We had a visitor not so long ago who contacted us saying he thought our organisation was poor due to a missing piece of information on a sign, if anything the opposite is true and over the next few days, while the Osprey chicks are quietly growing we thought it would be worthwhile informing you of the organisation behind The Lake District Osprey Project. In fact the LDOP is not one organisation but three, who have come together for a common purpose, namely to improve the lot of Ospreys in this country. They are The Lake District National Park Authority, The Forestry Commission and the RSPB; all provide financial support for the project and as such all have equal prominence, but each of them contributes to the project in their own unique way.

The Lake District National Park Authority, for example, on the surface looks after the lake and marshland below our viewpoints at Dodd Wood, which is designated as a National Nature Reserve. They ensure that the lake and its surrounds are managed in a way that supports the natural wildlife, including the Osprey. From your school days you will probably remember food chains and food webs and know that one species cannot live alone, it depends upon others. The Ospreys need fish, and in fact are here because of the abundant fish supply, the fish need microscopic organisms and insects to thrive, all need habitats. In other words it’s the Lake District National Park Authority that provides the food for the Ospreys. Their input does not, however, stop there. The Lake District National Park Authority also concerns itself with another web and that is the web of contacts and friends linked to the project. It’s the LDNPA Rangers who talk to the County Council to put the road signs up, who talk to the Air force to fly away from the nest sites, who talk to the local farmers who manage the land around the lake. It’s the LDNPA that provides the contacts with other organisations large and small. They also provide our volunteers with a very nice introductory programme at the start of each season and much, much, more. So as you can see without the input of The Lake District National Park Authority, and its officers the LDOP would not exist.

To find out more about the Lake District National Park Authority; www.lake-district.gov.uk