Hatchet Pond needs you!
Hatchet Pond is the New Forest’s largest body of fresh water and home to rare wetland plants and wildlife lost from many other parts of the UK. As the most wildlife rich water body of its type remaining in lowland England, it has the highest possible conservation status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest & a Special Area for Conservation.
Unfortunately, this special place is now threatened by pollution and over-use. Eroding banks, flooding and disturbance of the water are all destroying the health of Hatchet Pond, and the plants and wildlife that rely on it are in decline. Works to protect the area started in 2019 but unprecedented pressures experienced during the easing of lockdown has accelerated the plans by Forestry England, Freshwater Habitats Trust, and Natural England.
The agreed action plan includes several key measures:
Forestry England, Freshwater Habitats Trust and Natural England have put an action plan in place to help protect it, including several key measures:
- Relocating the car park, subject to planning consent, further away from the water but retaining views over it.
- Removal of the toilet block to reduce a major risk of flooding and pollution
- Improved public information and signs explaining the importance of the Pond
It’s a good start, but for the action plan to work, people need to change their behaviour, and fast!
So - what can we do in East Boldre to help this special place survive?
- Don’t enter the water for swimming, or any other reason
- Don’t allow dogs into the water.
- Don’t cycle on the paths and land around it, they are not cycle tracks!
- Educate your friends and family
We all find it difficult to change our habits, but when there’s so much at stake it has to be worth it. Let’s all be proud custodians of Hatchet Pond, so that it remains a rare and beautiful special place for generations to come.
Signage giving local people and visitors to the site information about the plans and the special features of Hatchet Pond will be posted shortly at the site and at nearby car parks and walking routes.
The attached briefing document provides further background on the current health of Hatchet Pond and the measures being taken. Information is also available at www.forestryengland.uk/hatchet-pond and this will be updated as the project progresses.
How Covid 19 affected Hatchet Pond and other outdoor spaces
1. What’s happened since mid-May
- Much of the Forest has experience unprecedented numbers of people – as have outdoor spaces (and beaches) across the UK
- Numbers of people have often been weather dependent; places with water have attracted many people on hot days
- These people include both local residents (on day trips) and people on holiday from further away
- Many are ‘first time visitors’ who do not know the Forest well – they simply Google / check websites / Instagram etc. and go to attractive, free, countryside places with what they hope will be space to spread out – Hatchet Pond must be one of the most photographed places in the New Forest
- Simplified New Forest Code agreed with partner organisations and widely publicised / lots of social media work
2. National Park Authority ranger work
- We have had 4 rangers/staff out each day including weekends, with revised mode of operation (patrolling, rather than staying in one location e.g. with the Mobile Information Unit). We have not attended events or done other work we would normally have done.
- Very close working with Forestry England staff – we have helped them (Crown Land is their land and primary responsibility). Fire Service and Police have also helped (including recent Bank Holiday weekend)
- Our initial focus was on BBQs (with associated call for a ban on sales) because of high risk of very damaging wildfires – Fire Service help with this. 50+ local retailers have stopped selling BBQs. Thankfully we didn’t have a huge fire like the one in Wareham.
- Rangers have been litter picking whilst patrolling – we find this helps us to then talk with people having picnics etc. (Thanks also to many volunteers, e.g. Litter Pickers of the New Forest, and more recently hundreds of New Forest Ambassadors)
- Plus Rangers have done their best to deal with everything else!
- We have deliberately covered daytime so that Forestry England keepers could rest and then do evening/night/early morning when some of the more serious and potentially damaging activities tend to happen
3. Hatchet Pond in perspective
- One of the very best wetland sites in the New Forest / rich in wildlife
- Popular with visitors for many decades
- One of quite a few places across the Forest with water and multiple issues (inc. Eyeworth Pond, Janesmoor Pond, Puttles Bridge, Balmer Lawn, Ober Corner and Wootton Bridge)
- Issues definitely worse this year: boating, petting and feeding of ponies, BBQs, litter, gazebos, and especially verge parking…
- Type and number of signs increased by Forestry England but not everyone reads them / some think they know better
- Large site to manage – would need 4+ staff from 9am – 9pm to keep on top of everything
- Police use the four ‘E’s: Engage, Explain, Encourage, Enforce (as a last resort). The vast majority of people we have engaged with have been happy to comply with requests when reasons are explained
4. The future
- We will be reviewing how things have gone / how we can do better / including how we work with the Police
- Improving how organisations deal with illegal recreation-related activities is one of the Recreation Management Strategy actions agreed last year – ongoing discussions / various avenues being explored
- Option to involve more trained volunteers, including CDA members who have recently received engagement training.
- Forestry England staff willing to set up bespoke meeting with parish councillors