Peter powell
@peterpowell.bsky.social
CEO at Welsh Dee Trust. Our objective: A river Dee free of pollution and full of wildlife. Farmer at Cefn Ucha Farm. Objective: food, nature and not going bust
I’m always so impressed to see the work done by people like this. People who dedicate their lives to improving our world. When I compare this to the power hungry and the greedy, if it’s hard to believe we are the same species.
Peter powell@peterpowell.bsky.social · last yr.This is the Llynor. It's one of the cleanest tributaries on the Dee. No farmyards or sewage treatment works upstream. And it's mostly forest, a big section being restored to ancient woodland. But it has a major problem.
The #CunliffeReview dropped today, proposing a major overhaul of water regulation in the UK. But there's a glaring omission. The review recommends new regional water system planning authorities, several in 🏴, one in 🏴. But what about the Dee, which crosses the border? 👇
This is the Llynor. It's one of the cleanest tributaries on the Dee. No farmyards or sewage treatment works upstream. And it's mostly forest, a big section being restored to ancient woodland. But it has a major problem.
The #CunliffeReview dropped today, proposing a major overhaul of water regulation in the UK. But there's a glaring omission. The review recommends new regional water system planning authorities, several in 🏴, one in 🏴. But what about the Dee, which crosses the border? 👇
Electrofishing the following year showed some success with 11 Young salmon above the road crossing. Over the next couple of months we will be back to electrofish again Fingers crossed we see yet another increase in Salmon numbers now they have had access for 2 breeding seasons
So @WelshDeeTrust we have brought in tonnes of large boulders. Placing these strategically we have created a ramp that allows salmon and other fish to swim up and over the roads.
The cause? Several forestry road crossings were probably stopping salmon migrating upstream. The photo shows one of these crossings. Although Salmon can jump 2 meters, they need deep water to get a run up. Downstream of these crossings was very shallow.
In the lower sections of the river, Salmon are spawning. You can see a hen and cock fish spawning in the video below. But when we electrofished higher upstream, we found 0 salmon in the tributary. Even though the habitat looked perfect!
A great thread that shows the value of boots on the ground, a keen eye and being pro-active.
Peter powell@peterpowell.bsky.social · last yr.This is the Llynor. It's one of the cleanest tributaries on the Dee. No farmyards or sewage treatment works upstream. And it's mostly forest, a big section being restored to ancient woodland. But it has a major problem.
This is the Llynor. It's one of the cleanest tributaries on the Dee. No farmyards or sewage treatment works upstream. And it's mostly forest, a big section being restored to ancient woodland. But it has a major problem.
More detail on the 🏴 sustainable farming scheme has been released. This is the Welsh governments biggest investment in nature conservation and food production. 12 universal actions required to receive £70 a hectare.
How's this for nature friendly farming? This is WelshDeeTrust site on the Cheshire plains. The 3D buffer will help protect the watercourse from any pollutants in the field and also provide valuable habitat for 🐛🦋🪶🐦⬛🐀.
How's this for nature friendly farming? This is WelshDeeTrust site on the Cheshire plains. The 3D buffer will help protect the watercourse from any pollutants in the field and also provide valuable habitat for 🐛🦋🪶🐦⬛🐀.
A big thank you to @peterpowell.bsky.social and @welsh-dee-trust.bsky.social for leading a walk along the banks of the #RiverDee in #Chester for #ChesterHeritageFestival yesterday. We learnt a lot about the challenges facing the river, and what we could do to help.
Gravel is the unsung hero of healthy rivers. I think it is (almost) as important for river wildlife as the water that flows over the top. The sediments, pebbles rocks and stones are vital to healthy rivers but they are also under threat. Read on to find out why 👇
Dead Fish Broke His Holiday - Mr. King, #Dee Fisheries Manager, was recalled from his holiday on #Anglesey in August 1949 - @theguardian.com gem in @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy #FishFriday #RiverDee #Wales #envhist @welsh-dee-trust.bsky.social @peterpowell.bsky.social
I'm a sheep farmer and lover of nature. So interested to read this article, what's a sheep worth? scotlandbigpicture.com/rewilding-st... But the second paragraph talks about sheep: 'shuffling around ring feeders or staring vacantly into space' which is such an odd turn of phrase....
What’s a sheep worth?
<p>Sheep have come to dominate the Scottish landscape, but at what cost? We could produce all the lamb we need while also supporting farmers to restore our lost biodiversity, but if farmers insist the...
scotlandbigpicture.com
When the rspb and the nfu have the same message you know the government made a mistake.
RSPB@rspb.bsky.social · last yr.UK Government has halted SFI applications, cutting off support for nature-friendly farming in England. ❌🍃 Farmers need certainty, not funding that’s switched on & off. Pulling the rug from under them erodes trust, disrupts farming, and stalls critical progress on nature & climate.
Ecological restoration question? This is one of our grassland restoration sites @Cefn_Ucha farm. We have grazed hard this winter and spread hay from another species rich grassland. Do we buy in some more seed? Or wait and see what happens?
Just read this word salad in an important conservation document. 🤮 'It is a long-term facilitative collaborative strategic partnership' Its no wonder wildlife continues to decline.
🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴 Not been this excited for years. #sixnations
Very informative #RiverEcology thread.
Peter powell@peterpowell.bsky.social · 2y agoGravel is the unsung hero of healthy rivers. I think it is (almost) as important for river wildlife as the water that flows over the top. The sediments, pebbles rocks and stones are vital to healthy rivers but they are also under threat. Read on to find out why 👇
As part of a grassland restoration project at cefn Ucha farm we have been rolling out hay for sheep. This is hay collected from another which is full of wildflowers, hopefully this process will help spread seed to our restoration site.
700 trees planted yesterday by @welsh-dee-trust.bsky.social volunteers. Couldn't do it without them. 👏
Recent woodland shelter we've created on the farm. Expanding what was a hedge and ditch into a corridoor of ponds, woodlands and scrub. Can't wait to see it in a few years when it's grown a bit.
As you say, clean gravels are critical to the survival of many freshwater species. Freshwater pearl mussels, in particular, suffer when the clean gravels required for their young to develop become choked with fine sediment.
Great thread on the importance of gravels in stream systems #willtravelforgravel
Peter powell@peterpowell.bsky.social · 2y agoGravel is the unsung hero of healthy rivers. I think it is (almost) as important for river wildlife as the water that flows over the top. The sediments, pebbles rocks and stones are vital to healthy rivers but they are also under threat. Read on to find out why 👇
