Ranger Services

The rangers regularly patrol all the sites within the district. These patrols help them to monitor any maintenance problems and promote an effective and efficient response to issues. You may see them from time to time in their distinctive green uniforms. Feel free to stop and ask them anything related to the sites and the wildlife. All the rangers are members of professional bodies and strive to continually develop their skills and knowledge base. They are very enthusiastic and passionate about their work and the environment. However there are various issues which the rangers need your help to reduce these are:

Dogs and dog fouling
It's unpleasant, makes a mess of your shoes and can also carry harmful infections; the most dangerous being Toxocariasis. This is a disease carried in the eggs of roundworms, found in dogs and is a direct result of ground contamination with faeces.

Most people think that dogs mess will just break down and disappear into the soil, this is not so. Most dogs are fed processed food, containing preservatives, thus slowing down decomposition. It then adds considerable nutrients to the soil, altering the plant population from rare sensitive plants to more nutrient loving ones, such as stinging nettles. In addition some drugs used to kill dog's  parasites continue to destroy valuble soil organisms once they have been introduced to the environment via faecal matter.

Most sites provide waste bins which can be used of to dispose of dogs' mess. Bags are also available free of charge from Hart District Council. It is also important to practice responsible dog ownership on wildlife sites. Many areas have sensitive wildlife living and breeding on them. Ground nesting birds are especially vunerable.

Fly Tipping
The illegal dumping of commercial, household and garden waste is a growing problem. The dumping of plants, their root systems, the soil they are rooted in and any seeds are especially hazardous. Once an exotic invasive plant species becomes established in the wider countryside it will often out-compete native plants, having devastating consequences for the environment and fauna around them.

The cost for removing illegally dumped garden waste and the removal treatment of alien exotic plants, amounts to thousands of pounds, which ultimately filters down to the taxpayer. Hart Countryside Service would like to urge everyone to act responsibly.

Most garden waste can be easily composted then re-used. For more information on compost bin visit Recycle Now.