REPLIES FROM MY MEPS TO THIS EMAIL.

"As you may know some biologists believe that we are currently experiencing a majoor mass extinction of species, and it is suggested by some that this in a large part  due to human activities which: damage wildlife habitats; spread non-native invasive species; cause harmful pollution; reduce the space availabe for wildlife; and over exploit natural resources (e.g. by excessive fishing). 

One of the best ways we have of preventing this loss is by protecting natural areas by use of  EU  Directives such as the Habitats Directive, Birds Directive and Water Framework Directive. 

Watching wildlfie and visiting the special habitats it inhabits is an important part of my life; plus the services provided by nature such as pollination, clean water, food are essential for all of  humanity. 

Please use the February Plenary vote as an opportunity to demonstrate your support for nature and to defend the Nature Directives, by voting in favour of the Environment Committee’s report on the Mid-term Review of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy."

Jan. 2016

From Daniel Dalton, Conservative. 

Dear Ms Birks,

Thank you for contacting me about the Mid-term Review of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy.

In late December, the European Parliament’s Environment committee adopted a report on biodiversity in Europe.  In short, it called for the full implementation and enforcement of all existing nature laws.  

This report was initiated by the Conservatives in the European Parliament and was adopted by a large majority. 

As you note in your correspondence, in February this report will reach the plenary session in Strasbourg and I can confirm that I will be voting in favour. 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Daniel Dalton MEP

22.01.16

Dear Ms Wendy Birks,

Thank you for email regarding the importance of the European Nature Directives to biodiversity in the UK.

The Birds and Habitats Directives form the cornerstone of Europe’s nature conservation policy, and have had a huge impact in protecting Europe’s most threatened bird species — including the nightjar and woodlark which can be found here in the West Midlands.  It is disappointing therefore to see the Directives threatened under the review. 

I am committed to keeping this crucial legislation as it is, enabling wildlife to flourish for local communities to enjoy and I support the RSPB as well as over 100,000 people from the UK who have registered their views against changing them.  I and other Labour Party MEPs will work to ensure that the fitness check is not used as an excuse to water down or weaken the legislation. You can read my question to the Commission on the need to maintain the Directives here. 

In September last year I visited Rugeley Heath, Cannock Chase, to discuss the Directives review with the RSPB.  With the Chase being the smallest area of ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’ in England, and the only place in the West Midlands that can be relied on to see breeding Nightjar and Woodlark, it is vital that this crucial legislation is kept as it is to enable wildlife to flourish.

Thank you again for taking the time to write to me and should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to get in contact.

Kind regards,

pp. Victoria Fowler

Senior Parliamentary Assistant

Neena Gill MEP

25.01.2016

Dear Constituent

Thank you for your email regarding the mid-term review of the EU's Biodiversity Strategy. I apologise for my standard response, but I have had many emails regarding this matter and I wanted to respond to you as quickly as possible.

The importance of biodiversity should not be underestimated, nor should the value it provides to our economy and personal wellbeing. Indeed, without biodiversity, our necessary ecosystem services are jeopardised and the natural resilience of the Earth for addressing new challenges is undermined. The EU's Biodiversity Strategy recognises the pivotal role biodiversity has to play and I therefore welcome this report.

The primary aim of the mid-term review is to assess whether the EU is on track to halting biodiversity loss by 2020. At the mid-term, progress is encouraging. The threats posed by biodiversity are increasingly recognised and this serves as an important foundation for future success. However, while seemingly positive, it is also clear that much more still needs to be achieved. Nature's capacity to clean air and water, to pollinate crops and to limit the impacts of catastrophes continues to be threatened and such threats present our society and economy with potentially unforeseen costs. It is therefore evident that until more meaningful action is taken, there is little hope of reversing the current trends.

Reducing the administrative and other unnecessary burdens on Member States, alongside a greater intensification in ambition and effort will be imperative if further and more long lasting progress is to be made.

