News stories from 2009

Last updated: 18 January 2010.

Since newspapers are constantly rearranging their archives, some of the links on this page may now be broken. If you're interested in a particular story and you can't reach it from the link here, try copying the title of the story and pasting it into your favourite search engine.

Please note that the newest news stories are on our home page.

December 2009

Thu, 31 Dec 2009: River Dee set for a major clean!: A large-scale operation to revive the River Dee has been published among the new river basin management plans.

Thu, 31 Dec 2009: Huge increase in fishing: A staggering 1.5 million fishing licences were sold in England and Wales last year, the Environment Agency has revealed.

Thu, 31 Dec 2009: Just how much space does humanity need?: This fascinating scientific article from Nature, published back in September, reveals how badly humans are doing at living within the environmental "space" available to them.

Thu, 31 Dec 2009: River events for January 2010: Thankfully, it's not all quiet on the river front: our calendar of river-related events is already filling up for spring 2010. There are lots of new year walks and a few river-cleaning sessions happening in the next few weeks. As we always say, please feel free to promote your river events by adding them to the diary. It's ever so simple!

Tue, 29 Dec 2009: Collingham anglers home and dry: This month the Environment Agency completed the construction of 18 new stone angling pegs on the tidal River Trent at Collingham. Before the new pegs were built anglers had to manage to fish from large rocks that were used for flood defence purposes or unstable grass banks. Because this stretch of the river is tidal anglers had to continually reposition themselves to accommodate changing water levels.

Tue, 29 Dec 2009: Christmas homes dump 230,000 tonnes of wasted food: According to Defra, we're going to be wasting waste amounts of food at Christmas again this year. Fight the urge! You could eat things beyond their sell-by date if they look okay or try composting your waste.

Wed, 23 Dec 2009: RSPB celebrates the bird conservation success of the decade: The conservation charity has collated survey figures for threatened birds since the turn of the century to give a snapshot of the species which have fared the best and worst over the past ten years.

Wed, 23 Dec 2009: Wallace and Gromit inspire eco-friendly buildings: A wacky idea that appeared in a recent npower insulation campaign featuring Wallace and Gromit is being put into practice at a National Trust village in Oxfordshire.

Tue, 22 Dec 2009: Surfers Against Sewage Send Rubbish Christmas Presents: Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaigners have sent identifiable marine litter back to the manufactures, wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper as part of the award winning Return To Offender campaign. These rubbish presents were found on beaches around the UK.

Tue, 22 Dec 2009: Not a Hopenhagen!: Schnews laments the oh-so-inevitable failure of yet another climate COP-out.

Mon, 21 Dec 2009: After the Copenhagen failure, we're all eco-warriors now: Don't follow leaders, watch your parking meters. It's time to save the climate ourselves.

Sun, 20 Dec 2009: How insects make Christmas: This Christmas as you tuck into delicious chocolate truffles, enjoy fresh coffee on Christmas morning, or serve up the cranberry sauce with Christmas dinner, Buglife asks us to "spare a thought for the little creatures that make these delights possible".

Sun, 20 Dec 2009: The battle against Asian carp: Here's an interesting article about efforts to tackle Asian carp in Missouri, USA (an alien invader first detected in the country in the 1990s).

Fri, 18 Dec 2009: Climate summit is another dismal failure: Why are we surprised that global climate talks repeatedly end without tackling the world's most pressing problem? Friends of the Earth called the outcome "a complete failure"; for WWF it was "half-baked and unclear" and "too weak to tackle dangerous climate change".

Thu, 17 Dec 2009: Greener farm waste? Cleaner rivers: Measures to reduce waste burned and buried by farmers can only improve the quality of our rivers.

Thu, 17 Dec 2009: Restoration of the South Winterborne chalk stream benefits biodiversity: A project to restore part of the South Winterborne stream to its original course has now been completed as part of the work of the Dorset Winterbourne Project.

Wed, 16 Dec 2009: Fish to be released into luxury new home: On Wednesday 16 December 2009, Environment Agency Fishery Officers will be stocking 2,000 Chub and Dace into the River Leadon at Cutmill Farm near Redmarley, to replace fish lost during recent pollution incidents.

Wed, 16 Dec 2009: Carmarthenshire rivers get half million boost: The Carmarthenshire Rivers Trust has secured a huge grant from European and Welsh Assembly sources to improve the region's rivers.

Tue, 15 Dec 2009: Winchester volunteers restore chalkstream: The natural environment and wildlife in Hampshire are amongst the richest in Europe and last week the Environment Agency and 40 local volunteers took action to protect the long-term future of a historically important chalkstream in Hyde, Winchester.

Tue, 15 Dec 2009: Make a date with nature on a National Nature Reserve!: From seals braving winter storms on The Wash NNR to millions of starlings massing in the winter skies at Shapwick Heath NNR in Somerset, stunning scenery and special wildlife are just some of the sights to be seen on National Nature Reserves this winter.

Sat, 12 Dec 2009: Walking the New River in London: The Thames may be mighty, but London's smaller waterways are also worth a wander. Join The Londonist on a walk along the New River, a manmade aqueduct stretching from Hertfordshire to Islington.

