River health checks off to flying start!

A river monitoring project established to check on the 'health' of North Devon's River Torridge has got off to a flying start. Set up earlier this year, the project now has 34 trained volunteers who are carrying out vital regular monitoring. The initiative, known as the 'Riverfly Partnership', is part of a national project monitoring the long term health of our rivers and helps to pick up on pollution incidents. The Devon version was set up earlier this year in the Torridge catchment. It was put in place by the Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area (NIA). So far it has generated a good deal of local interest. After an initial call for 'river monitors' 34 local people came forward to help. They come from a range of backgrounds and include teachers, anglers, farmers, students and an acupuncturist! Members of the team have each been given their own stretch of the river and are now surveying it on a monthly basis, looking for freshwater invertebrates (minibeasts), hence the name 'riverflies'. Louise Davis, the NIA's Riverfly Co-ordinator, explained: "The invertebrates found in our streams and rivers can tell us a lot about their health. Their presence or absence gives us vital clues as to what is going on beneath the water's surface. By counting the invertebrates on a monthly basis, we are able to look at long term water quality, and if all the invertebrates disappear, we know that something has gone drastically wrong. The volunteers have been sampling over the summer months, making sure that vital fish spawning grounds are not disturbed over the winter. We're also careful to ensure that the volunteers are safe and that they are not swept away by floods!" The Riverfly project is being support by North Devon Fisheries Local Action Group, and Torridge District Council. Their generosity allowed the NIA to purchase equipment for the volunteers. Using hand nets, sampling trays and magnifiers, the volunteers are tasked with identifying eight different groups of invertebrates. Louise explained: "The work of the volunteers is not too technical, and the Riverfly monitoring scheme is one that anyone can take part in, with no previous experience required. It does however take an eye for detail and a certain level of patience to identify the different flies that are found." 

The project is keen to hear from other local people who might want to get involved. If you would like to find out more about the Riverfly scheme, or to register your interest as a volunteer for 2015, please email info@northerndevonnia.org , or call Devon Wildlife Trust on 01409 221823. 

The monitoring scheme is part of wider work being undertaken by the NIA in NorthDevon. The project is one of 12 nationally important landscape scale wildlife schemes across England. It is delivering an impressive and ambitious range of work to restore Culm grassland and woodlands, create new wildlife habitat and improve water quality in the Torridge catchment. It is a partnership project within the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with Devon Wildlife Trust as the NIA's lead partner and at least 16 other project partners making active contributions to the project's outcomes.

 "Riverfly training takes place on the River Torridge. The scheme is getting local people to provide regular health-checks on their river."- Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)

Coronation Meadow sows seeds for the future

A meadow with a royal stamp of approval is at the root of the spread of rare wildflowers in north Devon. The meadow in question is Dunsdon, a National Nature Reserve owned by leading conservation charity Devon Wildlife Trust. Its 140 acres near Holsworthy are some of the best remaining Culm grasslands in the UK. Culm is famous for its rich summer displays of wildflowers including orchids, Devil's-bit scabious and others that have largely disappeared from the wider countryside. In 2012 Dunsdon received royal approval when it was made Devon's Coronation Meadow. The award came from an original idea of HRH Prince of Wales. As a way to mark celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation the Prince proposed that a meadow be designated in every county. 97% of the nation's wildflower meadows have been lost in the last 75 years, and it was concern for their disappearance that lay behind the Prince's initiative. Two years on Dunsdon not only continues to flourish but it is now being used as the focus point of a project which is seeing more wildflower meadows being established elsewhere. This summer Dunsdon has become a 'donor site' for wildflower seed which is now being used to create new meadows nearby. The work is being funded through the Partnership Scheme by Biffa Award; a multi-million pound fund which awards grants to community and environmental projects across the UK. The project has involved Devon Wildlife Trust staff gathering seed from the Culm grassland meadows of Dunsdon using a specialist bit of kit known as a seed harvester. The seed is then dried while a 'receptor site' is prepared nearby. The ground of the receptor site is cut to reduce its existing grass covering and then their top layer of soil is disturbed using a tractor-pulled implement similar to a harrow. In the final stage sowing takes place. Then the long wait begins watching to see what wildflowers appear the following spring and summer. In recent weeks wildflower seed from Dunsdon National Nature Reserve has been used with this method to sow ten acres of land at nearby Headon Farm. The land was purchased by Devon Wildlife Trust in March this year. Matt Boydell, the charity's Nature Reserves manager, explained: "Our new land at Headon Farm lacks the wildflowers that could support a wider range of local wildlife. Our aim is to improve it, so that's why we've embarked on this work. Seed from Dunsdon will allow us to do this. We're planting ten acres this year and then will do a further 20 acres over the next two summers." Matt continued: "This kind of work is exactly what Coronation Meadows were intended to do. They aren't meant to be standalone relics, the last remaining wildflower rich places in our countryside. Instead the intention is that they will act as the starting places for a movement to bring back wildflowers to the wider countryside." The existing wildflower meadows of Devon Wildlife Trust's Dunsdon National NatureReserve are home to many rare and threatened plants and animals including marsh fritillary butterflies, barn owls and lesser butterfly orchids. The charity's hope is that these species will now begin to spread along with the seed of Devon's first Coronation Meadow.

Seed Harvesting - Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)

 Seed Sewing Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)

FREE courses ‘All things wood-fuel’ this Autumn with Northern Devon NIA

Everyone likes to be cosy and warm. With Autumn round the corner and with rising energy costs it’s little wonder that people are increasingly considering the best way to heat their homes. With this in mind a series of FREE wood-fuel workshops is now being offered to people in north Devon. For some, woodfuel might conjure images of a log burner used only for special occasions, but in years gone-by wood from Devon’s hedgerows and woodland was one of the main sources of domestic heating. You don’t have to look far in Devon to find a woodland which could potentially be managed for abundant supplies of this renewable, sustainable fuel. Happily, in addition to saving money on your heating and helping lower carbon emissions, managing woodland for woodfuel can also be good news for wildlife too. Whether you’re a home owner thinking of new ways to heat your house, or a woodland owner interested in how your woodland might best be managed to contribute to the local economy, FREE courses led by industry experts and provided by the Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area Project provide a wealth of information. 

• September 16th - If you are thinking of renewable heating with wood-fuel - either woodchip or logs, and taking advantage of the Renewable Heat Incentive, this workshop will help you to understand how it all works, from accessing the woodlands to extract the timber to processing for chip-wood or logs. 
• September 18th - Guided visits to local boiler installations to demonstrate the range of options available to anyone thinking of taking advantage of the Renewable Heat Incentive. 
• October 2nd – A guided woodland walk to learn how Devon woodland can be managed for both biodiversity and economic value. 
• October 24th - From 2015 all woodlands will only be eligible for grant aid if an approved management plan is in place. Learn what is required in the plan, how to access the grant and hear advice for those wishing to write the plan themselves or to contract the services of a professional. 
• 4th November – With ever rising populations of the non-native grey squirrel, damage to young trees through bark stripping is at epidemic proportions in North Devon. If you have young trees or are hoping for regenerating seedling in your wood to have a chance of establishing this course is a must. 
•  27th November – Learn how to fell and extract small amounts of timber for personal use or sale using techniques including a compact tractor, small crane and extraction using horses. Practical solutions for everyday woodland owner problems are all high on the agenda. For the less mechanized or equestrian amongst you there will be practical coppicing advice including the use of tools.

For more information on any of the courses described please visit www.northerndevonnia.org/events or contact us on info@northerndevonnia.org or call 07816342229 

 Photo: Copyright Kevin New (All rights Reserved)