...
More than 360 plant species, including eight regionally protected species (Man Orchid, three Cephalantheras: rubra, longifolia and grandiflora, Small Spider Orchid, Pyrenean fragrant orchid, Violet Limodore, Burnt Orchid and Pyramidal Orchid).
Fauna...
Nationally protected: Large Blue butterfly, Western Whip snake, Western Green lizard. Also nine species of bat, which will be the object of particular attention in the new management plan. This is notably to preserve their hibernation hollows.
The maintenance of the ripisylve* of the Larçon will also be an objective of the management plan.
[Links in the above three sections go to Loire Valley Nature.]
Visit...
The site is open to the public (sic).
Two organised visits take place annually by CEN on the theme of orchids.
Contact www.cen-centre.org.
(*Riparian forest = natural woodlands beside watercourses)
(# Similar ideals to the Wholesome Food Association's rules)
Five more hectares...
A particular effort will focus on the hillside of Montaugon, a plot of a little less than five hectares recently acquired by the conseil général.
"It is an environment similar to the Murat Spur, about 500m away as the crow flies, which has long been abandoned. The first tree-felling work has started", Rolland Paillat from CEN commented.
The full article is here...
Now some more pictures from L'éperon Murat...
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| Hybrid Lady Orchid [possibly Lady x Man] |
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| Milkwort thriving in the short turf left by the sheep. |
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| Variations on Spider Orchids |
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| Burnt Orchid |
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| A couple of 'hoppers |
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| A pale Green-winged Orchid |
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| Cephalanthera longifolia |
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| Fly Orchid |
_____________________________________________________________________________________
CRANE UPDATE: Cranes on weather radar!
Follow this link to see the migration of the cranes on the 13th of November...
showing up on the Rain Radar on Meteo60 [http://www.meteo60.fr/]...
32,700 Cranes left Lac du Der in the space of around 4 hours... starting at 8AM.
There are three weather radar clips on the entry for the 13th...
each showing various quantities of birds.
It would seem that some reached Gallocanta in Spain the following day...
their count went from 14,000 in the morning of the 14th to 39,000 by the evening!!
Not counting the 28 500 that remain at Lac du Der...
there are still over 50,000 in North Germany that are still on passage!!
4 comments:
Excellent post! Curious that there is no mention of the prehistoric remains in the newspaper article. Maybe they thought that was a side issue and would distract from the main point. BTW, don't you think the 'spider' on the left is actually a 'fly'? Maybe a hybrid, but I've seen 'flies' that are more robust like this at the 'other forge' with Marc Fleury and I don't think he mentioned that they were hybrids.
The only mentions at the meeting of the "Barre" were a discussion of the ghastly cover it would need to protect it once the trees were felled!!
They seem to think that it is of secondary importance to the wildlife up there...
it may well be, but the gentleman who is the "archeological" warden of the site was not at the meeting...
I don't think they would have got away with such a cursory pass over if he had been there.
IMHO, they should ring bark and then, if needed, poison the trees along the mound itself and let them provide some protection as they die back...
the grass and low herbs would be able to establish much quicker...
it would require management, yes, as the trees would need to be watched and felled before they tore out and damaged the archeology...
but visually it would be far less ghastly than erecting a long shed-like structure that will decay and most definately NOT be maintained!!
And, long term, it would likely be cheaper!!!
The left hand one could easily be a fly or mote likely a fly hybrid...
there was a very tall bearded gentleman from the Société d'Orchidophilie Centre Loire assisting with the identifications and he was pointing out the hybrids...
unfortunately, we were moving across the site too fast to make notes and I still haven't worked out how to voice record "notes with the pictures" on the camera...
not enough time to play!!
But that picture was taken where he was highly excited about five different fly/bee hybrids in the space of about three square metres... [he was highly excited about the whole promontory... it was his first visit, apparently!]
It was just along the bottom fence [nearest to Paulmy] about fifty feet from the stile we aren't meant to use because it takes you onto the "other" farmer's land [by the easy pathway - that he owns - up from the "white" road next to the wood that is to go!!]
For "mote" read "most"...
obviously got dust in my eye!!
Another thought about letting the trees die naturally...
we have the Pic Prune up there [they can be found in the dip in the middle of the "Big Old Oak" we were told]...
it would provide more habitat for them!
The archaelogical responsble is Jean-Claude Marquet... and he was shocked by the damage being done to the archaeology by the sheep and the trees when we visited with him! We were well chased away from the old farm, too. P.
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