Using Tidy Towns to enhance wildlife in your area

jmkennedyie

Tidy Towns competition 2011 results were recently published here:
http://www.tidytowns.ie/reports.php

Sure, Tidy-Towners cut grass and put up hanging baskets and paint shop fronts, but the competition is not all about cleanliness. Specific attention is also paid to protecting and enhancing the natural environment and local biodiversity. Wildflower meadows, butterfly patches, native/wildlife friendly planting, wildlife signs, bat/bird/bug boxes, keeping ivy and wildlife on stone walls, Green Schools support etc. etc. are all encouraged. See the handbook for more details. http://www.tidytowns.ie/publications.php

So, why not check out the adjudication reports for specific feedback and scores on natural environment for Tidy Towns in your area, and consider making some suggestions to your local group and getting involved.

Many Tidy Towns groups do not have folks with experience on the environmental side and would be delighted for wildlife enthusiasts to get involved and inject some new ideas that the local team and indeed community can get behind.

For those that are already involved with Tidy Towns, have you any suggestions or examples of wildlife friendly projects that might be useful food for thought for others?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I have been approached by several local Tidy Towns, groups over the years, to advise on wildlife initiatives, but I have a major problem with them.

Besides the fact that I feel the Tidy Towns allows councils to walk away from their responsibility to keep areas neat and clean; they have all baulked as soon as I said that they should stop cutting hedgerows in the lead up to the June judging. In addition to being in breach of the Wildlife legislation, it's just plain bad for wildlife. This is not what they want to hear. They want flagship projects and have little true interest in the basics of nature preservation - what scores points takes precedence over what is best for nature.:(

jmkennedyie

Yes, I have heard of others having this issue.

I have been active with my local Tidy Towns group, got to know the local environmental awareness officer and heritage officer, attended wildlife workshops for tidy towns organised by the local county council, and have reviewed tidy towns entry forms/handbooks etc. In my opinion the competition has turned around on environmental matters, but it is proving much slower to change mindsets in communities - often participants have been in the committees for years and assume things are business as usual. I suspect that many tidy towns committees haven't looked at the marking scheme recently, let alone the handbook which in my opinion includes sound advice on habitat preservation and enhancement of biodiversity.

For those committees focused on points there are 50 points (out of 400) for Wildlife & Natural Amenities. Sure it could be more, but it is quite significant. Most groups struggle in this category, so they should appreciate the possibility of a few extra points that fresh ideas can inject. The fact that wildlife friendly measures typically imply less expense (maintenance) and labour should also appeal to them.

I know at least one adjudicator and he is a professional environmental consultant committed to preserving what biodiversity we have left in his day job. In their reports they point out that stone walls and ivy is an important habitat, that wild patches are important for insects etc., that grassy approaches to towns don't have to be completely mowed to be tidy. My local committee sprays weeds on the mainstreet and this year the adjudicator called out: "weedspraying is not an environmentally friendly practice and you might reconsider this issue."

Perhaps I am lucky, but my local tidy-towns committee had the foresight to demolish, clear and plant the former sewage works of the town with a stand of 100's of native trees, locally sourced. Gravel paths were layed and nature allowed take over. This year explanatory signs were installed, and the park officially opened. Laminated copies of the signs (pdf) hung up in all local schools. It took many years, plenty of elbow grease, and financial support from local funding organisations, but is now very low maintenance and appreciated by the community. The signs have survived the summer without a scratch or attack of grafetti.

Tidy Towns does not imply destruction of the natural environment. I encourage folks to consider getting involved. If your local group is being over zealous point out the facts from the score breakdown, adjudicator report, handbook and your observations. Help reduce any ongoing destruction, and turn them around to preserve and enhance your local environment.

The complete scoring breakdown:
50 Overall Development Approach
50 The Built Environment
50 Landscaping
50 Wildlife and Natural Amenities
50 Litter Control
20 Waste Minimisation
30 Tidiness
40 Residential Areas
50 Roads, Streets and Back Areas
10 General Impression

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I applaud all you are doing but I have seen towns marked down because hedges were "untidy and overgrown". Now that is not environmentally sound in mid-summer. It is not the people involved in areas that are to blame; it is the Tidy Towns adjudicators. In 2010 a village around here was marked down for having a pile of stones at the back of a new house. The stones were overgrown and a habitat for stoats et al. Another comment was to not use weedkiller (agreed) but pull weeds (great for wildlife) by hand and plant non-native annual bedding plants??
I'm sorry, but I truly believe that at present the TT pays lip-service only to Nature. Until they accept the Untidy aspects of Nature they are only window dressing.