Sat, 12 Dec 2009: River protester throws the dice on water improvement: Here's a water-quality protest with a difference in New Zealand, marked by the sudden appearance of two gigantic concrete dice!

Sat, 12 Dec 2009: Climate change: denying the deniers: Why are climate-change-denying arguments like zombies? Bad-science buster Ben Goldacre explains.

Fri, 11 Dec 2009: River recreation in the Midlands: The Environment Agency is inviting anyone who is interested in shaping the future of water-related sports and activities in the Midlands to a free consultation workshop entitled "Enjoying Water in the Midlands", to be held in various towns and cities in February.

Fri, 11 Dec 2009: Fish welcomed back to the Trent: Thousands of fish have been added to the Trent by the Environment Agency to compensate for the recent, horrific cyanide spill.

Fri, 11 Dec 2009: Tips for an eco-friendly Christmas: Friends of the Earth reveal their ten tips for a "greener" white Christmas.

Fri, 11 Dec 2009: WWF welcome green home makeover scheme: According to WWF, it's a cause for celebration that the government is spending a whopping four million pounds to help 500 homes invest in energy efficiency. No, really? And how many billions is the government preparing to spend on new nuclear power stations? And how much difference will 500 slightly greener homes make?

Sat, 12 Dec 2009: Ocean acidification: an underwater time-bomb: Ocean acidity has increased by 30 per cent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the rate of acidification will accelerate in the coming decades, according to a new guide launched at the UN Copenhagen Climate Change summit. The results could spell disaster for critical parts of the marine food chain, with knock-on consequences for fishing communities and the global fishing industry, and wide-scale destruction of marine reefs.

Tue, 8 Dec 2009: Water meters are the way forward: Metering water is the way to cut usage, improve the environment, and help households keep their bills in check.

Tue, 8 Dec 2009: Environment Agency backs heat pumps: Another boost for a radically brilliant bit of planet-saving technology as a new Agency report confirms: "heat from below the ground could produce a third of the UK's renewable heat by 2020". Ground-source heat pumps are a bit like backward-working refrigerators that suck heat from outside into your home, even in winter.

Sat, 5 Dec 2009: Environment Agency accused over Cumbria floods: Did the Agency ignore 2005 warnings from local people that the flood was a disaster waiting to happen?

Fri, 4 Dec 2009: The pleasure and pain of farming by the river: An interesting tale of the challenges of farming by a river from the Yorkshire Post.

Fri, 4 Dec 2009: Celebrating the Marine and Coastal Access Act: A coalition of the UK's leading environmental groups has been celebrating the passing of the Marine and Coastal Access Act and has laid down a challenge to ministers. Now they want to make sure that protection is put into place quickly and effectively, with a coherent network of Marine Conservation Zones around our coast in the next two years.

Thu, 3 Dec 2009: India borrows a billion to save the Ganges: The World Bank has given India a massive loan to help clean up its best-known (and horrifically polluted) river.

Thu, 3 Dec 2009: Tigers, Polar Bears and Blue Fin Tuna Among the Most Threatened Species: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today released its annual list of some of the most threatened species around the world, saying that the long-term survival of many animals is increasingly in doubt due to a host of threats, including climate change, and calling for a step up in efforts to save some of the world's most threatened animals.

Wed, 2 Dec 2009: Lots more fish for London: About 700 fish (is someone counting?) are being released on the River Pool in Lewisham, the River Ravensbourne in Bromley, and at Canada Water.

Wed, 2 Dec 2009: Who took the best river photo?: The Guardian presents the conclusion of its recent "photograph-a-river" assignment.

Tue, 1 Dec 2009: Major cities fight sea level rise: Does it sound like a climate apocalypse movie? The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) says major cities are now facing a sea-level rise twice that predicted only two years ago.

November 2009

Mon, 30 Nov 2009: Super-river used to divide Britain from Europe: In prehistoric times, a giant river used to separate Britain from France.

Tue, 24 Nov 2009: Make your green actions count: Rough Guide writer Duncan Clark shows how to be more effective about going green.

Sat, 28 Nov 2009: River Wandle needs more help: Members of the Wandle Trust are calling for more government help for rivers.

Sat, 28 Nov 2009: Celebrate East Anglian rivers!: The Environment Agency has launched a new website aimed at highlighting all that the rivers of the Anglian region have to offer. Visit Anglian Waterways is full of information and features about the rivers Welland and Glen, Great Ouse, Nene, Stour, and Ancholme.

Sat, 28 Nov 2009: Bugs get ready: it's the International Year of Biodiversity!: 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and Buglife is gearing up to spread the word about the importance of bugs within biodiversity and draw attention to the loss of invertebrate species.

Fri, 27 Nov 2009: New flood protection scheme for Gloucestershire: Deerhurst in Gloucestershire may only have 29 homes, but 18 of them were damaged in the disastrous floods of 2007. Hopefully new flood gates will stop it happening again.

Thu, 26 Nov 2009: Sustainable fish and chips?: Enterprising dutch fish shops have put sustainable fishing firmly on the menu.

