Travellers on Putney Heath

At Wandsworth County Court on 28th October, the Conservators were granted an immediate Order for Possession of the land at the top of Telegraph Road currently occupied by the travellers. A Warrant for Possession has also been lodged with the Court.

As they have not immediately left the site, the Bailiffs can step in to move them on. We are currently waiting to hear from the Bailiffs when that will be.

Update: 3rd November - The Bailiff is waiting to receive the Warrant from the Clerk of the Court before she can execute the Order for Possession.

Update: 4th November - We have been advised that the Warrant has been issued by the Clerk of the Court today and will be handed to the Bailiff on Friday. The Bailiff will then advise us when they will execute the Warrant.

Update: 5th November - The Bailiff has now received the warrant. She will execute this on Monday morning and the travellers must be off the site by Friday.

Travellers on Putney Heath

The Ranger's Office and the Conservators are aware of the travellers on Putney Heath.

The necessary legal process is in hand to have them removed as quickly as possible.

DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS!

Please be aware in this current hot weather that leaving your dog in your car, even for a short time, can be fatal to your dog.  If we are made aware that a dog is in distress in a vehicle and the owner cannot be located, our staff will break into the car to get the dog out. Under the Animal Welfare Act, you now have a legal duty to care for your animal and if you put your animal at risk, you could face prosecution.

Even walking your dog in the heat of the day can be dangerous, so please think twice about throwing those balls or having your dog running alongside your bike during the day. Try to keep long walks to the cool of the early morning. Please also bear in mind that dogs lose body heat through their paws so you do also need to take care when walking in the evening: it may feel cool but the ground is still very warm.

Tips for hot weather

Your dog should always be able to move into a cooler, ventilated environment if he/she is feeling hot.

Never leave your dog alone in a car. If you want to take your dog with you on a car journey, make sure that your destination is dog-friendly – you won’t be able to leave your dog in the car and you don’t want your day out to be ruined!

If you have to leave your dog outside, you must provide a cool shady spot where he/she can escape from the sun at all times of the day.

Make sure your dog always has a good supply of drinking water, in a weighted bowl that can’t be knocked over. Carry water with you on hot days and give your dog frequent small amounts.

Never leave your dog in a glass conservatory or a caravan. Even if it is cloudy when you leave, the sun may come out later in the day and make it unbearably hot.
Groom your dog regularly to get rid of excess hair. Give long-coated breeds a haircut at the start of the summer, and later in the season, if necessary.

Dogs need exercise - even when it is hot. Walk your dog early in the morning or later in the evening. Never allow your dog to exercise excessively in hot weather.

Dogs can get sunburned too – particularly those with light-coloured noses or light-coloured fur on their ears. Ask your vet for advice on pet-safe sunscreen.

Early warning signs for heatstroke

Heatstroke can be fatal. Do everything you can to prevent it.

Some dogs are more prone to heatstroke. For example, dogs with short snouts, fatter or heavily muscled dogs and long-haired breeds, as well as very old or very young dogs. Dogs with certain diseases are more prone to heatstroke, as are dogs on certain medication.

If dogs are unable to reduce their body temperature, they will develop heatstroke.
There are some signs to look for:

heavy panting
profuse salivation
a rapid pulse
very red gums/tongue
lethargy
lack of coordination
reluctance or inability to rise after collapsing
vomiting
diarrhoea
loss of consciousness in extreme circumstances.

First Aid for Heatstroke

If your dog shows any symptoms of heatstroke, move him/her to a shaded, cool area and ring your vet for advice immediately. Heatstroke can be fatal and should always be treated as an emergency.

Dogs suffering from heatstroke urgently need to have their body temperature gradually lowered.

Immediately douse your dog with cool (not cold) water, to avoid shock – you could put your dog in a shower and run cool water over him/her, or use a spray filled with cool water and place your dog in the breeze of a fan.

Let your dog drink small amounts of cool water.

Continue to douse your dog with cool water until his/her breathing starts to settle – never cool your dog so much that he/she begins to shiver.

Once you have cooled your dog down you should take him/her straight to the veterinary surgery.

Drinking Fountain near the Windmill

As many of you are aware, the drinking fountain near the windmill has been out of operation for some months.  Despite numerous attempts at repair it continued to stop working and, unfortunately, the parts required to fix the problem were no longer made.

The Conservators were therefore extremely grateful when a local resident offered a very timely and generous donation for the restoration of the original drinking fountain and the horse trough.  This donation was matched by the Drinking Fountain Association who have worked with restoration specialists to restore both the trough and the drinking fountain to their former glory.

