Blakeney spit Yuriy

Tchaikovsky

The Blakeney spit is a deposited feature that was formed through thousands of
years by long shore drift. The start of the spit is at Weyborne, the place where
large pebbles slowly start the process of long shore drift towards the spit.
Because it is such a long way to go for the rocks from Wayborne to the spit,
attrition is very important. By the time the pebbles get to the spit, they already
transform into very fine sand. Therefore, the whole spit is mostly made up of
sand and there are hardly any rocks there.

The spit is very important for the environment as it serves as a home for many
animals and birds. People purposely come to see rare birds during the summer.
The spit is also home for many seals. Therefore, money is easy to find in order to
maintain the spit so that the spit’s fragile land structure wouldn’t be ruined by
tourists.

Seals and birds are also a very important part of the spit itself. The seals bring
many tourists to the area, because there aren’t that many areas where you can
see so many seals in England. Seals are also important for the ecosystem; since
they eat all of the fish in the area not many fishing boats come to the area.
Therefore, there is little pollution in the spit. When my group went to the spit we
only saw boats for tourists and none at all for fishing, at least no boats with
motors.

The birds are also a great tourist attraction because many people come to
the spit just to see the birds, special “Birdwatching” groups.

Since the spit is made out of sand, it can be easily shifted or changed by storms
or winds. It is even more affected by people since it is a sight of special interest.
The trampling on the sand dunes by people can create blowouts. It completely
destroys the scenery because a blowout is a big hole. For this reason an
organisation called the National Trust takes responsibility for it and makes board
walks and fencing so that people stayed on the line of path that does little effect
to the scenery. The people who come to visit by free will can become members
of National Trust. On top of that people who are part of National Trust already
can see the spit on the website and all of its good features. For instance, my
family is a member of the National Trust.
 Soft sand on spit
(mostly sand
dunes)

Salt marsh under

spit

Blakeney spit has nothing in between itself and the North Pole. Therefore
it is a major stop for many migrating birds that are travelling from the area of the
North Pole and back. Many people also come to see the Bittern which is so rare
that people can’t find it even after two weeks of searching because it is very shy.
All of this brings lots of money to the community and the trust which is important
for managing the spit.

It is extremely important to manage the spit because it has a rare salt

marsh feature behind it. The marsh itself is also another attraction. The salt
marsh is important because it has the ability to adjust to the sea level, which
many other marshes are incapable of. The sea level rises are a common problem
currently because of the Global Warming. Therefore, the adjusting ability is
particularly important. It is very interesting for scientific research how the salt
marsh manages this effect.

Overall, it is clear how important the spit is to the public and to tourism in the
area. Preventing people from ruining it is difficult, but there is a lot of investment
provided to insure that the process is in place. Many local people depend on the
input of money by tourists towards the spit. In conclusion, the spit is important
for people, animals and the ecosystem around it.