Thu, 26 Nov 2009: Water bill reductions could be on the cards: Ofwat is due to signal how much water companies can charge customers between 2010 and 2015, but lower bills could be bad news for rivers if investment is cut.

Thu, 26 Nov 2009: Are river bridges really safe?: The Guardian asks the question on everyone's mind after the flood disaster in Cumbria last week.

Tue, 24 Nov 2009: Climate change looks "dangerous, long-term and potentially irreversible" say scientists: Forget the huff and puff from vested interests: the latest climate science really is "alarming", according to scientists from The Royal Society, Met Office, and Natural Environment Research Council, who've issued a joint statement.

Tue, 24 Nov 2009: Photographing rivers from another angle: It's Gavin Macintosh's turn to share his river photos as part of the Guardian Camera Club's "photograph-a-river" assignment, and the melancholy glory of Autumn gloom is very much his theme.

Mon, 23 Nov 2009: The (Asian) carp are coming: There are fears alien-invader Asian carp are heading for America's Great Lakes after getting past an electrical barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship canal.

Fri, 20 Nov 2009: Norfolk fish stocking success: Over two hundred roach were recently stocked into the River Wensum in Norfolk in an exciting collaborative project between Norfolk Fly Fishers Club and the Environment Agency.

Fri, 20 Nov 2009: Wildlife Trusts: Put nature at the heart of flood prevention: Flood defence walls continue to be a vital way of protecting homes and farmland. But, if the UK is to address the future effects of climate change, natural solutions to flood management must play a significant role say the Wildlife Trusts.

Tue, 17 Nov 2009: UK Fails Bathing Water Standards Set 33 Years Ago: Clean Water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) say they're outraged, but not surprised, by bathing water results released today by Defra. 30% of UK beaches failed to meet guideline standards, a shockingly high figure that confirms SAS's fears that our bathing waters and surf spots are being contaminated by raw sewage discharging from Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). Of course, if you're the government, you may prefer to present this story as 98% of swimming spots meet water quality standards (where "water quality standards" is another way of saying "absolutely bare minimum mandatory standards").

Tue, 17 Nov 2009: Taking on the dredgers in Delaware: Five environmental organizations have filed lawsuits to challenge the US Army Corps' proposed Delaware River deepening project. "When the government is willing to break the law in a way that hurts our communities, citizens must rise up and defend the law, defend the river that sustains us all. That is what we are doing today—defending our right to clean water, clean air, fish we can catch and feed our children, wetlands and floodplains that protect us from pollution and floods" states Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper. Go guys!

Tue, 17 Nov 2009: Six degrees of warming warning: We're heading for an utterly catastrophic six-degree temperature rise without urgent climate action.

Tue, 17 Nov 2009: Climate change alert: coastal 'carbon sinks' shrink faster than Amazon forests: In a major new report, scientists have sounded the alarm over the threats faced by coastal marine ecosystems - such as tidal salt marshes, seagrass meadows, kelp forests and mangroves - which are key tools in combating climate change.

Mon, 16 Nov 2009: River Taff cleanup presses on despite weather!: The dynamic new Cardiff Rivers Group continues its sterling work busting trash on the rivers of Wales.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009: UK cannot reach climate targets: Greenhouse emissions cuts of 80% by 2050 are physically impossible according to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009: More photographing rivers: The Guardian Camera Club's photograph-a-river exercise considers Jeannie Jay's photos of London rivers.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009: Environment Agency: rubbish is a resource: Population growth and consumption patterns are placing an unsustainable burden on the planet's resources. Add climate change to the mix and we have no choice. Businesses must treat waste a valuable resource, according to the Environment Agency.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009: WWF: New hope for our seas: Today at last the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act becomes law. For the first time ever, the UK government now has a legal duty to conserve and protect species and habitats in and around our seas.

Thu, 12 Nov 2009: A good week for rivers: Lori Pottinger of International Rivers reviews its latest dambusting successes in The Huffington Post.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009: Salmon leaping in Gilfach: Watch the annual spectacular as the salmon arrive back at the Gilfach Nature Reserve to spawn in the Marteg's shallows.

Tue, 10 Nov 2009: Early Christmas stocking for River Trent: Stretches of the River Trent and Tame that were badly affected by recent pollution incidents will get an early Christmas stocking of thousands of baby fish this winter. Over the next few months, the Environment Agency's Calverton Fish Farm, near Nottingham, will be providing tens of thousands of young fish including chub, dace, barbel, roach and bream.

Tue, 10 Nov 2009: Environment Agency calls for flood defence for almost a million: The problem of protecting homes and businesses against flooding is going to get considerably worse over the next five years.

Tue, 10 Nov 2009: South Korea river battles begin: South Korea's government is pushing ahead with major dredging and dam projects despite environmental opposition and concern.

Tue, 10 Nov 2009: Fish Legal seek legal eagle to make polluters pay: If you think "illegal" is a sick bird, you're probably not the person Fish Legal are looking for to fill a solicitor vacancy at their Hereford Office. Fish Legal now does the pollution-law work that the ACA used to do until its demise a few years ago.

