WORK to install a boardwalk across a previously impassable area of a moorland mire was completed recently by volunteers from the Sticklepath and Okehampton Conservation Group (STOC). The project, involving the construction, transportation and installation of a boardwalk across Pixie Moor, at South Zeal, has been ongoing for two years, with STOC members working on behalf of Dartmoor National Park Authority. The area is common land, where accessibility in recent years had become difficult if not impossible. The boardwalk measures about 200 metres and includes a bridge over a fast-running stream. It will now permit easier crossing of Pixie Moor while allowing the marshland itself to remain undisturbed. In just a few months there has been a noticeable increase in the flora and fauna. In particular, the growth in the variety of orchids is much in evidence. The management of birch and willow trees and the renewal of grazing are all part of the overall effort to encourage diversity in plant life in an area of boggy moorland. The last sections of the boardwalk have been installed ready for a grand opening on Friday, April 22. Other projects undertaken by STOC members this winter have included maintenance of woodland in Okehampton Old Park, clearance of the riverside footpath near Castle Hospital and undergrowth management of the Castle Drogo gardens. Tasks planned for the coming months will involve maintenance of a section of the Tarka Trail in the Jacobstowe area, path clearance at Abbeyford Wood and Skaigh Valley, footpath maintenance at Meldon Reservoir and finishing the construction of an authentic Celtic Roundhouse at Cookworthy. The group meets every Friday at 10am at Finch Foundry car park, Sticklepath, before going to the scheduled task for the day. Newcomers are welcome. Contact either Ian Bowkley 01837 840435 or Peter Williams on 01837 840757.
