Mersey Basin Campaign Blog

Make it snappy at Martin Mere

 

Picture by P Gibbs, entry in last year's competition.

Time is running out to enter the WWT Nikon Photography Competition, and WWT Martin Mere in Burscough is the perfect location to take your best shot. Entries have to be taken at a WWT Wetland Centre, but they can show anything, the landscape, wildlife, or even the visitors themselves.

The competition is to be judged by Chris Packham, and there's lots of swanky camera equipment up for grabs for the winners.

There are three categories to enter: Photo of the Year, Junior Photo of the Year and Digiscoping Photo of the Year. Regional winners in each catgeory will receive a prize of binoculars, and be put forward to the national shortlist.

CLICK HERE for more info about the competition and HERE for infomation about WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre.

Quite a different kettle of fish

As well as raising sea trout the Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust (working with the Environment Agency and an organisation called Crayfish in the Dales) are planning to help another species in the Ribble Catchment.

From July schools could also be raising White Clawed Crayfish.  This endangered species was until recently quite common in the upper reaches of the Ribble, but now our White Clawed Crayfish are under threat from the American Signal Crayfish and pollution.

Simliar tanks to the trout hatcheries will be used to nurture crayfish that can then be reintroduced into streams where they have been lost.  The first tanks will be installed in the Settle area.

Hatching around the patch

Stephen Hatton (Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust) has telephoned with good news today. The tanks in all the schools are working well and the eggs are hatching. When the fry are a little bigger and are swimming up to the top of the tank he will send some photographs. So far we are on course to release the trout just after Easter. ><((((º>`·. . · `·. .· `·. . ><((((º> `·. . · `·. .· `·. . ><((((º>`·. .· `·. .· `·. . ><((((º>`·. .· `·. .· `·. . ><((((º>`·. .· `·. .· `·. . ><((((º>`

Doing a clean up? Watch out for daleks!

Spotted an interesting snippet in the Metro newspaper this morning - it seems a volunteer was taking part in a clean up at his local pond down in Hampshire, when he unearthed the head of a dalek from amongst the usual litter. According to the Metro, Marc Oakland saw something round and dark coming to the surface of the pond, which turned out to be the head of one of Doctor Who's archenemies, the daleks. It seems they'd filmed in the area, and this particular exterminator had been left behind. So next time you're out in your waders, just think, a piece of TV history could be just under the next shopping trolley.

The Mersey Basin Campaign offers lots of opportunities to get involved in clean-ups on the Northwest's waters. We can't promise space-rubbish, but if you'd like to take part, contact your nearest Action Partnership, or email our Community Support Coordinator, Bev Mitchell

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PIC OF MARC AND HIS DALEK

More fish to blog about

Welcome to 2009 and Year 3 of the Trout in the Classroom programme in the Ribble Catchment.  The schools who took part in the last two years are joining in again and the Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust are delighted to take two more schools on board.  Pendle Juniors (Clitheroe) and Derby Road Juniors (Longridge) bring the total number to six schools who will be rearing trout in their classrooms this year.

Thanks to the Environment Agency once more for their funding towards the new tanks and to Ribble Valley Borough Council for matching the funding.

Good luck to all the schools - we hope you enjoy this project.

May all your wishes be fishes, may all your fishes come true!

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RIBBLE FORUM 08: Q&A

 

This year's Ribble Forum is taking place on Thursday 20th November at the Harris Conference Centre, Garstang Road, Preston. The event will look at a range of projects and developments throughout the Ribble catchment, including:

• The breach of the sea defences at Hesketh Outmarsh 
• The River Douglas Crossing design competition
• United Utilities improvements to river water quality

Throughout the morning there will be opportunities to ask questions of the speakers, and that's where you come in. You can submit your question in advance by leaving a comment below (click on 'Comments'), and we'll provide you with a copy on the day. Of course, if the forum raises a new question for you, you're welcome to ask a fresh question then as well......

Don't forget to leave your name and organisation, so that we know who's asking what!

If you haven't done so already, you can book to attend the forum by CLICKING HERE.

Super Heroes rescue the environment

Residents of Fishwick Estate in Preston could have been forgiven for thinking they were on a film set the other Sunday.  Super heroes and Starwars characters appeared around every corner.

But it wasn't the middle of the latest sci-fi adventure - it was a local group of youngsters doing their bit for MWH Mersey Basin Week by cleaning up the estate.  Lead by Zul Hussain, Fishwick Rangers turned out in brilliant fancy-dress costumes to free the streets of litter.

With all those super heroes around the litter should be banished for a long time!

Well done Fishwick Rangers for showing that improving the environment can be fun.  May the Force be with you.

Up close and personal

RSPB held their annual Estuary under the Microscope event at the Ribble Discovery Centre last Sunday.  Over 300 visitors examined tiny creatures barely visible to the human eye through Chantelle Edwards' microscope.  The larger than life images were displayed on a TV screen for all to see.  This event has become a much loved tradition of MWH Mersey Basin Week at the Discovery Centre and illustrates the importance of the estuary mud as a giant foodstore for the millions of birds that populate the estuary.

Chopping Trees in Cuerden

Cuerden Valley Park Trust in Bamber Bridge is celebrating MWH Mersey Basin Week with a full programme of events.  The River Lostock runs through the picturesque park and a group of volunteers are keen to conserve the area for its heritage and importance for wildlife.

The Sunday volunteers got together on 5 October to improve a pond area that was dug when the nearby M65 motorway was built.  The pond has grown bigger than its creators anticipated meaning trees planted at the time are often growing (and rotting) in the water.

The volunteers felled most of the trees.

Some were ring-barked to become standing dead wood and the brash was burned.  This work opened up the pond and improved the habitat for biodiversity.

The resident herd of Jacob's sheep will now help to keep the scrub from growing.

More Fishy Poems. Taylor's Poem

Beautiful Golden White Fish

You and me,

Sitting on a tree tree.

Watching the fish

Making a special wish.

At the sea sea,

Have a cup of tea tea.

Fish in the sea,

Jumping with lots of glee!!

I saw a fish,

Eating a fish bowl dish.

Singing “yum yum

It’s lovely in your tum”.

Fish in the sea sea,

Learning all about me me.

In out in out,

Jumping all high and about.

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