Improving policy integration is also crucial. Agriculture is particularly important and whilst recognising that the current Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) provides a range of instruments that can contribute to supporting biodiversity, there is nevertheless scope to reform CAP in order to achieve more environmental outcomes. The current Greening rules are for example, too complex and are an inefficient means for delivering environmental benefits. A strengthened Pillar 2 of the CAP would offer the potential to achieve better diversity and deliver more environmental public goods.

The full implementation of the nature directives will also prove beneficial. The current review by the European Commission of these directives should therefore be viewed positively as well as the Commission's decision to undertake a thorough and evidence-based fitness check to ensure that the Directives are functioning effectively. I am a firm believer in the benefits of evidence-based policymaking and so this fitness check should be allowed to run its course so that discussion can be informed by the evidence that it is gathering rather than seeking to pre-judge it.

To date, EU biodiversity legislation has made a significant contribution towards the protection of sensitive ecosystems and endangered species while simultaneously working to restore natural habitats. If such steps are taken, I am confident that this report will only add to this. It is for these reasons that I intend to vote in favour of this report.

Yours sincerely

Anthea McIntyre MEP

Conservative - West Midlands Region

A: The Chapel, Wythall Estate, Walford, Ross-on-Wye

27.01.16
Hi Wendy,

Thank your email on the importance of the European Nature Directives.

The Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive form the cornerstone of the EU's nature conservation policy and have been central to the protection and preservation of biodiversity in the West Midlands.

As part of its reform programme the European Commission has identified both the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive as legislation that requires a 'fitness check'.  As part of the check the Commission is evaluating the effectiveness of the directives.

The Commission wants to simplify EU law and reduce the regulatory burden.  While I support the idea of simplifying EU law where this will make legislation clearer and easier to understand and implement, I’m also wary of calls to 'slash red tape'.

We need to make it clear that there should be no watering down of vital environmental and social protections.

As part of the fitness check, the Commission launched a public consultation, which asked respondents to rate the benefits of the Directives. The response to the consultation was incredible, with over 100,000 respondents from the UK alone speaking up in support of the Directives.

I’m committed to protecting the EU Nature Directives and will work to ensure that legislation isn’t weakened. That’s why Labour MEPs will be voting in favour of the Environment Committee’s report on the review of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy.

I'll continue listening to people in the West Midlands about this particular issue, Wendy - And I'll be sure to update you on any developments.

You can follow what I'm doing in the European Parliament by joining the conversation on Facebook. Just click the big button at the bottom of this email and then like my page.

Best wishes,

Siôn

Siôn Simon
Labour Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands

28.01.16
Dear Mrs Birks,

Thank you for your email. We in UKIP believe in the importance of preserving nature reserves and natural habitats for wildlife in Britain and in Europe.

However, we believe that this task should be a national, not a European, responsibility and we will therefore oppose new EU legislation in this area. Nevertheless, we will support all amendments aimed at improving the existing legislation on this issue.

UKIP strongly believes that the best people to decide on natural habitats in Britain are the British people. We do not trust the unelected EU Commission to decide on the protection of the environment and animal welfare. The EU has caused irreparable damage with its environmental policy. It has destroyed our fish stocks and caused widespread deforestation with its policy on bio-fuels.

Thank you again for writing to us and we shall certainly keep in mind your opinion on this legislative proposal.

Best regards

Catkins today.

Alder.

Silver Birch.

Hazel.

Snowy scenes from yesterday.

My back garden.

View from Dunwood area along disused railway towards Endon.

View of temporary pools which were frozen this day - towards Dunwood. 

Small reed bed next to the disused railway line.

Skein of over 100 probably Pink-footed Geese flying west (well they are very hard to see, but they are there in the bottom of the photo with the point of the "v" shape at the bottom). 

Badger footprints in snow. 

Hazel catkins in Deep Hayes Country Park.

Deep Hayes CP.

Endon Brook where it is joined by the stream that passes through Deep Hayes Country Park (I don't know its name, or even if it has one but it comes from Coalpitford Lane, Cheddleton). 

Fracking in Staffordshire.