LostCovey

Maliah Victorious Gypsy wrote: »

I applaud all you are doing but I have seen towns marked down because hedges were "untidy and overgrown". Now that is not environmentally sound in mid-summer. It is not the people involved in areas that are to blame; it is the Tidy Towns adjudicators. In 2010 a village around here was marked down for having a pile of stones at the back of a new house. The stones were overgrown and a habitat for stoats et al. Another comment was to not use weedkiller (agreed) but pull weeds (great for wildlife) by hand and plant non-native annual bedding plants??
I'm sorry, but I truly believe that at present the TT pays lip-service only to Nature. Until they accept the Untidy aspects of Nature they are only window dressing.

Totally agree.

It probably needs a formal approach from fairly broad & representative group like BirdWatch Ireland or An Taisce to change the mindset of the national organisation. Individual contributions are doomed, because the local committees are playing the game by the rules, and will be nailed by the adjudicators if they are individually persuaded to do the right thing re these issues.

Mind you, I think that the tide is turning a little, with increasing adverse comments suggesting we might be a coming to the end of the "hanging basket era. I saw a comment from an influential environmental commentator recently that some of the high-scoring towns look like 'over-dressed salads'.

LostCovey

littlebug

I think a broader community education on what constitutes "wildlife and natural amenities" is needed. I know one community (not mine:D) where they created the most gorgeous little wildlife garden.. it really is lovely (though it probably didn't need hanging baskets added!). But... wildlife box ticked they went on to chop the hedges elsewhere and even mowed down wildflowers The message needs to get through to all at local level that the notion of wildlife friendly needs to permeate the community rather then one small corner. It's hard to change attitudes and beliefs held for decades though.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Very true. What Littlebug describes goes on all over the place. Near me one village developed a wildlife pond with 1/3mile wildlife walk around it. Lovely idea. Great for wildlife. But...the hedges between the pond and the village are chopped every June. Building little selfcontained wildlife areas does no good. We need continuous pathways for wildlife, that link these oasis projects. Those pathways are the hedges and fields between them. Not much use if we chop them or rid them of wildflowers in favour of neat hedges and bedding plants. There is too much box-ticking in the Tidy Towns. Plenty of interest in river walks and gardens for wildlife, as long as they are neat. Ivy on an old wall is accepted as it also looks nice but "weeds through a pile of stones" gets marked down. Nonsense really. Call a spade a spade and drop the wildlife aspect if they are not serious about it.

Mothman

Be careful about criticising the likes of hanging baskets when trying to promote a nature approach. One is in danger of immediately losing respect from the very people one may want to get on your side. Hanging baskets and nature are not in competition and can exist together quite happily.

LC has pointed out that the tide is turning. There was a change in points allocation awarded to wildlife a few years back, but I agree with Srameen that it is mainly lip service.
There does seem to be a template in place to include all habitats in a plan. But it would have to list everything that may be viewed as untidy such as the pile of stones, weeds, uncut hedges, long grass etc etc. It would be hard to cover everything.

The guide on conserving and enhancing wildlife is a good introduction.
Here is extract.

General Pointers
1 Leave things as they are: it is easier to keep existing habitats than to create new ones. Identify your existing habitats (hedgerows, grassland etc) on a map and include it in your wildlife conservation and enhancement plan. This will allow you to point out where the existing habitats are and highlight the fact that you are retaining them when competing in competitions such as Tidy Towns.
2 Networks of wildlife sites are more ecologically valuable than isolated wildlife areas. Where possible create linking corridors by planting, retaining, or even improving hedges, or keeping a strip of long grass along the road verges.
3 Appropriate species: the choice of appropriate tree and shrub species is very important in urban areas where there arerestrictionsonspace.Wherepossible,usenativespecies. Trees and shrubs that grow naturally in the surrounding countryside are often the best choice for your town or village.Theysupportlocalwildlife,thriveinyourclimaticand soilconditions,andrequirelittlemaintenance.Non-native species support less wildlife than natives. Some trees, such as the commonly used Leyland cypress and Lawson’s cypress, grow very fast, present maintenance problems, are visually intrusive and support little wildlife. They are not recommended for planting.
4 Sourcing Seed: When choosing seed mixes ensure the seed chosen is suitable to the site, that the material is of good quality and that plant health regulations are being followed. Where possible, a certificate of provenance, stating the origin of the material should be sought. Where possible, local plant material should be sourced. Do not plant so- called ‘wild-flower’ seed mixes.
5 Invasive weeds: some non-native plant species are very invasive. These include Japanese knotweed, rhododendron, Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed. If these weeds grow in your town or village, get specialist advice on how to remove them. If you manage your area in the right way, native local wild flowers will colonise it naturally. Never introduce any sort of pond plant into a stream or other natural watercourse. Let nature do the job herself!
6 Grass cutting: manage wide verges and amenity areas in a ‘hay meadow’ system with a first cut in June. Alternatively keep the grass cut until May and then leave it uncut until August. To demonstrate that this is a deliberate choice of management, close-cut a strip, one metre wide, around the uncut area. It is important to remove cut grass from areas managed for wildlife. Consider setting aside a screened area for composting. Composting units for smaller quantities of gardening refuse, including weeds and clippings, may be available from your local authority environmental awareness officer.
7 Interpretation: where appropriate, provide suitable interpretation to explain the wildlife interest of the area. Seek advice from your National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) conservation ranger and/or your local authority heritage officer.

