Are you or do you know an angler, conservation group member, wildlife enthusiast or a member of the public who is simply sick of fly tipping in your local river? Are you worried that developers and local councils are unaware of how precious that stream running through your town is? Have you wondered whether those dimples in your local post-industrial river could really be rising trout? Do you know of little urban or suburban trouty havens in your area that have no formal protection or interest group? If you can answer “yes” to any, many or all of the above then Trout in the Town wants to hear from you. Whether you just need general or technical advice or whether you want to go all the way and set up your local chapter of Trout in the Town; please get in contact via p.gaskell@wildtrout.org (07919 157 267). Check out what we are looking for in our projects in our prioritisation strategy. It’s about the community caring for their river, and the river giving back to the community through education, engagement and a glimpse of nature in our towns and cities. What is it?Trout in the Town is a new WTT initiative funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. Its objectives are to improve the quality of river habitat in urban areas for the benefit of trout and wider biodiversity, and to raise awareness of wild trout as a totem species for clean water and living rivers. This will be achieved through the formation of local community groups who will adopt their local urban stream. As a result, conservation action groups, angling clubs, schools and all interested parties can come together to champion these urban wildlife corridors. Reconnecting communities with the streams of their towns and cities will bring reciprocal sociological benefits. There’s no better biology classroom than the natural world and there’s no better way to strengthen communities than to be united in a common cause. It’s a chance to do something wonderful and have it given back plus interest. What’s happening already?We’ve got a variety of potential projects in the pipeline on a number of rivers including the Cray in London, the South Yorkshire Don, the Driffield Beck and Glazert Water in Lennoxtown. In each case we are putting in place plans to restore or conserve wild trout populations and to connect the local community to their river and its protection. In addition, we are offering continuing advice and technical support to projects on the River Erewash in Nottinghamshire and River Ise in Northamptonshire. Finally, there are projects on the Wandle (London), Goyt (Cheshire) and Lancashire Colne that have already secured funding that are going full steam ahead with a range of activities. Established activities currently include regular working parties (all projects), in-river restoration works (Wandle and Goyt), junior conservation ranger recruitment (Colne), educational aquaria in classrooms (Wandle) and appointment of a full-time salaried programme manager (Wandle). Naturally, these activities are being extended to current and future Trout in the Town projects as appropriate in each case. Please see the project blog for continuing updates on each one of our urban schemes and the programme as a whole. Comments and suggestions for new initiatives that could be incorporated into Trout in the Town are welcomed via the blog or through the regular contact details for Paul Gaskell (p.gaskell@wildtrout.org Tel: 07919 157 267). |
