Community News: Therfield Heath & Greens – Bins, Benches & Birds
Following advice from Historic England, benches were removed from two scheduled ancient monuments on the Heath.
These Bronze Age burial mounds are excellent viewpoints of the surrounding landscape but unfortunately, erosion from footfall was risking the future of these important archaeological features. Scrub is also being removed from these sites to prevent damage from roots growing into the mounds. The benches are currently being restored and will be placed back onto the Heath. Previously a bench was removed from the 5th golf tee, where it had become unsafe for the public. Where benches have memorial plaques efforts are being made to contact the families of the memorialised, so these necessary refurbishments can still honour those who loved these special places. 
Dog waste bins are being replaced around the Therfield Road Car Park. These were previously removed as they were being filled with food packaging, which attracted rats. The rat infestation became a serious health and safety concern so the bins were removed, and this successfully reduced the rat population. The bins will not be directly next to the car park as this would encourage food waste to be deposited in them, however they will be in a convenient location for dog walkers returning to their cars. Litter bins can’t be reinstalled as this would once again cause the rat population to increase but ongoing efforts to work with McDonald’s to clear litter are continuing. Please take your litter home with you, by doing so you are investing in the Heath’s conservation.
Spring is nearly here! With the exciting return of sunshine, warmth and wildflowers comes ground-nesting bird season. 
Ground-nesting birds include the Meadow Pipit and the Skylark, both of which have been declining rapidly in numbers. Birds may abandon eggs if disturbed, so peace and quiet is very important to help these bird populations recover. Please try to stick to main paths around the site, and keep dogs under control at all times, as many dog breeds were bred to instinctually flush birds. Signs will be put up for the season to mark areas where ground-nesting birds are present, to help visitors avoid disturbing the breeding birds. Thank you for helping us to protect the Heath’s wildlife.
