Ten Tors Managers’ Presentation Robert Steemson – Head Ranger 8 October 2016

Dartmoor National Park is one of a ‘family’ of UK National Park Authorities that have been established to protect and enhance on a landscape scale and to provide opportunities for public access, enjoyment and understanding. Dartmoor was one of the first four UK National Parks – set up in 1951

National Park Purposes The statutory purposes of the National Parks as stated in the Environment Act, 1995 are : to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Parks. to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Parks by the public. The purposes and ‘duty’ are the operating principles. Importantly – UK National Parks are not state owned – as in Europe and America – so we work with landowners and other interest groups to influence and direct change, conservation and management activity. The National Park Authorities also have a duty to seek to foster the social and economic well-being of local communities with the National Parks.

Combestone Tor Granite and the iconic, emergent tors are what define the landscape of Dartmoor. Granite as a bed-rock slows water run-off – thus much of the high moor is wet and covered with blanket bog. Tors are the weathered form of granite - their shapes sculpted by both freeze-thaw and warm climate weathering over geological timescales. The uplifted granite also affects the weather – it is wetter, colder and windier on the tops!

Farmed landscape with grazing animals The real change came around 5,000 years ago when the first setllers moved from being hunter gatherers to becoming farmers – clearing large areas of land to improve grazing for their animals: cattle, sheep and ponies. All of these animals are still grazed on Dartmoor to this day.

Merrivale Stone Row The people who settled on Dartmoor also left significant ritual remains in the form of stone rows, burial chambers (called cists), round-houses (dwellings). These people also changed from using flint tools to being able to produce bronze.

Blanket Bog - North Moor Blanket bog – in addition to being important as a habitat and rich in biodiversity – is responsible for locking up large amounts of carbon. It is estimated that the blanket bog on Dartmoor holds 10 years worth of Devon’s carbon production. Blanket bog is a thin living skin of mosses – mostly Sphagnum species – over a semi-liquid mass of partly decayed vegetation. Currently the “Mire’s Project” is restoring old peat cuttings to increase blanket bog on the high moor.

Industrialisation Dartmoor’s resources are not just landscape and farming – minerals: particularly tin, copper, arsenic and building materials such as the granite itself have all been important. Their extraction has left a rich industrial legacy.

Sphagnum Moss & Sundew Some close ups of Dartmoor’s important plants: Sphagnum – important to formation of blanket bog Sundew – an insectivorous plant that relies on catching insects to supplement nutrients because the soils on the moor are so poor.

A variety of lichens Lichens – of this size and complexity indicate excellent air quality.

Wildlife - Invertebrates Don’t forget the importance of creepy-crawlies! Without insects many biologicsl systems just wouldn’t function – they play a vital role, in ecosystem-services. Invertebrates

Fantastic Fungi

Wildlife - Birds Skylark – one of the important ‘ground nesting birds’

Protecting ground nesting birds

Transferring bird nesting areas to 1:25,000 OS Map

Military Training Dartmoor’s wild, open landscape has been used as a resource by the military for hundreds of years.

The temptation of ‘open landscape’

Choosing the easier route

Changing Weather

Problems Litter, overnight parking and dogs

Recreation Recreation The same qualities – wild, open landscape – are enjoyed by millions of recreational users each year. Recreation

Path erosion

Introducing Donate for Dartmoor This is our new donation scheme aimed at the general public. It has taken over from the £ for the Park scheme originally for Event Organisers. People can donate their: Money – to help fund projects Time – to help with Volunteering tasks Donate for Dartmoor has replaced £ for the Park. Targetted Event Organisers, so widened this to appeal to the general public. Event Organisers and event participants are still encouraged to make a donation – these will go to our Recreational Dartmoor fund. Rebranded as Donate for Dartmoor – now includes donating MONEY and TIME for volunteering.

