Move it,don't lose it! Retaining fallen tree habitat. #ChalkStream #RiverRestoration #FisheriesManagement #Trees #Flyfishing
Mike Blackmore
@blacky-himself.bsky.social
Environmentalist, Conservationist, River-restorationist! Opinions expressed are my own #RiverRestoration
Winterbournes are rivers that dry in the summer and start flowing again in the winter. Chalk winterbournes are super rare but mostly degraded. Here's one being restored...
Travelled up to Birmingham again to help workshop the governments long-term beaver management plan. Super interesting stuff
Early start to head up to Birmingham. Talking about a national strategy for beavers with DEFRA
De-silting vs Dredging. They're not the same thing! Isolating a section of river to remove excesss fine silt and restore natural channel dimensions and habitat. #river #restoration #ChalkStream #conservation
Interesting time at the River Guardian Summit with @paulpowlesland.bsky.social and @lawyersfornature.bsky.social over the weekend. Amazing venue, passionate people, great food and great conversations
"Supplimenting" a species. Helping expand the endangered white-clawed crayfish population of the upper River Itchen #ChalkStream #conservation #crayfish
Fish live in trees. Sometimes fallen trees need managing, but every bit we can keep in the water is valuable habitat
Un-stocked, un-manicured, proper wild catch-and-release fly fishing on the (restored) River Test! We very happily explained this approach on the Fly Culture podcast. Apple podcast podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t... Spotify link open.spotify.com/episode/6Kgu... #flyfishing #ChalkStream #trout
The Test with Mike Blackmore and Neil Swift
Podcast Episode · The Fly Culture Podcast · 30/07/2025 · 1h 5m
podcasts.apple.com
Restoring a dredged river. Awesome result! #RiverRestoration #ChalkStream #conservation #habitatrestoration
Flashback to 2015 when a community restored their local river with almost no budget. An Environment Agency and Wild Trout Trust partnership project @wildtrouttrust.bsky.social
Out yesterday with @fishtwitcher.bsky.social and came across something private 😳
Out today doing my “other job”, managing the River Wylye. Seems like every work party we come across new signs from our wild #ChalkStream beavers 🦫🌳🐟 I hold a license but so far haven’t encountered a single problem requiring intervention.
Before ☠️ and after 🐟🌱: This is what makes the job so worthwhile #ChalkStream #RiverRestoration Recommendations from a @wildtrouttrust.bsky.social report, followed up and delivered by Wessex Rivers Trust
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… Delighted that the 2 main water companies in the Wessex region, Wessex Water and Southern Water are banned from issuing executive bonuses this year. However this is just one step on the journey, with further reform required from the industry and regulators
bbc.co.uk
Without a ‘complete’ ecosystem we’ll always have winners and losers…
We’re #hiring! Join a team creating and restoring some of the rarest habitats in the world, the iconic rivers and chalk streams of the Wessex region. environmentjob.co.uk/jobs/105833-...
Project Officer
The Project Officer will be responsible for developing, preparing and delivering a range of projects, from concept to completion. Projects will range from small, community-led habitat improvements ...
environmentjob.co.uk
A six month old river… 🌱💧
Mike Blackmore@blacky-himself.bsky.social · 2y agoA brand new river! A 400m new channel bypassing a (now redundant) weir, and replacing a (now in-filled) heavily degraded channel. Winter floods will bring the seeds, spring will bring plant growth. Nature will finish it for us! 🌱💧 #ChalkStream #RiverRestoration #FishPassage #WillTravelForGravel
Do you want to work restoring beautiful, iconic, and globally rare chalk streams? Join an innovative, creative, supportive and committed team at the cutting edge of freshwater conservation. Become a Wessex Rivers Trust Project Officer! www.wessexrt.org.uk/vacancies.html
Another year, another UK River Restoration Centre conference. I think will be my 15th. I must be getting old! 😂 River people… ASSEMBLE!
Standing on a buried riverbed! The previous landowner went to staggering efforts to gain a fragment of extra farmable land. But water is relentless, and this field (and the road downstream) are collapsing back into a steep valley. The river always wins
This is why the way government subsidises farming matters. Farmers don’t want to lose their valuable topsoil any more than we want it polluting nearby watercourses. Both have economic impacts. It’s not “woke” to pay for nature-friendly agriculture, it’s a sensible investment.