On Tuesday (12^th Jan. 2016) evening the topic of the regular talk hosted by the Leek local group of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust was about fracking. The talk was given by Dr Ian Stimpson, a geologist at Keele University. The talk was very informative and Dr. Stimpson assured us that there will be no fracking under Staffordshire, as the shales (or mudstones) that underlie this part of the UK are of insufficient depth to contain usable gas – however research is being done into the possibility of utilizing methane that is present in former coal mining areas.

For those who couldn't attend the meeting and are interested I have made the following notes based on what I can remember from his talk and information in a report produced for a number of wildlife NGOs. There is a link to the report below. Of course, there are also lots of other sources of information on the internet. If anyone thinks I've missed something please let me know.

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/shale_gas_summary_-_amended_20_3_14.pdf

Process/Issue	Benefits	Disadvantages	Context
Shale gas as source of energy	1.Energy security (present source of oil and gas for UK - North Sea nearly exhausted). 2. Helps the UK compete for markets of manufactured goods with other countries that have the benefit of lower energy prices. 3. Jobs 4. Economy	1.One alternative would be nuclear which also has its opponents. 2. Another alternative is to import gas but may be costly and some suppliers (e.g. Putin's Russia) may not be acceptable.	Uk has only 3 days of energy supply to tide it over, therefore in order to maintain our current lifestyle we need to secure future supplies.
Reliablity	Available regardless of prevailing weather conditions – useful to offer back-up to renewables		(Currently) electricity generated by wind, solar etc. is only available during appropriate weather
Cost	Potentially considerably cheaper than renewables	Prices not certain at this stage as geology and regulatory environment in UK different from USA	Global price of gas anticipated to rise as supplies dwindle, hence fracked gas could help ameliorate this
Land coverage	Solar and wind farms use large areas of land surface and may reduce land available for agricultural purposes. Shale gas exploitation may use far less land/ kWh.	1.Many well heads may be needed and it is likely that small power stations will be constructed near these 2. There will need to be roads and other infrastructure associated with well heads.	Whatever form of energy we use involves impacts on the landscape. *Perhaps offshore wave power has the least impact (but this is very expensive at present and has its own ecological consequences) *my own thoughts.
Climate Change	Potentially lower CO2 emissions than coal.	1. Methane escape from worked mudstones may negate any benefits from CO2 reduction (when compared with coal). 2. Fracked gas may reduce the imperative to invest in research into innovation in renewables.	Shale gas would provide an interim source of energy whilst renewable technology is improved to provide all weather energy supply (storage in batteries, extra capacity etc.)
“earthquakes”	Earth tremors are minor, deep down and actually only detected by seismographs	1. Earth tremors in USA due to disposal of waste water back into fracked mudstones; those in Lancashire due to early errors in practice; UK legislation more rigorous than UK and should prevent any detectable (by people) tremors 2. There are concerns that reduced numbers of Environment Agency staff may lead to companies avoiding inspection	1. Many areas of UK experience earth movements, some are due to natural causes, most are due to mining subsidence.
Water pollution		1.Mining wastewater can be contaminated by substances added by mining companies to facilitate fracking plus others from the mudstones themselves – sometimes radioactive material is involved, this is then released in to rivers etc. and ultimately ends up in the sea.	1.UK environmental regulations stronger than those in USA 2. Pollutants may be no worse than other substances we put into water (from industry and domestic) (however this does not mean we should add to existing pollution)
Drinking water aquifers. Dr Stimpson explained that the drill bore hole has to pass through aquifers, which are beds of rock that are natural water storage areas, frequently used for piped water supplies. These are located above the gas-rich mudstones so accessing the gas beds involves passing through these areas and so it is essential that the drill is leak proof. Therefore the top 100s metres of the drill is cased in multiple layers of (metal) piping and concrete sheaths.		There is a risk of pollution due to accidental leaks of shale gas or fracking waters into potable water.	All this is subject to UK environmental regulations.
Water use		1.Uses vast amounts of water which may have to be transported to well heads by tanker lorry. 2. Fracking will compete with other users of water – supplies of water in some parts of UK (e.g.SE England) already under strain due to growing population and diminishing supply (possibly due to climate change)	UK environmental regulations stronger than those in USA.
Sand quarrying			Sand is required as part of the fracking process, would this involve more quarrying?
Aesthetic	Some people dislike wind turbines and solar arrays, well heads may be more acceptable.	Some people may prefer wind turbines and solar arrays to well heads and associated infrastructure.	All forms of electricity generation, gas extraction etc. and its transmission have an impact on the landscape.
Noise Pollution	May be quieter than other forms of power generation?	May disturb wildlife and annoy nearby humans.	Variable levels also associated with other forms of power generation.
Light pollution		May disturb wildlife and nearby humans.	Also associated with other forms of power generation though perhaps less so with wind and solar power.
Traffic		People living near well heads will be subject to increased traffic which may include water tankers.	Increased traffic is also a result of other forms of power generation.

