PROJECTS 2003 -2004

• Pond clearance
• Wildflower garden.
• The trout project
• The allotment
• The national bluebell survey

The pond in the science wild area suffered badly in the summer of 2003: it became covered with a blanket of algae and the pond edges gradually silted up, helped by a dry summer. A small team spent several lunchtimes removing the algae. Although autumn rains restored water levels to normal, a water butt was donated to us. This allowed topping up of the pond (and watering of the plants in the greenhouse) without wasting tap water.

Further pond clearance (of the ornamental pond) took place in November.

Frogspawn in the pond

A digging session in spring was carried out by many members of the group. The wild area had previously been seeded with wild flowers and the aim of the dig was to remove troublesome coarse grasses and sedges to allow the germination of the seeds shed in the previous summer. The garden was very pretty for a short time in June when three different species of poppies apperaed. However, by late July, the sedges and coarse grasses had again become dominant.

In July, Stewarts Gardenlands were kind enough to give us 100 pots of native British species, and they were presented to Jack Campion, along with two fruit trees for the allotment.  (Jack wrote to the Managing Director requesting help and Gardenlands were happy to oblige). The wild flowers were planted in specific areas in the wild area, so that if further digging is required, these plants will not be disturbed.

In the Spring term, students assisted with a trout-rearing project, cleaning the tanks, feeding, and releasing into a local lake. Mr Reading obtained a thousand trout eggs and a simple hatchery was set up in a lab. Students compiled a log and this showed that, by the time the young trout were released, very few indeed had been lost.

We were concerned that the fish , being reared in an unnatural environment, would be prone to disease. Temperature was therefore constantly monitored, and with the aid of a purchased chiller, we were able to maintain a temperature below 14^oC.

Trout release in May

The project will be repeated this year, but, having monitored water use, we will recycle the water. When the trout were released, a few were retained, and a trial carried out with recycled water. The success of this trial suggests that using recycled water will be the best way forward this year.

Trout growth data is available here

The allotment project has its own section on this website. The photograph below shows Eco members engaged in weed clearance. We were helped by Emma Cookson from New Forest District Council.

In May, several students took part in this important survey that was set up to see to what extent the English bluebell was being threatened by the more aggressive Spanish bluebell. We found that most of the bluebells in the New Forest are English, while those in gardens tend to be Spanish. Those by roadsides are mixed and often form hybrids. The roadside habitat seems to be the most under threat. Our results were sent to the Woodland Trust who coordinated the survey.

English Bluebells in the New Forest

Some students have enrolled as recorders in phenology and are contributing to national records. What's phenology? Click here!

In December, a subgroup was set up to examine the feasibility of setting up solar panels and a wind turbine in the school grounds. Mr Edmonson, with a group of sixth form boys, is working on the project (which is, at the time of writing, still at the research stage). We already have an alternator, a new car battery (donated by Steve Campion, a parent) and lots of enthusiasm!