Mon, 9 Nov 2009: Water voles a go-go: Latest figures suggest the lovable waterside creatures have doubled in numbers on our rivers since last year.

Sun, 8 Nov 2009: How new nukes threaten the Kalahari: What a glorious rebranding nuclear power has come to enjoy. But in all the PR and spin, don't forget that nuclear power cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be described as "low carbon": it requires energy-intensive uranium mining... and that threatens other parts of the world from Australia to the Kalahari.

Fri, 6 Nov 2009: Guardian Camera Club: Gavin Edmonds on rivers: How did you get on with The Guardian's photograph-a-river task a few weeks ago? Gavin Edmonds shows us his own river snaps.

Sat, 7 Nov 2009: Slowly up the Mekong: Kate Quill ventures up the haunting Asian river for The Times.

Sat, 7 Nov 2009: Gore: Climate action will mean more direct action: Al Gore has defended the role of nonviolent civil disobedience in stopping climate change.

Sat, 7 Nov 2009: Travel company rejects carbon offsetting as a "medieval pardon" for polluters: Ethical travel operator responsibletravel.com has ditched carbon offsets because they encourage people to maintain their business-as-usual, climate-polluting behaviour.

Fri, 6 Nov 2009: Pigging hell! Hundreds of fish die in River Witham: There: I've always wanted to write a Sun style headline. More seriously, I have to relay news from the Environment Agency: "More than six kilometers of the River Witham was polluted with pig effluent killing about 450 brown trout and several protected native white-clawed crayfish when slurry backed up in a drainage system and overflowed from a damaged manhole."

Fri, 6 Nov 2009: Swimmers versus anglers in Henleaze fish cull: Members of an "exclusive" swimming club have upset local anglers by insisting on a huge cull of carp in Henleaze Lake.

Thu, 5 Nov 2009: Northern Ireland bathing water is "getting better": Although water quality in NI is still poor (fewer than half of designated bathing waters meet guideline EU standards, for example), there are some signs of improvement.

Thu, 5 Nov 2009: Win a guided tour of the River Itchen!: Pioneering environmental film company tve is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a fundraising auction on eBay. Prizes include a personalised tour of the beautiful River Itchen in Hampshire, guided by a WWF expert, including tea and a pub dinner.

Thu, 5 Nov 2009: Rich countries scheme to ditch Kyoto targets: Rich countries are deliberately attempting to sidetrack UN climate negotiations towards a weak, ineffective politically binding agreement in Copenhagen, warns Friends of the Earth.

October 2009

Fri, 30 Oct 2009: Beavering away at home: The first beaver lodge to be constructed in the wild for over 400 years has now been built in Scotland, it has been revealed by the Scottish Beaver Trial (SBT). Three beaver families were released into Knapdale Forest, Mid-Argyll, in May, marking the first-ever formal reintroduction of a native mammal in the UK.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009: Support the Snug as a Bug campaign!: Buglife has just launched a new national campaign to get hundreds of people creating cosy homes for bugs this autumn!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009: Northern Ireland seeks new marine laws: NI's environment minister Edwin Poots hopes to bring the province in line with the rest of the UK.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009: Be floodwise in Scotland: As flooding once again caused disruption and misery throughout many parts of Scotland this summer, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is highlighting that flooding can be a problem in Scotland at any time of the year in its annual flood awareness campaign. Around 100,000 homes and businesses are currently at risk from river and coastal flooding in Scotland. Flood maps available on SEPA's website allow people to find out whether they live in, or near, an area that is at risk of flooding.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009: Farmland birds continue their decline: Skylarks and grey partridges are among farmland birds whose numbers have halved in the last 30 years.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009: River Conon is top spot for bats: The River Conon in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands rated highest in Scotland and seventh overall in the UK for Daubenton's bat activity last year.

Fri, 30 Oct 2009: 20,000 more fish for the River Parrett: More than 20,000 young fish will be released into a Somerset river next week in a major re-stocking exercise. The fish, including chub, dace, roach and bream, will help replace stocks lost in 2008 when abnormal weather conditions caused a deterioration in water quality on the River Yeo and River Parrett.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009: Back from the dead: Natural England and species reintroductions: Reintroduction of extinct former-native species, or translocation of locally extinct species, is a technique increasingly being considered by conservation bodies for restoring biodiversity.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009: Conservation Award for the River Mel Restoration Group: The River Mel Restoration Group has recently won a prestigious award for excellence in the management of Wild Trout habitat, from the Wild Trout Trust and Orvis for their improvements to the River Mel in Cambridgeshire.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009: Why science supports a bluefin tuna ban: Advisers to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) say scientific evidence requires a ban on trade in the threatened species.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009: Christmas is for children: child labour makes your toys: The Guardian looks at some alternatives to cheap Chinese toys believed to have been made by (rather than for) children.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009: Fish deaths in Welsh lake: Environment Agency staff are investigating the deaths of over 100 fish at Cwmbran boating lake in Torfaen, Wales.

Fri, 23 Oct 2009: Wrestling with the Mississippi: Long-running efforts to tame the mighty Mississippi now have climate change to contend with as well. Can the river ever be tamed?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009: Eels get a hand up the ladder: Three Welsh rivers are having eel ladders fitted in a belated attempt to tackle a 95 percent decline in the species.