Whilst the major part of the restoration has been completed, the specialist is waiting for the delivery of parts for the drinking fountain that needed to be specially made.  We hope it will all be up and running again in the next week or two. 

Conservators' Annual Open Meeting

The Conservators Annual Open Meeting takes place this evening (Monday 21st June 2010) at 8pm at The Cornerstone, Alton Road Roehampton SW15 4LG

The meeting is open to all Levypayers and there will be an opportunity for you to ask questions of the Conservators and the Clerk & Ranger, Chief Executive at the end of the meeting.

Travellers at Putney Lower Common

We are pleased to report that the travellers on Putney Lower Common have now left the Common.

With such a rich variety of wildlife using the Commons, occasions may arise when extra care is required to ensure the safety of certain animals in need.

On Wednesday 9th June, the Rangers Office was contacted by a local resident who had managed to round up six Mallard ducklings they had found wandering the grounds of Highlands Heath.

The vulnerability of the six ducklings to predation was plain to see and after an unsuccessful search for the parent birds, the ducklings were brought to the Rangers Office.

Without the protection of their mother, one of the greatest dangers faced by any young bird is the ability to maintain their body heat.

Therefore, on arrival at the Rangers Office, staff ensured the ducklings were placed underneath a heat lamp and given access to clean water and food.

Unfortunately, it soon became evident that one of the ducklings was beginning to show signs of distress and gradually it began to lose much of its strength.

The good news however is that after one hour of being carefully wrapped in a towel and placed on a hot water bottle, the ailing duckling soon regained full strength and was able to re join its siblings.



















The six ducklings are now being cared for by the team at the Riverside Animal Centre and should be released on the Commons once they have grown strong enough to look after themselves.

Gypsies on Putney Lower Common

We are aware that there is a family of travellers on Putney Lower Common.

Measures are in hand to have the family removed, however, there is a legal process that has to be followed

Litter litter everywhere.

Litter, it seems, has become a fact of life.

What a sad indictment that is on today's society.

Yesterday was a beautiful day and a lot of people were out enjoying the sunshine on the Common, particularly on Rushmere. Family picnics, children playing...it's lovely to see. What isn't so lovely to see is the litter left lying around once everyone has gone home.

The Ranger's Office received an e-mnail this morning from a local resident who, last night, collected three rubbish bags full of litter from what appeared to be only one group of people. This morning, two members of staff had to spend over 2 hours picking up the remainder of the litter. It will be the same tomorrow morning.

Have we become a society so uncaring about our surroundings that people can walk away from a local beauty spot without a backwards glance, or a single guilty thought, at the rubbish they've left spread out behind them?

We are often asked why we don't install more bins in the area. What would this solve? If people aren't prepared to pick up their litter in the first place, putting extra bins in place isn't going to help.

So this is a plea to all of you that use the Commons.....Please pick up your rubbish!

As ever, our thanks go out to all those that do pick up their rubbish, and that of others to try and keep the Commons at their best for everyone. It is very much appreciated.

Fires on the Commons

Over the last three weeks, we have had several fires on both Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath. A few we have put out ourselves, but two have required the services of the local fire brigade.

Fortunately there was not too much damage done but it is still relatively early in the year and the ground is not as dry as it can be in mid-summer and this prevented the fires from really taking hold and causing serious damage to the flora and fauna.

But it does go to show, that even now, fire can take hold very easily. It is for this reason that barbeques are not permitted anywhere on the Commons. Please also be careful if you smoke whilst on the Commons - a carelessly discarded cigarette can easily start a fire too.

We want you to enjoy the Commons and we really don't want to be spoilsports and stop your summer fun, but the Commons are an important ecological area and the damage a fire can do to this important habitat can be devastating.

Our thanks go to the firemen of Wandsworth and Wimbledon for their prompt action in getting the recent fires under control so quickly.

Commons Newsletter - May 2010

The Commons Newsletter is now being distributed to all our Levypayers. If you do not receive your copy by 28th May, could you please contact the Ranger's Office to let us know. rangersoffice@wpcc.org.uk

Commons Newsletter

The 2009 Commons News is currently being distributed to all Commons' Levy-Payers. If you have not received your copy by Friday 22nd May, please contact the Ranger's Office on 020 8788 7655 or by e-mail: rangersoffice@wpcc.org.uk

Results of Conservators' election

The results of the recent election for Conservators is as follows:

David Devons 9,969 votes ELECTED
Diana de Coverly Veale 9,289 votes ELECTED
Andrew Simon 9,196 votes ELECTED
Norman Plastow 8,380 votes ELECTED
John Horrocks 8,378 votes ELECTED
Peter Pemberton 6,408 votes
Edward Harris 4,173 votes

22.4% of levy-payers voted, an increase on the 21% who voted in the 2006 election.

