Saving May Moss: 50 Years Conservation on a North York Moors Peat Bog

This book tells the fifty-year history of how a small group of members from the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Trust persuaded the Forestry Commission in the early 1970s not to turn May Moss, a peat bog in North York Moors National Park, into another conifer plantation. Starting with the first vegetation recordings in 1974, Forestry Commission and North York Moors National Park Authority staff, academic researchers and volunteers from natural history societies, PLACE Yorkshire (People, Landscape and Cultural Environment of Yorkshire) and the ‘Forests’ (National Park volunteers who have carried hundreds of marker posts across the area) have all had a role to play in its continued protection.

This is the story of May Moss, the surrounding areas and some of the many people involved with it for more than 50 years. It contains chapters on the scientific research that has, and still is, being carried out. There are snapshots of some of the plants and other wildlife found there as well as some of the people involved. There is some history and a look at plans for the future.

Contents
Contents 3
Foreword / Amy-Jane Beer 5
Introduction / Brian Walker 7

May Moss 9
– Vegetation History of May Moss / Margaret Atherden 11
– Nutrients, climate and peatland development / Richard Chiverrell and Daniel Schillereff 19
– A decade of hydroclimate monitoring at May Moss / Hannah Lehnhart-Barnett & Richard Chiverrell 25
– The May Moss Vegetation Transects / Brian Walker & Margaret Atherden 35
– The Andromeda Quadrat / Margaret Atherden 43
– Natural England’s Long term monitoring project at May Moss / Victoria Sloan and Kate Fagan 49
– Ammonia monitoring on May Moss / Brian Walker 55

The plants of May Moss Wendy English 57
– The Large heath butterfly on the North York Moors / David Wainwright 71
– The moths of May Moss / Sam Newton & Allan Rodda 77
– Water voles / Cath Bashforth 85

Gallery 89

Nature recovery and peat conservation 101
– Back to black / Brian Walker 103
– Vegetation changes on nature recovery areas 2010 to 2024 / Brian Walker 110

Worm Sike Rigg (The ‘Rad Haz’ Zone) 125
– What makes Worm Sike Rigg interesting? / Brian Walker 127
– George Baker & the Baker Stone / Brian Walker 131
– Fylingdales Early Warning Station, a recollection of the early days / Gordon Simpson MBE 135

Looking forward 139
– Projects for the future / Cath Bashforth & Ed MarchShawcross 141
– Afterword Brian Walker / 145
– Map: The historic environment of the 19th century 146
– Map: The environment of the 21st century 147
– Map & Table: Survey transects and nature recovery areas 148
– Mop-headed miracles / Sarah Hill 150