Winter Jackdaw roost.

I have written about this winter Jackdaw roost here before and since then I have another remark to make about it. A few evenings ago I was walking along the Caldon Canal as it was tunring dark. As I approached Stockton Brrok, where the canal is near Greenway Hall Golf Club, I could hear the vocalisations from the rookery which is in the copse on the opposite side of the road to the golf club entrance. The birds had gathered there and were making quite a noise. As I walked along the towpath all the birds rose from what is left of last years nests, the winter storms having caused most of the nests to fall from the tree,and they flew off in the direction of the winter Jackdaw roost. Of course I can't be sure, but I suspect that those Rooks use that place in which to spend their winter nights, alongside the local Jackdaws.

On Sunday morning I managed to capture a video of the Jackdaws leaving the roost. This was just before 8am. If I happen to still be in bed as dawn arrives, and of course the time changes depending on the time of year, I can hear, through my bedroom window, the Jackdaws preparing to leave the roost. My camera is not the most expensive and so the video is not of the best quality, but it does show the birds flying from the trees and over our house. Then then appear on the roofs of the houses in my sreet. I took some photos of that after I filmed them leaving the roost. What they do is to fly towards the roofs and then land en mass in one particular spot. Then they spend the next half an hour or so flying up and landing whilst remaining as a group until they settle down in to what have become their customary nest sites. During the day they will fly off to feed, or, again as a group go to investigate some event in the bird world, perhaps to mob a cat or accompany a crow chasing a Buzzard.

Email to my MEPs; please defend nature directives.

Many amateur naturlists, such as myself, and wildlife NGO's such as the RSPB, are concerned that there may be a watering down of the EU legislation that is designed to protect wildlife. Hence the following text which I have sent to my seven MEPs.

"As you may know some biologists believe that we are currently experiencing a majoor mass extinction of species, and it is suggested by some that this in a large part  due to human activities which: damage wildlife habitats; spread non-native invasive species; cause harmful pollution; reduce the space availabe for wildlife; and over exploit natural resources (e.g. by excessive fishing). 

One of the best ways we have of preventing this loss is by protecting natural areas by use of  EU  Directives such as the Habitats Directive, Birds Directive and Water Framework Directive. 

Watching wildlfie and visiting the special habitats it inhabits is an important part of my life; plus the services provided by nature such as pollination, clean water, food are essential for all of  humanity. 

Please use the February Plenary vote as an opportunity to demonstrate your support for nature and to defend the Nature Directives, by voting in favour of the Environment Committee’s report on the Mid-term Review of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy."

Golden Plover, Lapwing and Starlings on the Northumberland Coast Special Protection Area. I took this photo in December 2013 when I visited the area, which is protected under the EU Birds Directive. 

REPLIES

Jan. 2016

From Daniel Dalton, Conservative. 

Dear Ms Birks,

Thank you for contacting me about the Mid-term Review of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy.

In late December, the European Parliament’s Environment committee adopted a report on biodiversity in Europe.  In short, it called for the full implementation and enforcement of all existing nature laws.  

This report was initiated by the Conservatives in the European Parliament and was adopted by a large majority. 