The Ten Tors Policy Committee supports this scheme FTT 4 – Acceptance Form The “Donate for Dartmoor” initiative is a voluntary donation scheme - participants taking part in all organised events are invited to make a £1 donation in addition to their entry fee The Ten Tors Policy Committee supports this scheme Donations will be ring-fenced and used for practical access repairs and improvements, as well as to support conservation projects Voluntary Donation to the National Park Authority. The “£ for the Park” initiative is a voluntary donation scheme whereby participants taking part in organised events are invited to make a £1 donation in addition to their entry fee, thus enabling them to put something back into Dartmoor. The Ten Tors Policy Committee supports this scheme and recommends donations of at least £1 per team. Your voluntary contribution will be used to support access and conservation projects in the Dartmoor National Park. Please add any donation you wish to make to your fee. All £ for the Park donations will be passed onto the National Park Authority. Donations will be ring-fenced and used for practical access repairs and improvements, as well as to support conservation projects. If you have suggestions for suitable projects, please inform the Head Ranger, Rob Steemson, at rsteemson@dartmoor.gov.uk .

How does it work?

Donate for Dartmoor - Recreational There are miles of footpaths and bridleways across the National Park. Help us to maintain these popular recreational routes through path repairs, new signage and improved access. Money raised will help the following projects: Repairing Nun’s Cross Path After successfully repairing and improving a 3km section we are presently repairing the area between Nun’s Cross Farm to Eylesbarrow. Route improvements and repairs to a 4km section of this popular walking and cycling route has already been part of the British Mountaineering Council’s Mend our Mountains crowdfunding project. Two Moors Way and Public Rights of Way We have an ambition to remove stiles and replace them with gates across a network of public paths and trails, creating easier access for people with limited mobility and those walking with their dog. You could help by donating money to replace a worn out gate, or donate a new gate. Here’s how your money could help: £10 pays for 10 small waymark signs £30 pays for 1 metre of footpath to be resurfaced £150 pays for a new wooden gate

Donate for Dartmoor – Natural Dartmoor Helping the House Martin The creation of wildlflower meadows and garden ponds will be encouraged in order to provide more insect life, mud and water for the house martins. Conserving the Southern Damselfly Up to 25% of the world population are located in southern England and Wales, where it is on the northern edge of its range fortunately, there are three sites on Dartmoor where the southern damselfly can be found. Last stand of the Mountain Blackbird Dartmoor is the last remaining place in southern England where the Ring Ouzel, our mountain blackbird, still breeds. Here’s how your money could help: £10 pays for materials to make 5 house martin nests £30 pays for 4 bales of species-rich hay (enough to turn 24 square metres into a wildflower meadow) £150 pays for the running of a volunteer day to carry out habitat management that will benefit southern damselfly sites.

Donate for Dartmoor - Historic Dartmoor’s rich, historic past dates back thousands of years and can be seen across its moorland landscape. Laser scanning of stone crosses Using the latest technology, we will scan and record Dartmoor’s stone crosses whereby 3D replica models will be made and then displayed in new locations, enabling the important archaeology to be accessible to all. Bringing Dartmoor to the classroom We will create replicas of archaeological items relating to a specific time period, which will then be put into a box and loaned out to schools who do not have the means to travel to Dartmoor, giving them a hands-on encounter with the past. Preserving the future of the past We will carry out conservation work on individual archaeological sites across Dartmoor which fall outside of the scheduled monuments category, but which are deemed of equal significance. Here’s how your money could help: £20 pays for clearance of bracken from a hut circle £150 pays for a Bronze Age axe head casting replica £250 pays for a Scanning Specialist for the day

Donate for Dartmoor Over the four years that DNPA have requested donations from Ten Tors we have received a total of £6,078. Thank you very much.

Manga Rails

Contractor repairing path

Swincombe Bridge

Volunteering – Teign School

Volunteering – Gordano Scouts

Volunteering

Ranger Service The Ranger Service works closely with landowners to maintain signs, gates, stiles and bridges spread across 730kms of Public Rights of Way All of the various users of Dartmoor – farmers, military, recreational, forestry, water supply, mineral extraction – have an impact on the fabric of the moor. The National Park Authority works with these stakeholders to minimise damage and maximise conservation benefit and access – and this sometimes involves undertaking specific work ourselves…

Information and Education

Living, working landscape Dartmoor remains a living, working landscape – it is not preserved as a theme park. This brings opportunities as well as challenges.

Livestock Protection Officer Karla McKechnie 07873 587561

Can you help? Robert Steemson 07711 856206 rsteemson@dartmoor.gov.uk

Dartmoor’s majestic scenery, wide open spaces, habitats and wildlife, cultural heritage – all make up elements of this special, protected landscape