Thu, 22 Oct 2009: Slap on wrist for South West Water: Another paltry fine has been dished out to a water company. This time, it's South West Water who've discharged sewage at a Cornish holiday resort.

Thu, 22 Oct 2009: Government highlights climate change impacts: The Miliband brothers appeared together at the launch of a new climate change map this week in an attempt to show that a small-sounding global temperature rise actually involves drastic and catastrophic changes at regional level.

Thu, 22 Oct 2009: FoE: Biofuels are no way to tackle climate change: Despite there being potential for producing more biofuel in Britain vast amounts will still need to be imported from abroad, according to Friends of the Earth.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009: River Tame fish population gets a boost: Environment Agency Officers have begun stocking 3,000 young chub along the River Tame, near Kingsbury, to replace fish lost during a series of recent pollution incidents.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009: Keep on fishing says Fisheries Minister: Plans to count the catches of sea anglers against fishing quotas have been successfully overturned by UK Fisheries Minister Huw Irranca-Davies in Luxembourg.

Fri, 16 Oct 2009: Paddle your own (inflatable) canoe: Are blow-up boats the solution to every impulsive paddler's problems? The New York Times investigates!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009: How do you photograph a river?: Graham Turner, a Guardian photographer, explains how to show rivers in their best light.

Thu, 15 Oct 2009: Arctic summer ice will soon be gone: Another survey of the North Pole predicts summer sea ice will vanish soon.

Thu, 15 Oct 2009: Green Lifeboat earns almost 50,000 from Community Cashback: A Leicester City Council project that helps offenders to clean up rivers has been given a huge donation by the government. Project officer Adrian Lane said the money would make a "huge" difference.

Wed, 14 Oct 2009: Cyanide killed a stretch of the Trent: According to the Environment Agency, last week's major cyanide spill in Staffordshire completely wiped out fish life from a 700m section of the river near Stone.

Wed, 14 Oct 2009: Why Canada's rivers are in trouble too: Major changes in the flows of major rivers are causing consternation in North America.

Wed, 14 Oct 2009: Restoring the San Joaquin river: Another brave tale of river restoration from California, where parts of the San Joaquin will see river flowing for the first time in over a half century.

Wed, 14 Oct 2009: Getting ready for hibernation: The Wildlife Trusts explain how nature is bedding down for the winter.

Sun, 11 Oct 2009: Third runway postponed for now: Good news for the climate, however slight: BAA has said it will delay its application to build a third runway at Heathrow pending a general election.

Sat, 10 Oct 2009: Historic climate data raises the stakes: The BBC's Richard Black explains why old climate data puts current predictions into even more stark contrast.

Fri, 9 Oct 2009: New page of river walks and cycle rides: Our website has a spanking new page of over 100 river walks and cycle rides from around the country. Obviously this is only a tiny, tiny proportion of all the river walks in the UK, but we hope it inspires people to explore. Like other recent additions to our website, this page is what's technically called a "wiki" -- a page you can very easily edit and improve yourself, much like the pages on Wikipedia. Know any good river walks? Please help us beef up the page by adding them in!

Fri, 9 Oct 2009: Europe prosecutes Britain for raw sewage discharges: Finally, at last, at last! The European Commission is taking legal action against Britain for failing to stop sewage discharges into the River Thames, in breach of the 1991 urban waste water directive.

Fri, 9 Oct 2009: Surfers pleased with Euro-action on CSOs: On the same story, Surfers Against Sewage have announced they're pleased to hear the European Commission (EC) has decided to take the United Kingdom to the European Court of Justice over non-compliance with EU environment legislation. SAS has spent the summer highlighting the inadequacies of the UK's sewerage system, specifically with Combine Sewage and Stormwater Overflow drains (CSOs), culminating in the hard-hitting Panorama programme "Britain's Dirty Beaches". The EC is concerned that the urban waste water collecting systems and treatment facilities in London and Whitburn in North East England and have deemed them "inadequate and a threat to human health."

Fri, 9 Oct 2009: Leo walks the (polluted) River Lee: A far cry from Griff Rhys-Jones' recent pilgrimage, Guardian eco writer Leo Hickman is greatly dismayed when he follows the course of the River Lee through East London.

Fri, 9 Oct 2009: River boat holidays up 30%: Statistics from the Environment Agency reveal that there are 30% more licensed holiday boats on the Thames than two years ago.

Thu, 8 Oct 2009: Anglers monitor river health through fly life: Times angling writer Brian Clarke investigates.

Wed, 7 Oct 2009: How can you train a fish?: You've heard of Pavlov's dog? Well now read about scientists training fish the same way. Sort of.

Wed, 7 Oct 2009: How about a new coal mine to help global warming?: How do our leaders do it? One minute they're spouting empty promises about climate change; the next, they're giving the go-ahead to new opencast coal mines.

Mon, 5 Oct 2009: US river engineers roll back past mistakes: Big river restoration projects are all the rage in the United States. USA Today explores the restoration of the Truckee River at Mustang Ranch, Nevada.

