Naturenet: 20,000 clicks and counting!
By Matthew Chatfield

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lick! Click! Could we have death-watch beetle in the house? Probably not – the clicks I’ve been counting recently are the visitors to Naturenet, my countryside management website. This November marked an important date in my diary – we reached the 20,000 recorded visitors since 1996. Not bad going – if I’d written a book which had sold as well I’d be feeling quite pleased with myself.

Apart from virtual glory all I have to show for my efforts is a nice trophy from the European Environment Agency (unbelievably, it is made of tropical hardwood), a creaky old computer, a hideous phone bill and a drawer full of polite but firm letters from potential sponsors. Like so many things that we countryside managers do, the thing is not intended to make money. But consider this: the volunteers who contribute to Naturenet have created something that at least 20,000 people have positively sought out and used. How many countryside leaflets or publications can boast as much? Admittedly, the coverage is thin, given the potential audience (about a zillion people, worldwide, according to the latest nerdy survey), but in comparison the circulation of a quarterly magazine such as this one would have to be about 2500 per issue to make a similar impact. Apart from expanding my ego, this is confirmation - if you needed any – of assertions you have heard from me before. There really is an important place for the internet in countryside management today. It is an important and growing part of most businesses, and ours is no exception. Furthermore, the benefits to us, as countryside workers, are great, because it provides a powerful new way to address that old problem, communication.

Ask the Ranger
My favourite part of Naturenet is answering the questions which visitors put via email to the original ‘Virtual Ranger’. They do tend to be the sort of questions which real rangers get asked – of course, the most popular one is ‘How do I become a ranger?’ Your favourite answers to this question would be gratefully received! Here are two past examples of other questions, and my answers.

Q. Do you have any statistics on the amount of (wild) animals killed on the roads? Or about the effect salting of the roads has on local flora and fauna? Or about the effects of exhaust fumes on flora and fauna?

A. The short answer is no. The slightly longer answer is also no, but I bet Friends of the Earth would have estimates. The statistics you mention would all be almost impossible to collect without enormous effort. I suspect you will be hard pressed to find anything but very rough estimates, which will inevitably vary. Re salting: there is a well-known botanical phenomenon caused by this whereby maritime species creep inland along the edges of roadways. Much the same happened along railways with some gravel-loving species. It would be hard to be sure whether this was a good or a bad thing.

Q. At the back of my house there is a large area of countryside. This afternoon I was amazed to be told that the land was to be fenced, dozed flat and seeded to graze cattle on it. The land is privately owned but has never been fenced off and there has been public access for over 40 years. Please tell me what rights of way local people have and if someone can doze this area and ruin a beautiful bit of Yorkshire countryside.

A. I am afraid that the answer is probably that there is little you can do, if the area really is privately owned. It is legally possible to establish a right of way over a bit of land by historical precedent, but not a general right of access. The difference is that a right of way must go from one point to another via a recognised route. A general principle of 'access' has no status in law. However, it is possible that rights of way do exist on the land. Contact your local Ramblers or local authority footpath officer to find out more about this. Regrettably, even if there are rights of way these cannot stop the landowner from bulldozing it. Your next step is to contact your local wildlife trust, parish council, and your local authority. It is possible that the site has some special wildlife value and that this may protect it somewhat. Good luck! Let me know how you get on.

Do you fancy reading some more of these? If so, and you have internet access, Ask the Ranger or email me to find out how you can join a free public mailing list of some of the more entertaining and interesting questions we are asked. Do you fancy contributing to some of the answers or putting me right? Well, now you can. I have recently set up another list of CMA members and other countryside workers who are willing to answer such questions occasionally, or comment on my answers, via email. There’s no commitment to answer anything, of course, so you’ve nothing to lose. If you would like to help drop me an email.

Matthew Chatfield
December 98

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