All the Worlds A Stage

If in doubt about the origin of a quote then often it can be found either in the Bible or Shakespeare Well over the past three weeks it has felt as though I have been living a quotation.

“All the Worlds a stage and we are but players”

Intelligent lot that you are, as you will know, a quotation from Shakespeare Except that my life on this stage has been a farce in the best of British traditions. The problem was that I had not been given the stage directions or lines, and was cast in the role of a naïve and gullible fool.

My audition for this farce began when I was asked to carrying out some survey work on some private land with the aim of carrying out some environmental improvement work. I did post about this at the time. I was told that this was so that the habitat could be protected and that they were seeking grants from the local authority amongst others. So to ensure that I was formatting the final document in the correct and acceptable manner I sort guidance from the relevant person in the local authority. Very helpful she was, and at her suggestion I filed copies of the finished report with her too. She said as she was only part time, it would help her as she could open a file ahead of the grant application and it would give her more time to read the document. About a week after submitting the documents she called me and complimented me on the quality of it, also saying that it was possible that the council may wish to use my services in the future to carry out other work like environmental impact assessments etc. Great for me as that one I had done as a volunteer and I do need work like that.

I was pleased that everything had gone well and it looked as though more good was going to flow from that too. I waited to hear what was happening, but knowing that these things take time I put that to the back of my mind. Until six weeks ago when another council officer called and told me that not only was the environmental impact assessment but that my assumptions were seriously flawed. While devastating for me as he was asking for the original data and the methodology I had used, I thought at least I can redeem myself by showing that I was using accepted methods and that my original survey was as through as it could be.

I should explain to both my readers that when assessing a habitat the first thing that is done is to look at the species that are there. Then, by looking at county records it is possible to infer what should be there and via that it is then possible to work out what work needs to be done to increase diversity. It can be as simple as planting more of the right food plants or creating log piles to enable roosting and over wintering sites for small mammals, amphibians and insects. Much of it though is about ensuring that the right things are done at the right times so that the existing wildlife is not disturbed.

It was all so straight forward that I could not see where I had made any serious error. So I got all my original work together and burnt the files onto a CD and posted them to this council officer.

This was where I discovered that I had a problem with my computer as some of the files were corrupted, but it was the fact that I was then told by the council to produce paper documents rather than electronic ones. I did argue that it was far from environmentally friendly but I lost that argument. It cost me over sixty pounds in ink jet cartridges to do this too. And it was here that I discovered that I was a bit player in the Farce that was unfolding.

I contacted the people whose land it was that I had done the report for, but I got a frosty reception from them. I had explained what had transpired with the council and it looked as though I was to blame for this all going wrong. If it were not for my rapidly retreating hairline I would have been pulling my hair out. I just could not see where I had made any serious errors. The only factor where I could see that I could have made an error was in the assumptions I was making regarding Climate Change. Even there, I was just including factors that DEFRA and Natural England are recommending such as planting beech. As a shallow rooted tree it will need to planted here in the north as drought will kill them off in the south, and the Beech nuts will become vital as a food source for birds and mammals by 2050. Also I suggested that an additional pond was dug. The site has Great Crested Newt and Smooth Newt, both protected species and that would help ensure that had extended habitat now so that should the change in climate bring some dryer periods the habitat would remain for them. Also by locating the new pond where I had intended it would also provide an overflow for a stream and help avoid flooding.

Well was not ready to just accept that I had made a cock up so I took the document and my data to someone I know and asked her to look it over and see if she could spot where I had made a mistake. She could not find any fault and told me that it was a very good report.

I was then asked to attend a meeting with the council officer, to resolve the matter. This was the Thursday just gone, but to ensure I was well prepared I decided to rewrite the report from scratch. By doing this I thought I would be able to spot where I had made the original error, but also it would enable me to fully aquanaut me with all the details, so that I could answer or try to answer all the questions I could be asked at the meeting with the council officers.

While this gave me some sleepless nights I was fully immersed in the details and was ready to have it as my specialist subject on Mastermind. Also I came to the same conclusions. While you cant think of all the species in a habitat matrix I had covered all the groups and was now in fighting mood as I really felt that the underpinning science was very robust.

While I was quietly confident, I still did not know what the problem was, so I attended the meeting with an open mind, but also a great deal of fear about what it was that I did not know or had not been told. Nor was I being arrogant, as while I was confident that I had done my best, I was fully aware that I would be dealing with professionals who have more knowledge than I and better access to more up to date data.

I had to travel down to the meeting by bus train and bus and I only just made it in time. I was surprised to find that the owners of the land were there too, but they were shocked that I was there. In fact two objected to my presence. But the council officer over ruled their objections and was left even more confused by the proceedings. However, that was soon cleared as I discovered what was really happening.

My original report had been rewritten by the land owners so that it appeared to be a positive environmental impact assessment supporting a planning application. My original report had been to support a “Supposed” grant application. Had I not previously submitted that to the council, then they may not have discovered the deception. However, the council using due diligence and checking the survey data on the protected species on the site discovered my original report and that it contradicted the “Forged” report.

Now that in its self was enough to have enabled the council to refuse planing permission, but as the original report that was supposed to support a grant application also contained an element so that I could be paid a fee to oversee the work and to resurvey the site at a latter date, the council became suspicious of a fraud. Quite understandably.

Well I left the meeting having been praised by the council for the high standard of the work I had done. The planning application was rejected, and the owners of the land were warned that if they appealed all the evidence of their attempt at deception would be used against them. I also told the owners that I would be billing them for the work I had done and all my expenses, it had cost me over fifty pounds in fares to attend this meeting for one. When they objected to that, I told them that if the bill was not paid then how were they going to explain all this to a district judge?

The whole matter though left me smarting, it is painful to be deceived in this way. It has however allowed me to rethink all that I am doing. Now that's not such a bad thing, it is a shame that more people don't have that time to make an assessment of their lives. Well I will be making some changes, and in part a letter from the council I was dealing with helps, as they were so impressed with the quality of my work that they are adding my name to a list of approved contractors. So my desire to do more paid work gets a boost. But more importantly for me, I will be concentrating on fewer projects. While I enjoy helping and assisting on much of the local conservation work that goes on, I am finding that I am expected to do more, the more I help.
I also need to make more time to earn a living too, I have various bits and pieces that I am doing already, but I want to explore other ideas too, more of that latter though.

I know that I am lucky as most of the work I do, paid and voluntary, I enjoy. Even as I sit here writing this, I have been treated to a wonderful display of one of the Red Kites as it quarters the field to the north of the village, and I want to ensure that I retain those aspects that make life worth living. I will be doing more writing, while I lost the two publishers that were interested in my scribblings about the Badgers, I want to finish that. Also I want to ensure that I have more time to get out and film more of the wildlife. As I was able to do with the Kite today who has been here for more than three hours. However, what I most want is more time to relax and do some reading.

I think its time I resigned as a bit part actor in other peoples dramas and took centre stage in my own, but as I have no script I guess I will just have to ad lib.