I do think for a cultural change to overcome what LB mentioned "attitudes and beliefs held for decades" that Tidy Towns needs a name change and Tidy needs to be dropped. In out culture Tidy and wildlife do not mix. I've been dealing with this on a very local level...my garden ...or should I say "our" garden. Its been a constant battle between me wanting it "untidy" and OH wanting it tidy In fairness the untidyness has been almost fully embraced.

Although I'm miles from my local village, on the strength of this thread I will contact the village tidy towns committee. I won't have expectations, but if they're open minded then I may be in a position to influence. It'll be small steps, but any step in right direction is better than none.

Now back to hanging baskets, some plants choices for wildlife must be better than others....any suggestions

Cork boy 55

Maliah Victorious Gypsy wrote: »

I have been approached by several local Tidy Towns, groups over the years, to advise on wildlife initiatives, but I have a major problem with them.

Besides the fact that I feel the Tidy Towns allows councils to walk away from their responsibility to keep areas neat and clean; they have all baulked as soon as I said that they should stop cutting hedgerows in the lead up to the June judging. In addition to being in breach of the Wildlife legislation, it's just plain bad for wildlife. This is not what they want to hear. They want flagship projects and have little true interest in the basics of nature preservation - what scores points takes precedence over what is best for nature.:(

Is all the judging down in June?
Might it better if the judging was simply moved to different time of year.

Mothman

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

Is all the judging down in June?
Might it better if the judging was simply moved to different time of year.

I'd say one very good reason for judging in June is to get the towns etc "tidy" for the summer tourist season.
Can't see any chance of moving judging date.

Wildlife goes far beyond preventing the cutting of hedges. The judging date would make little difference to most aspects of wildlife.

littlebug

Mothman wrote: »

Be careful about criticising the likes of hanging baskets when trying to promote a nature approach.

guilty as charged. In the example I gave, individuals have taken it upon themselves to add to the wildlife garden without consultation with anyone about what the best additions should be. I suspect there has been some guerilla planting and worse I think my own mother has been involved :eek:.. which brings me to your other point

Now back to hanging baskets, some plants choices for wildlife must be better than others....any suggestions

this is part of the information that needs to get out there and I think a grassroots approach is needed. As you say I think it needs to get away from a focus on "tidy" towns, it's about community development with the environment, nature and wildlife being an inherent part of community. Attitudes will only change over generations by starting with the young. School and other community group involvement is key.... with input from the bird people, the butterfly people, the moth people . I could waffle on....

Although I'm miles from my local village, on the strength of this thread I will contact the village tidy towns committee. I won't have expectations, but if they're open minded then I may be in a position to influence. It'll be small steps, but any step in right direction is better than none.

Good on you maybe others will follow suit :cool: The village I live in has potential but I know that it's damned hard to get anyone involved in anything. Maybe I should do some guerilla planting of my own:p

Mothman

Here is an example of the ignorance with regard to wildlife.
Part of a recent press release about Wicklow Town.

As part of its programme of works for 2010, Wicklow Tidy Towns has planted some broad leaf native Irish trees along the popular Riverwalk. We have also planted some willow trees directly on the riverbank, which will overhang the water and greatly enhance the attractiveness of the area when established. The broad leaf trees, particularly the Sycamore trees, will help facilitate wildlife in the area.

