During May we had contractors out on the project site at Rhos Goch removing the top layer of some sections of the bog surface. It might at first-sight be considered a severe way of ‘restoring’ a bog, but scrapes are proven and effective ways of removing areas that have been dominated by scrub and invasive vegetation. This intervention gives the scraped ground a chance to recover (which it does quickly!) and lets the “bog building” mosses return without so much competition from other plants and grasses. We completed a scrape of one hectare of land – roughly the size of a football field and we added almost a kilometre of fencing to stop animals from entering the waterlogged area left by the intervention.

Here's a lovely video showing the before, during and after at Rhos Goch….we’ll post more updates soon to show the full recovery:

LIFEquake - Crafu arwyneb y gors yn Rhos Goch / Scraping the bog surface at Rhos Goch (youtube.com)

June 6^th 2024 will forever be known as Bog Fest Day! We were joined by around 50 community members, peatland professionals, stakeholders, supporters and friends of the project at Crymlyn visitor centre for a full day of sharing and celebrating these amazing wetland landscapes. After a video welcome message from NRW Chief Executive Clare Pillman and well-known naturalist Iolo Williams, our guest speakers covered topics such a local hydrology, canal systems, unexploded ordinance in peat, invertebrates, community engagement…and the academic talks were punctuated with the appearance of Cyfarwydd, Ceri John Phillips who transported the gathering to magical, mythical times when these ancient landscapes were young and our history was being shaped.

Following this year’s success, Bog Fest will be an annual event, so keep an eye on our social media and future newsletters to find out when the next one is happening and how you might attend or be involved!

Here are some picture highlights of Bog Fest 2024:

The amazing Pistenbully wetland harvester has been in action out on Crymlyn bog in the early part of this year…with a considerable mowing phase planned to commence in September alongside a huge effort to reduce the scrub  growing onsite. A contractor has now been appointed to clear the vegetation blocking the Glan Y Wern Canal. We successfully mowed 5 hectares of the bog surface, with the Pistenbully expected to be busy out on Crymlyn throughout the Autumn.

Here’s a short video showing the machine in action with some amazing aerial footage to evidence just how effective this intervention can be:

Cynnydd Cychwynnol LIFEquake yng Nghors Crymlyn / LIFEquake Wetland Harvester at Crymlyn Bog. (youtube.com)

LIFEquake and other LIFE projects hosted by Natural Resources Wales were delighted to host a large contingent of visiting LIFE colleagues from various Swedish projects at the end of May. Around 35 members from a variety of projects within ‘GRIP on LIFE’ were received at Crymlyn Visitor Centre on day one and Cors Caron on Day 2. The two days comprised delegates and representatives from all gathered projects delivering presentations sharing experience, learning and best practice. There were walking tours of the peatland sites and additional site visits from our fellow river restoration projects. It really is wonderful to be a part of the global LIFE family…such a variety of amazing projects all pulling together to restore, maintain and celebrate precious, varied landscapes.

Here are some pictures of the days:

One of LIFEquake’s key objectives is to reduce and control significant areas of invasive vegetation on our project sites. One of the invasive non-native species (INNS) that needs considerable attention is the Himalayan balsam plant – a particular problem on our Crymlyn reserve. We’re utilising a number of different techniques to remove and control the balsam onsite – but perhaps the most engaging way is to bring in volunteer groups to physically pull them from the ground – particularly effective in the harder to reach parts of the reserve where strimming would cause unnecessary damage to other plants.

Over the summer we received a large number of volunteers from the local community and hosted many ‘Balsam Bashes’ populated by colleagues from other NRW teams.

A special mention to LIFEquake project officer Dan, who organised and led volunteer activity in a new partnership we’ve formed with the Eryri Society. We were delighted to have them with us on Cors Gyfelog and very much look forward to holding more volunteer days with them in the future.

Here are some pictures of the days:

We’ve really enjoyed the abundance of plant and animal life on our project sites this summer.

From June onwards, the flowering plants are fully in bloom, bringing the pollinators in and the variety of birds that provide the perfect soundtrack to this incredible habitat.

Here are two short videos showcasing the Cotton Grass on our Pembrokeshire sites and the Birdsong captured ringing around the reserve at Crymlyn:

Birdsong at Crymlyn Bog: https://youtu.be/p1fkykOAfTQ

Cotton Grass Poem: https://youtu.be/1D42GWbyWts