Sun, 4 Oct 2009: Global warming acidifies the Arctic Ocean: An Arctic free of summer sea ice is only one consequence of mounting global warming. By the end of the century, scientists expert Arctic waters to be corrosively acidic.

Wed, 7 Oct 2009: Pollution warning for the River Trent in Staffordshire: Anglers, boaters, and other river users are being warned to avoid the Trent in Staffordshire after a cyanide spill caused raw sewage to enter the river.

Sat, 3 Oct 2009: Do anglers prefer dirty rivers?: A BONKERS story in today's Daily Star claims anglers are in a state of "river rage" over the new water-quality surveys of European rivers, which suggested only five English and Welsh rivers are "pristine". Angler Matt Hayes is quoted saying the water-quality targets are "unreasonable" and "could actually damage angling by removing too much natural food". Funny that, because we thought the whole point was to raise the bar and improve river biodiversity, which surely benefits everyone in the end (anglers included).

Fri, 2 Oct 2009: Kate Rew's wild swims on film: The Guardian website now has films of wild swimming in lakes, rivers, and seas that we trailed a few months ago.

Fri, 2 Oct 2009: National Trust battles to save red squirrels: Pioneering new research which could ensure the long term survival of red squirrels in the UK is set to start soon at one of the animal's traditional strongholds at Formby, a site managed by the National Trust.

Fri, 2 Oct 2009: Why surfers love Peacehaven beach: SAS clean water campaigners were joined on Peacehaven Beach by Peacehaven Town Council officials yesterday to start Peaceaven's bathing water designation process yesterday, 30th September, which marks the official end to the bathing season in England and Wales. SAS handed over a petition from water users supporting SAS's Love Your Beach campaign, which hopes to see the recreational waters at Peacehaven receive full EU bathing water designation.

September 2009

Wed, 30 Sep 2009: Klamath river dams could tumble soon: Four dams on the Klamath River on the California-Oregon border could soon be destroyed to restore salmon and steelhead runs blocked for many decades.

Wed, 30 Oct 2009: Cut your suds to save Snowdonia lake: The Environment Agency Wales is trying to tackle algal blooms at Llyn Padarn, near Llanberis by persuading local people to cut detergent use.

Tue, 29 Sep 2009: Hopes are fading for the Ganges river dolphin: Another endangered animal heads towards extinction.

Tue, 29 Sep 2009: Garden of Eden drying out: The BBC's Hugh Sykes reports on the problems now facing the rivers Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq.

Mon, 28 Sep 2009: Good news for Scottish seabirds: RSPB has welcomed the Scottish Government's decision to extend 31 Special Protection Areas around seabird breeding colonies. It means the birds' feeding grounds close to shore will receive the same protection as their nesting colonies on the land.

Fri, 25 Sep 2009: How do eels migrate?: A satellite tracking study offers some clues to this age-old mystery.

Mon, 28 Sep 2009: 30 or so river events for October 2009: This month's river-related events include the Roman River Festival in Essex (7-11 Oct) and the Henley Literary Festival (2-4 Oct); voluntary river cleaning sessions in the Calder Valley, Chelmsford, and Frome; a talk on water meadows in Wiltshire by Dr Mark Everard; and for canoeists, the Scotland canoe and Kayak show Paddle-09 and a canoeing session down the River Kelvin. There are also organized walks, boat trips, and conservation courses. Find out more on our events page and, as usual, please feel free to add in any other events you know about that aren't listed.

Sun, 27 Sep 2009: Wind turbines or wildlife?: There needn't be a conflict, argues Lucy Siegle in The Observer, but nor should legitimate concerns be brushed aside.

Sat, 26 Sep 2009: Anglers quit Itchen as conservationists move in: The new Winnall Moors conservation project near Winchester has apparently upset anglers in the area, who've now given up their lease for salmon and trout fishing in the area.

Thu, 24 Sep 2009: Ancient glaciers in meltdown: Sea-level rise is bound to accelerate with news that the world's glaciers are melting faster than previously thought.

Thu, 24 Sep 2009: Live underwater observatory goes online: If scuba diving is too much for you, check out a new online observatory in western Sweden developed by the Natural History Museum and its partners.

Thu, 24 Sep 2009: An online oasis for wildlife: England's newest wildlife reserve (the Big Wildlife Garden) is ready for exploration! Launched today by Natural England, this innovative web site creates an online network of gardens and open spaces and encourages people of all ages to discover how to attract more wildlife into their gardens.

Thu, 24 Sep 2009: WWF: We won't give up on the bluefin tuna: WWF has vowed to keep up its fight for the bluefin tuna, even though the EU has just failed to give formal backing for a trade ban on the endangered fish.

Tue, 22 Sep 2009: Early warning system on Somerset rivers will safeguard fish stocks: Special monitoring stations are being installed on three Somerset rivers to give Environment Agency scientists early warning of water quality problems. The stations will automatically monitor dissolved oxygen levels, a factor that can change following 'algal blooms' or pollution and cause sudden fish deaths.

Tue, 22 Sep 2009: River Conwy is simply the best!: The River Conwy is one of just five rivers in England and Wales to be deemed officially "pristine" under tough new EU water quality rules.