I have highlighted 2 words that contradict.
Sycamore is NOT native and relative to many other trees are quite poor for biodiversity.
This is only a press release....Sycamore may not have been planted at all

jmkennedyie

Thanks for all the insights.

In my experience there is an opportunity to engage with (open-minded) TT committees to reduce negative impact and enhance wildlife locally.

One small thing to mention is that many Tidy Towns committees submit a "Tidy Towns Plan" as part of their annual entry. If people are getting in touch with their Tidy Towns committee the committee might have a plan which will reveal where their mindset is with regards to the environment.

I absolutely agree that a name change would be a great way of resetting mindsets - but obviously that's a big ask.

I'll be meeting some well known national environmental folks in a few weeks, I will see if they have any thoughts or suggestions on the topic of wildlife & TT.

I guess planning for the 2012 competition is already underway. If anyone has practical suggestions for improvements suggest posting them here or submitting them directly to TT: http://www.tidytowns.ie/contact.php

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Practical suggestion No. 1:- Stop trimming Hedges from the start of March.

LostCovey

Maliah Victorious Gypsy wrote: »

Practical suggestion No. 1:- Stop trimming Hedges from the start of March.

Well in the same way that Mothman suggests we need to drop our criticisms of hanging baskets (they are harmless, and people like them - fair points), I also think we may be dwelling too much on the hedges.

In an urban/suburban setting, there is simply no chance of convincing people not to trim hedges, and even if you win a biodiversity argument, you will be trumped by a road safety/sightlines argument.

And if we are honest, is the biodiversity of an untrimmed urban/suburban hedge going to be all that different to a trimmed one? Plenty of trimmed urban hedges have thriving house sparrow colonies. And a trimmed hedge will be probably still be there in five years or ten years. An untrimmed hedge, especially one the householder is being discouraged from trimming is in danger of being replaced by a wall.

I am talking here about trimming not topiary.

I think we can throw our hands up, and say " they will never understand" or we can try to work around it.

Maybe instead of trying to convert an urban landscape into a rural one, we should focus on some urban species that are in sharp decline, like house sparrows.

There should also be specific Tidy Town bonus points for house martin nests. Imagine if there was a point per nest for every house martin nest visible from the main shopping streets, and a half-point per occupied housemartin nestbox. I have seen their nests power-hosed off walls in the name of 'tidiness'.

Just a few ideas.

LostCovey

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

When I refer to Hedges I mean hedgerows - the hedges on the approach roads to small towns and villages. I constantly come across TT entrants trimming these hedgerows in advance of judging.

Bio-diversity may not alter greatly in a trimmed urban hedge versus an untrimmmed one but the impact of tractor driven hedge cutting on a hedgerow is immense.

Have a look at the winners in the TT competition; they are the smaller towns and villages. These are the very places where the so important approach roads consist of hedgerows.
We cannot dwell too much on hedges (the legal ban on cutting is there for a very good reason). Road safety and sightlines are valid arguments but don't apply to 80% of the cut hedges I come across. Certainly trim them at this time of year, or Jan/Feb, but not during the Summer.
I don't doubt that people will continue to trim hedges for the Tidy Towns but please don't then cliam to be providing enviromentally friendly features when it's just a points game being played.

LostCovey

Maliah Victorious Gypsy wrote: »

When I refer to Hedges I mean hedgerows - the hedges on the approach roads to small towns and villages. I constantly come across TT entrants trimming these hedgerows in advance of judging.

Bio-diversity may not alter greatly in a trimmed urban hedge versus an untrimmmed one but the impact of tractor driven hedge cutting on a hedgerow is immense.

Have a look at the winners in the TT competition; they are the smaller towns and villages. These are the very places where the so important approach roads consist of hedgerows.
We cannot dwell too much on hedges (the legal ban on cutting is there for a very good reason). Road safety and sightlines are valid arguments but don't apply to 80% of the cut hedges I come across. Certainly trim them at this time of year, or Jan/Feb, but not during the Summer.
I don't doubt that people will continue to trim hedges for the Tidy Towns but please don't then cliam to be providing enviromentally friendly features when it's just a points game being played.

No argument there, but flailing rural hedges is a criminal offence, can these not be reported to the NPWS?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

LostCovey wrote: »

No argument there, but flailing rural hedges is a criminal offence, can these not be reported to the NPWS?

Guess how far that gets. :rolleyes:

jmkennedyie

Re hanging baskets they do require regular watering which is becoming more of an issue. There is an effort now to use plants that tolerate dry conditions in hanging baskets.