Did you vote? If not, was there any reason why not? The Conservators would be interested to know what would encourage more people to vote in future elections.

Website problems

We are currently experiencing a few issues with our website at www.wpcc.org.uk so it is not as up-to-date as it should be. We hope to rectify this problem as soon as possible.

DANGER! THIN ICE!!

With this recent cold spell, most of the ponds on Wimbledon Common and Putney Heath are freezing over. They look lovely and the ice looks pretty solid and the temptation to try to skate on them or wander out onto the ice must be a little overhelming.

But please be very very careful.

The ice may look thick and solid enough to bear even the weight of a child, but it isn't. It can easily break and to risk a toddler fallng through into that ice cold water is not something anyone should be contemplating.

We don't want to spoil anyone's fun, but please tread very carefully.

Tia, a Jack Russell puppy is missing. Have you seen her?

Tia, a young Jack Russell puppy, went missing from Wimbledon Common on Sunday 17th August. She was spooked by another dog and ran off with her extendable lead still attached. If you have seen Tia or have any information, please call her distraught owners on 07770 483645 or the Ranger's Office on 020 8788 7655.

Water Trough

We apologise for the water fountain being out of order.

We are awaiting parts but as it is no longer made it is proving difficult to get the items we need.

We aplogise for any inconvenience.

Wimbledon & Putney Commons Open Day! Sunday 13th July

Well, what a day it turned out to be! With the weather still very wet on Saturday evening, we were beginning to panic about what the Open Day would have in store for us but lut luck was on our side and the day dawned bright and sunny and, apart from a few cloudy intervals, stayed that way all day.

All the staff would like to thank everyone who helped make the day a success...the charity stall holders, those giving demonstrations in the arena and, most of all, to you, the public for turning out once again to support us!

Here's a selection of photographs from the day:

Grooming demonstration:

Flyball

Shire Horse from Richmond Park

Troops from the Household Division

The dog show and the Dog Race!

Donkey Rides

Wimbledon Village Stables - Musical Ride

Falcon High Birds of Prey

Mounted Keepers strutting their stuff:

We hope you all enjoyed the day and we look forward to seeing you again on the 12th July 2009!

Caterpillars

If you should go down to the woods today and discover a caterpillar or two in your hair or on your clothing don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal for this time of year.

With the rising temperatures of late spring providing a catalyst for growth, the deciduous woodlands of the British Isles increasingly act as a larder for thousands of hidden creatures.

For many of us who enjoy the commons, this situation was recently highlighted by the large numbers of caterpillars that could be seen suspended from their silky life-lines above the commons many woodland tracks.

Among others, one of the most prolific caterpillars to be seen throughout the commons predominantly Oak woodlands has been the green oak tortrix (Tortrix viridana).

Easily identified, the green oak tortrix caterpillar is entirely green in colour and rarely exceeds 12mm in length. Reaching maturity the moth also remains completely green with a wingspan of approximately 20mm.

Coinciding with the initial burst of leaf development, the caterpillars are active as soon as the leaves unfold and steadily feed until the maturing leaves fill with tannin and become unpalatable for the caterpillars consumption. While the damage to leaves is sometimes striking, the trees will survive and no permanent injury is sustained.

For those of you who prefer a little less intimate contact with our woodland inhabitants, it may come as good news that there is only one brood of these caterpillars each year and they are extremely high on the food list for many of our favourite woodland birds.

Grass Cutting on the Plain

As part of the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators' committment to improving the ecological condition of the Commons grassland, the Plain will receive an additional cut this year at the end of May.

Forming part of the area that makes up the Commons' SSSI status (Site of Special Scientific Interest), the Plain has been documented as an area of Acid Grassland. In order to restore the appropriate diversity to this area, Natural England has been instrumental in prescribing that a bi-annual cut of approximately 60% of the area would be the best course of action.

After consultation with local experts and interest groups, the areas to be cut were chosen with the aim of causing as little disturbance to the resident fauna as possible.

If you have any queries, please contact our Wildlife and Conservation Officer, Peter Haldane on 020 8788 7655 or by e-mailing peter@wpcc.org.uk