Tue, 22 Sep 2009: RSPB calls for action over "worrying" rivers: Just five of the 6,000 rivers in England and Wales remain in pristine condition, according to new figures published today, and RSPB is demanding action.

Fri, 18 Sep 2009: Eco perils of bottom fishing: The BBC's Richard Black looks at what happens when fishing boats plumb the depths.

Sat, 26 Sep 2009: Enjoy a river walk or cycle in Britain!: The Daily Mail is championing our rivers again this weekend with a list of day-out ideas involving walking or cycling. What a great way to enjoy the arrival of autumn! We're thinking of adding a river walks page to the website, incidentally.

Thu, 24 Sep 2009: China's rivers in trouble too: Britain's not the only country worrying about rivers. In China, despite massive new cleanup attempts, water quality in 30 percent of the country's major rivers is below standard.

Wed, 23 Sep 2009: Why are our rivers so dirty, and what can be done to make them cleaner?: Today's Independent has a wonderfully clear and simple guide to the latest scandal over river quality, by Amol Rajan.

Mon, 21 Sep 2009: Most rivers fail EU standards!: Three quarters of English and Welsh rivers fail to meet the new EU standard of "good" quality. Only five of 6000 rivers are classified as pristine. How does the Environment Agency break the news to us? With a press release entitled Quality of Rivers in England and Wales best for over a century. Misleading, disingenuous, and completely unacceptable.

Sun, 20 Sep 2009: Delta blues for half a billion people: A brand new study from the University of Colorado at Boulder reveals that two thirds of the world's river deltas are sinking just as sea levels are rising, potentially threatening the homes of half a billion people.

Sun, 20 Sep 2009: New bridge for the River Frome: Residents of the pretty Somerset town are being asked to vote on four new designs to replace an ancient Bailey bridge.

Sun, 20 Sep 2009: Serious nuclear leak into the Clyde revealed: Back in May, it's just been revealed, thousands of litres of radioactive waste leaked into the Firth of Clyde from Hunterston nuclear power station.

Sat, 19 Sep 2009: Dibden Bay could be back!: The proposed giant container port on Southampton Water that was defeated after a public inquiry a few years ago could be set for a comeback, local newspapers have revealed.

Thu, 17 Sep 2009: Slap on the wrist for Severn Trent Water: The Environment Agency describes a near-catastrophic pollution episode in a recent news release titled: "River Trent escapes a serious pollution", confirming that Midlands water company Severn Trent has been fined "almost £10,000" for letting sewage enter the Trent. We might ask why water companies are still getting away with regular sewage pollution and being fined so little each time.

Tue, 15 Sep 2009: Big fish bonanza from River Thames survey!: Environment Agency Fisheries Officers have been carrying out surveys along 70km of the freshwater Thames from Temple to Teddington, as part of a National Fish Monitoring Program covering 2,700 miles of watercourse across England and Wales. The survey takes two weeks to complete and began on the 7 September 2009.

Tue, 15 Sep 2009: Surfers demand year-round protection at Pease: Surfers Against Sewage's (SAS) Scottish representative will be joining Pease Bay beach surfers to warn waveriders of the potential increased health risk at Pease Bay when Scottish Water reduce the levels of sewage treatment from tomorrow. SAS reps and surfers will be covering their boards in red and white warning tape to demonstrate the potential increased health risk surfers face at Pease outside the bathing season.

Tue, 15 Sep 2009: RSPB: Time for an end to seabird deaths: The RSPB and BirdLife International today will be urging the European Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg, to take action to prevent the deaths of over 200,000 seabirds which are killed in fisheries in European waters every year. With at least one of the impacted seabird species so threatened that it potentially faces extinction within 40 years, the RSPB and BirdLife remain extremely worried that the European Commission has delayed the introduction of measures that may save these birds.

Thu, 10 Sep 2009: Natural England survey highlights public demand for sustainable fisheries: Three quarters of the public would pay more for fish caught without damaging the environment, according to a new survey published by Natural England. The survey accompanies its new report, "Sea fisheries: steps to sustainability", highlighting the ways in which fishing practices should be adapted to secure more sustainable fish stocks in English waters.

Thu, 17 Sep 2009: It's official: London will get its river back!: Transport for London has made an extraordinary blunder: removing the River Thames from its new, ultra-simplified tube map, distributed for the first time during the triumphant Mayor's Thames Festival. Now, following a deluge of public protest, the Mayor himself has ordered the river to be restored. A storm in a teacup? Maybe. Or maybe a recognition that the River Thames really is London's most defining feature. The BBC's Mark Easton explains further what the fuss was all about.

Sun, 13 Sep 2009: Heath birds or trees? RSPB attracts flak for deforestation: Britain's leading bird charity is upsetting climate change campaigners by chopping down hundreds of acres of conifers in Surrey.

Fri, 11 Sep 2009: Pesticides Poisoning Our Bees: A comprehensive new report released by Buglife reveals that the neonicotinoid pesticide imidacloprid damages the health and life cycle of bees.