Re hedgerows fully appreciate their importance. Indeed should be trimmed as late in winter as possible to give birds a chance to eat the berries. Even winter trimming can be an issue if I recall: hawthorn only flowers / fruits in second season of growth so a hawthorn hedge trimmed on all three sides every winter may be as good as fruitless.

TT results are based on points of course, so perhaps specific points for TT committees that map, survey, and appropriately maintain their hedgerow habitats.

Cool idea of points for breeding house martins. Swift another vulnerable species that could be specifically protected / encouraged. Maybe Peregrine, Tree Sparrow, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel, owl boxes. Kingfisher bank? Bat roosts? Dragonfly / Butterfly species?

Maybe bonus points for particular indicator species e.g. breeding raptors implying healthy bird / rodent populations...otter? stoat? pine marten?

LostCovey

jmkennedyie wrote: »

Re hanging baskets they do require regular watering which is becoming more of an issue. There is an effort now to use plants that tolerate dry conditions in hanging baskets.

Re hedgerows fully appreciate their importance. Indeed should be trimmed as late in winter as possible to give birds a chance to eat the berries. Even winter trimming can be an issue if I recall: hawthorn only flowers / fruits in second season of growth so a hawthorn hedge trimmed on all three sides every winter may be as good as fruitless.

TT results are based on points of course, so perhaps specific points for TT committees that map, survey, and appropriately maintain their hedgerow habitats.

Cool idea of points for breeding house martins. Swift another vulnerable species that could be specifically protected / encouraged. Maybe Peregrine, Tree Sparrow, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel, owl boxes. Kingfisher bank? Bat roosts? Dragonfly / Butterfly species?

Maybe bonus points for particular indicator species e.g. breeding raptors implying healthy bird / rodent populations...otter? stoat? pine marten?

All good, but I suppose you would want very knowledgeable judges who would spot Dipper droppings or Otter tracks in streams, or whatever.

However the main impact would come not so much from the points as the message from the top that biodiversity was going to be scored and not just rosebeds etc (I have nothing against a nice rose bed!).

At the same time, people who do know ' a bit more than the average ' (looking at you Srameen) have to continue to engage, and the same goes for the rest of us whose enthusiasm might be a bit ahead of our formal knowledge.

We can't walk off the first time someone uses Roundup where a few minutes of strimming or weeding would get the same result, and with persistence, maybe the message might get through.

I have got involved in our local village and I try to mix constant harping on the wildlife biodiversity angle with plenty of legwork on litter picking, sign washing, painting etc etc - I hope that showing a bit of effort at the stuff they worry about will buy some credit for the stuff I am interested in.

In fairness I think Tidy Towns Committees are mostly doing their very best. Some are misguided but their heart is in the right place.

I would rate even the most obsessively "tidy" ones a long way ahead of the average citizen who does nothing only sling the filling station coffee cups out the window when they are pulling in to fill the next one.

LostCovey

Mothman

LostCovey wrote: »

I would rate even the most obsessively "tidy" ones a long way ahead of the average citizen ...

Indeed they are out there doing their bit for their environment, and while their end game is points, I think many would happily learn about wildlife matters

Jim Martin

With regards to the illegal hedge-cutting issue - the IWT have an ongoing campaign for such cases to be reported to them:

http://iwt.ie/what-we-do/hedgerows/

Traonach

I've had differences of opinions with the Tidy-Towns lads in the past. I sowed wildflowers (annuals), furze and willow on the roadside verges beside my house. They "trimmed" them all. I caught them in the act. I asked them why did they chop up all the plants. "There all ugly weeds" they said. They also complained on my overgrown native garden hedgerow and asked me would I trim it for the judging.:mad:

whyulittle

I think I posted this here earlier in the year, but came across some results on it last night.

Predatory Mink Project – status ongoing

This environmental initiative resulted in a cull of 24 mink during the period Jan to Sept 2011. This initiative was widely reported locally and nationally both in the papers and radio. We were advised throughout the project by our local NPWS officers. It is planned to recommence the project in Jan 2012

http://athlonetidytowns.ie/projects/wildlife-nature-amenities/

CJhaughey

My mother has had issues with the tidy towns people in our area, she was doing nature walks with interested people and explaining the need for Biodiversity and the need for weeds etc.
One of the tidy towns committee piped up with * you don't need to have biodiversity everywhere though do you? *
My mother has alomost given up hope, with the hedge hacking and lots of the understory of trees being cut away the damage being inflicted is incredible and wil take a long time to recover in many areas.