Environment
"The village … has the advantage of a healthy and commanding situation facing the south, and well sheltered from the biting north winds …. Preston-under-Scar, as its name bespeaks, is situated at the base of a mighty ridge, while vegetation, arboreal, floral and ferny, may be said to run riot." (Edmund Bogg, Beautiful Wensleydale, Leeds 1925.)
Unusually for an English village, a good half of the c.1000 hectares within the civil parish is uninhabited. But the village sits within a rich mosaic of different habitats and ecosystems. These range from the peat moors, via woodland (planted and ancient), to long-cultivated land on the lower slopes, and the northern margin of the River Ure. The 224 metre contour runs more or less along the village street, and the parish rises to 429 metres at Robin Cross Hill. As is typical of limestone country, springs and streams abound. Indeed, the village is situated between the Woodland Trust Spring Wood at one end, and the Keld Heads lead workings at the other – Keld from kelda, the Norse for a spring or well. The underlying geology is largely made up of the rocks of what are still sometimes called the Yoredale Series – a colossal sandwich of alternating limestones, shales, and sandstones, shot through with thin seams of coal and veins of galena (lead ore). Other layers are much more recent - human activities are inscribed on the land. These comprise not farming only, but long-standing extractive industries attracted by the mineral wealth of the area: quarrying (sandstone and, increasingly since the early twentieth century, limestone); and mining (coal as well as lead). Industrial ruins (the Keld Heads lead mining and smelting complex), and quarries (active and abandoned), as also the railway have all contributed to shaping the physical locality we inherit. So too have the army ranges in the orbit of Catterick Garrison. But, as is the case everywhere else, our habitats and the species they support are increasingly vulnerable.
Biodiversity
In a context of widespread species decline, and accelerating climate change, the term ‘Biodiversity’ points towards the dynamic interdependence of species and habitats. Parish Councils are legally tasked with fostering biodiversity where they can, and simultaneously encouraging local residents to play their own part in monitoring the condition and caring for the health of their environment. So while our population is small, and Preston Parish Council has little land (other than the cemetery) under its own control, we are nevertheless seeking to build up a bank of information about the plants, birds, mammals, insects, and amphibians within our patch. This is a work in progress, but you will be able to see the some results on this website as we make progress. On this website we also hope shortly to host a monthly bulletin of observations, and you are encouraged to join in by sending brief notes on what you have seen - things that delight, surprise, or worry you. Contributions should be sent to: [email protected]
A feast of web resources is available for anyone wishing to widen their understanding of the wildlife and ecology of Richmondshire and the Dales. A small selection includes:
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and their State of Yorkshire Nature report https://www.ywt.org.uk/ ;
The Biodiversity Action Plan of the former Richmondshire District Council https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-05/Richmondshire_Biodiversity_Action_Plan.pdf
Foxglove Covert at Catterick https://foxglovecovert.org.uk/
The National Park https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk and
The North and East Yorkshire Ecological Data Centre https://www.neyedc.org.uk/
Those who are interested in more formal recording of their wildlife sightings should consider joining the Yoredale Natural History Society https://www.yoredalenaturalhistory.com/