As you note in your correspondence, in February this report will reach the plenary session in Strasbourg and I can confirm that I will be voting in favour. 

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Daniel Dalton MEP

22.01.16

Dear Ms Wendy Birks,

Thank you for email regarding the importance of the European Nature Directives to biodiversity in the UK.

The Birds and Habitats Directives form the cornerstone of Europe’s nature conservation policy, and have had a huge impact in protecting Europe’s most threatened bird species — including the nightjar and woodlark which can be found here in the West Midlands.  It is disappointing therefore to see the Directives threatened under the review. 

I am committed to keeping this crucial legislation as it is, enabling wildlife to flourish for local communities to enjoy and I support the RSPB as well as over 100,000 people from the UK who have registered their views against changing them.  I and other Labour Party MEPs will work to ensure that the fitness check is not used as an excuse to water down or weaken the legislation. You can read my question to the Commission on the need to maintain the Directives here. 

In September last year I visited Rugeley Heath, Cannock Chase, to discuss the Directives review with the RSPB.  With the Chase being the smallest area of ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’ in England, and the only place in the West Midlands that can be relied on to see breeding Nightjar and Woodlark, it is vital that this crucial legislation is kept as it is to enable wildlife to flourish.

Thank you again for taking the time to write to me and should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to get in contact.

Kind regards,

pp. Victoria Fowler

Senior Parliamentary Assistant

Neena Gill MEP

25.01.2016

Dear Constituent

Thank you for your email regarding the mid-term review of the EU's Biodiversity Strategy. I apologise for my standard response, but I have had many emails regarding this matter and I wanted to respond to you as quickly as possible.

The importance of biodiversity should not be underestimated, nor should the value it provides to our economy and personal wellbeing. Indeed, without biodiversity, our necessary ecosystem services are jeopardised and the natural resilience of the Earth for addressing new challenges is undermined. The EU's Biodiversity Strategy recognises the pivotal role biodiversity has to play and I therefore welcome this report.

The primary aim of the mid-term review is to assess whether the EU is on track to halting biodiversity loss by 2020. At the mid-term, progress is encouraging. The threats posed by biodiversity are increasingly recognised and this serves as an important foundation for future success. However, while seemingly positive, it is also clear that much more still needs to be achieved. Nature's capacity to clean air and water, to pollinate crops and to limit the impacts of catastrophes continues to be threatened and such threats present our society and economy with potentially unforeseen costs. It is therefore evident that until more meaningful action is taken, there is little hope of reversing the current trends.

Reducing the administrative and other unnecessary burdens on Member States, alongside a greater intensification in ambition and effort will be imperative if further and more long lasting progress is to be made.

Improving policy integration is also crucial. Agriculture is particularly important and whilst recognising that the current Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) provides a range of instruments that can contribute to supporting biodiversity, there is nevertheless scope to reform CAP in order to achieve more environmental outcomes. The current Greening rules are for example, too complex and are an inefficient means for delivering environmental benefits. A strengthened Pillar 2 of the CAP would offer the potential to achieve better diversity and deliver more environmental public goods.

The full implementation of the nature directives will also prove beneficial. The current review by the European Commission of these directives should therefore be viewed positively as well as the Commission's decision to undertake a thorough and evidence-based fitness check to ensure that the Directives are functioning effectively. I am a firm believer in the benefits of evidence-based policymaking and so this fitness check should be allowed to run its course so that discussion can be informed by the evidence that it is gathering rather than seeking to pre-judge it.

To date, EU biodiversity legislation has made a significant contribution towards the protection of sensitive ecosystems and endangered species while simultaneously working to restore natural habitats. If such steps are taken, I am confident that this report will only add to this. It is for these reasons that I intend to vote in favour of this report.

Yours sincerely

Anthea McIntyre MEP

Conservative - West Midlands Region

A: The Chapel, Wythall Estate, Walford, Ross-on-Wye

27.01.16
Hi Wendy,

Thank your email on the importance of the European Nature Directives.

The Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive form the cornerstone of the EU's nature conservation policy and have been central to the protection and preservation of biodiversity in the West Midlands.

