Clear debris from part of a recently exposed ditch
Put in two stiles to make access for monitoring (and less ripped clothes)
Check the artificial Otter holt
Continue removing an old fence
Well we managed 3 out of the 4 tasks, ably assisted by an extra helper in the form of Tim.
The ditch had been cleared of bankside vegetation for two reasons, namely to aid the movement of water and reduce the flood risk, and improve useable habitat for the water Voles.
The contractors have done a grand job and it was a case of just tidying up what we could, which involved raking the floating debris from the water and the bankside debris into piles.
This will allow the bankside vegetation to regenerate providing cover and food for the Water Voles, the banks are quite "soft" so burrowing shouldn't be a problem.
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| Before we started |
I think another session next week will see the whole stretch of ditch cleared of floating debris and the bankside raked with the small piles moved into larger piles for burning.
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| In the throes of the work |
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To be fair Brian and I only joined in after putting the stiles in,
most of the work was done by Veronica, Neil and Tim,
but someone had to pose for the photos
What a difference, with the water running nicely and already clearing,
just the top section to tackle next time
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Well done all.
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