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Future Events
Please feel free to contact us if you know of an event or an idea for an event, which you think other IFM members, would be interested in or find beneficial. Please e-mail: eanglia@ifm.org.uk
For more information on any event please contact:
Andy Sadler andy.sadler@environment-agency.gov.uk or
Chris Randall eanglia@ifm.org.uk
Event Reports
2007 ANGLIAN BRANCH PRACTICAL WORKSHOP DAY
- WEED AND HABITAT MANAGEMENT, ELY, CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Anglian Branch held their 3rd Practical Workshop Day down at the Environment Agency site at Ely on the 15th September 2007 blessed by a glorious sunny day! 20 delegates enjoyed a varied programme covering the practical aspects of weed management, understanding the basic principals of good habitat along with an identification session of some of the more common aquatic plants.
The day started with a series of talks. Aquatic Biologist and Consultant Dr Barry Howard explained the basic principals of freshwater habitats in stillwater’s with particular emphasis on the requirements for fish in order for them to thrive. Andy Sadler, Fisheries Officer in the Environment Agency (EA), then covered the riverine environment showing some of the projects undertaken by the Environment Agency over recent years. He talked about restoring and enhancing rivers in the Great Ouse catchment explaining some of the techniques used to improve habitat on particularly degraded rivers. Nina Fielding, Biologist in the EA, covered the sticky area of herbicide use to control aquatic plants and explained what products now can and cannot be used. She also explained some of the limitations of the herbicides available on the market and a number of alternatives that could be used in pond and lake management. Finally Chris Randall, also a Fisheries Officer with the EA, explain some of the mechanical methods that can be employed to control the spread of aquatic weeds. This was to be followed up later in the day with a practical demonstration.
After the series of informative talks, that prompted some pertinent questions, Nina guided everyone through an aquatic plant identification quiz on some of the more common plants likely to be encountered in fisheries across East Anglia. Nina also produced a useful identification booklet the delegates could take away for future reference.
Lunch was followed by the assembly of a floating island kindly supplied by the event sponsor ‘Waterlines’. These were topped with coir mattresses of native emergent plant species and it showed how quick and easy the islands are to assemble. Hazel faggots were shown to be particularly versatile with many applications such as bank revetment, bank re-alignment, flow deflectors and refuges. Finally the use of barley straw was discussed with the pro’s and cons of some of the different types of materials that are used to contain the barley straw with different examples demonstrated for all to see.
Chris’s talk covered mechanical method used to remove weed from lakes and two of these were on display, the boat-mounted battery powered weed cutter and the hand-pulled chain scythes. The nearby lakes had heavy lily growth which was tackled using both methods. The cheaper chain scythe proved particularly effective on lilies by using a sawing action as the scythe is retrieved and although the boat mounted cutter was less impressive….although I’m assured it can be very effective on emergent reeds!
Finally a discussion on the some of the habitat features of the lakes and a general session on fisheries issues concluded a very informative and enjoyable day.
Any suggestion IFM members have on future topics for both next years Practical Workshop and for any other IFM events please contact the Anglian Branch committee.
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