Many of you will know Reg Northam, who has volunteered at Crossness for nearly 15 years and whose help has been invaluable in shaping and managing Crossness Nature Reserve. He has regularly come out twice a week to help with habitat management and has been an integral part of life at Crossness. Sadly for us, Reg has relocated to another part of the country, but we wanted to acknowledge his hard work and dedication with something special. With that in mind, recent visitors may have noticed a new structure in the Protected Area of the reserve: Reg’s totem pole, featuring things that were meaningful to him. It features an owl, because the first involvement that Reg had at Crossness was analysing Barn Owl pellets for small mammal remains. There’s also a honey bee on honeycomb acknowledging his beekeeping activities back when we kept hives, and a ladybird, because he was forever saving them from being trodden on on footpaths etc. To honour his tools of the trade, the design features metal washers, hedgecutter blades and mower blades. It’s a fantastic addition to reserve, providing a nice artistic feature, as well as a thank you to Reg. Whilst Reg is unlikely to see it in the flesh anytime soon, he has seen photos (attached) and is absolutely thrilled. It’s even got a solitary bee habitat incorporated into the design, and it is carved into recycled False Acacia that was removed as part of our invasive species management at another of our sewage treatment works