500 signatures reached
To: Dr Mike Clarke, CEO RSPB
RSPB : please support the bird life in Hellifield, North Yorkshire
The petition has been sent to Dr Mike Clarke, CEO of the RSPB today. It achieved 686 signatures. Thank you everyone who signed & helped to spread the word.
Please withdraw your support for building development on Hellifield Flashes. It would destroy a fragile ecosystem & cause permanent damage to valuable habitat for migrating & nesting birds & wildlife.
The RSPB’s mission : “The RSPB is the country's largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so that our towns, coast and countryside will once again teem with life.”
By supporting & dealing with this developer we feel the RSPB has lost sight of its own mission & purpose.
Please reconsider your position & support the birds & wildlife of this area.
Why is this important?
The Flashes are a very unusual phenomenon. The water comes & goes. In winter there are several lakes full of water & in summer they can almost dry up. Usually the main Flash always has water.
The biodiversity of the area attracts all kinds of bird & wildlife. Many of them are endangered & on red or orange lists which are promoted as in need of protection & conservation. Some of them breed on the Flashes, some of them overwinter as part of migration.
The joy of this area is that it is available to all & is used by many bird watchers & photographers as well as walkers. Someone who can't walk can sit in a car at one side & watch bird activity. A novice bird watcher, like myself, can quickly pick up knowledge & interest by watching each day as different birds come & go. One day a flock of lapwings, another day there might be oyster catchers, sandpipers, herons, god-wits, shelducks...the list goes on.
There is other precious wildlife in the area too, notably the great crested newt, a protected species, but this petition is concentrating on the birds & the role of the RSPB in supporting the plans for destruction.
Why spoil an area which has functioned beautifully for generations, which provides rare & unusual habitat & supports so many kinds of birds?
There is no need for 300 wooden chalets & a hotel & car parks in this area. There are plenty of nicer places to stay already. Is it really worth it at the expense of bird life?
Craven District Council reference is Planning Application 42/2016/17496 Hellifield Flashes, if you want to read more.