As part of its reform programme the European Commission has identified both the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive as legislation that requires a 'fitness check'.  As part of the check the Commission is evaluating the effectiveness of the directives.

The Commission wants to simplify EU law and reduce the regulatory burden.  While I support the idea of simplifying EU law where this will make legislation clearer and easier to understand and implement, I’m also wary of calls to 'slash red tape'.

We need to make it clear that there should be no watering down of vital environmental and social protections.

As part of the fitness check, the Commission launched a public consultation, which asked respondents to rate the benefits of the Directives. The response to the consultation was incredible, with over 100,000 respondents from the UK alone speaking up in support of the Directives.

I’m committed to protecting the EU Nature Directives and will work to ensure that legislation isn’t weakened. That’s why Labour MEPs will be voting in favour of the Environment Committee’s report on the review of the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy.

I'll continue listening to people in the West Midlands about this particular issue, Wendy - And I'll be sure to update you on any developments.

You can follow what I'm doing in the European Parliament by joining the conversation on Facebook. Just click the big button at the bottom of this email and then like my page.

Best wishes,

Siôn

Siôn Simon
Labour Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands

28.01.16
Dear Mrs Birks,

Thank you for your email. We in UKIP believe in the importance of preserving nature reserves and natural habitats for wildlife in Britain and in Europe.

However, we believe that this task should be a national, not a European, responsibility and we will therefore oppose new EU legislation in this area. Nevertheless, we will support all amendments aimed at improving the existing legislation on this issue.

UKIP strongly believes that the best people to decide on natural habitats in Britain are the British people. We do not trust the unelected EU Commission to decide on the protection of the environment and animal welfare. The EU has caused irreparable damage with its environmental policy. It has destroyed our fish stocks and caused widespread deforestation with its policy on bio-fuels.

Thank you again for writing to us and we shall certainly keep in mind your opinion on this legislative proposal.

Best regards

Letter to Leek Post and Times

My letter in reply to comments made by one of the Leek Post and Times regular columnists. 

"In his column in last week's leek Post and Times Gary Shenton suggested that some of the recent flooding problems experienced across parts of Britain are, in part, due to the EU Water Framework Directive, which he said was, “driven by ideology” and has, “banned dredging” (of rivers). Clearly he has never read that document because neither is the case. What it is is a law to protect our fresh water resources (surface and groundwater) from pollution and ecological degradation, and ensure they are used in a sustainable way. And, it's nothing new; before the Water Framework Directive was agreed by the UK government in 2000, a series of similar, and increasingly stringent pieces of legislation had been enacted since the end of the 1940s. In fact the first laws to prevent river pollution in Britain go back to the 14^th century; had they not been our rivers, estuaries and beaches would be poisoned and filthy and our tap water would not be fit to drink. Also, should the UK leave the EU within the next few years, similar legislation the the WFD will inevitably take its place. Whether he and others like to hear it or not, the ecology of aquatic ecosystems plays an important role in providing a clean and reliable supply of fresh water in our rivers, and helps with flood control in built up areas. Only a foolish population would want to carelessly interfere with the functioning of such a vital resource. So even people who are not particularly interested in wildlife should be pleased that it is doing us a service by doing these jobs for free, and should be very, very keen to look after it!"

Erosion and deposition of silt on the River Churnet near Dimmingsdale, March 2013

  

Evening walk with Willow Tits and Snipe

Take a walk along the disused railway from Station Road and then on the Caldon Canal towpath towards Stockton Brook on a winter's evening, just as it is turning dark and you will, if circumstances permit, hear Snipe calling from the rushy grasslands beside the canal. I did that this evening and I heard some. If you are patient and wait on the towpath opposite the area of willow carr you may see some fly up, around and land again. This Common Snipe is what they sound like.

The area of willow carr - photo taken last winter.

View along the Caldon Canal to John Emery land taken last December.

Darkness arrives along the Caldon Canal.

Also heard this evening was a Willow Tit Willow Tit vocalisations along the disused railway. Willow Tits use this area every winter.