Fri, 11 Sep 2009: A journey down the River Jordan: A nice little photo essay from the BBC takes us down the Jordan river in the Middle East.

Fri, 11 Sep 2009: Five weeks to save wildflower meadow: It could be the last summer for the spectacular and very special meadows at Leaches Farm, unless the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) can raise the £200,000 it needs to secure it for wildlife. The deadline for raising the money is Friday 16 October

Fri, 11 Sep 2009: Huw Irranca-Davies praises river trusts: Defra minister Huw Irranca-Davies has made a glowing speech about river trusts in Wales this week.

Thu, 10 Sep 2009: Good news on bluefin tuna ban: The European Commission is backing a proposal to suspend international trade in endangered bluefin tuna. WWF says: "We're pleased by this decision, and we urge EU national governments to follow that lead."

Wed, 9 Sep 2009: Dirty rivers and beaches? Here we go again!: Campaigners from SAS have (fortunately) never stopped fighting sewage dischargers. Panorama picked up the baton and gave them a huge boost last week.

Wed, 9 Sep 2009: New home for Itchen fish: Environment Agency Fisheries Officers from Staffordshire have relocated about 300 fish in the River Itchen at Long Itchington near Warwick to enable work to continue on a flood risk management scheme.

Wed, 9 Sep 2009: Environment Agency uses grants to help fight river pollution: Is it a coincidence, or is the Agency releasing more press releases about its pollution-fighting efforts in the wake of the hugely controversial Panorama programme about sewage pollution last week?

Tue, 8 Sep 2009: Lymington River curves again: A new conservation project hopes to restore the Lymington River to its naturally curvaceous state, undoing Victorian river straightening dating from 150 years ago.

Tue, 8 Sep 2009: Housebuilding is killing the river Kennet: Campaign group Action for the River Kennet is working with WWF UK to highlight over-abstraction of the River Kennet, which feeds water-hungry towns such as Swindon.

Tue, 8 Sep 2009: The Mayor's Thames Festival 2009: It's the Thames Festival this weekend—Britain's biggest and most exuberant river festival. There's lots going on, so why not pop down to London and make the most of the celebration!.

Mon, 7 Sep 2009: Bitterns are booming: Research by Natural England and the RSPB reveals that the bittern (one of the UK's most threatened birds) has enjoyed its best ever year for at least 120 years, continuing this formerly extinct British bird's dramatic recovery.

Mon, 7 Sep 2009: Sea-level rise threatens 20 million in Bangladesh: Climate change puts the people of Bangladesh on the front lines.

Mon, 7 Sep 2009: Sewage: still fighting on the beaches!: A BBC Panorama programme explores how increasing summer rainfall is bad news for water quality.

Mon, 7 Sep 2009: Big River Man on the small screen: Epic river swimmer Martin Strel, who swims the world's mighty rivers to draw attention to pollution, is the subject of an unlikely new film hit.

Sat, 5 Sep 2009: Donovan backs River Doon protest: Flower-power '60s singer Donovan has dedicated a new recording, The Banks of Doon, to a campaign against plans to divert more water from the river for hydropower.

Fri, 4 Sep 2009: Broads Authority seeks new member: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is seeking an individual with a keen interest in the Broads to become a member of the Broads Authority and advise on the future development of this internationally important wetland and much loved boating area. Applications close on Tuesday 6 October 2009.

Fri, 4 Sep 2009: New DNA technology helps pinpoint pollution: You've heard of nonpoint source pollution? A new forensic technique developed by the Environment Agency could help to turn it into easier-to-tackle "point-source" pollution by revealing its origins.

Fri, 4 Sep 2009: Dip into angling with Nick Larkin: Ever fancied fishing the fantastic tidal rivers of the Norfolk Broads? Learn how to tackle one of the country's best venues with match angling star Nick Larkin and the Environment Agency at a free angling demonstration and coaching day. It's happening on the River Yare at the Beauchamp Arms public house on Wednesday 16th September.

Wed, 2 Sep 2009: Habitat improvements on Kent's River Medway: New gravel beds at Hartfield should benefit all kinds of river dwellers, from kingfishers to trout.

Wed, 2 Sep 2009: The Rise of Slime: It's the future, warns marine expert: Jellyfish and slime could take over our seas unless we take urgent action now to improve marine protection, a leading marine scientist has warned. Speaking in Belfast today at an event organised by the Ulster Wildlife Trust, Professor Jeremy Jackson of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, said the health of world's oceans is on a downward spiral and it's time to face up to the facts.

Wed, 2 Sep 2009: Albino otter spotter!: If you like otters, you'll love these photos of an albino enjoying breakfast on the Moray coast in north-east Scotland, published in the Daily Mail.

August 2009

Sun, 30 Aug 2009: Housebuilding puts rivers in peril: A new report by WWF reveals dramatic impacts on British rivers through excessive water abstraction.

Sat, 29 Aug 2009: Vole's well that ends well: Radnorshire Wildlife Trust has been running an interesting Water Vole Project on the River Marteg since March 2008. Lots of lessons for other rivers in this nicely illustrated set of web pages.

Sat, 29 Aug 2009: Learning how to look after rivers from the Aborigines: Jessica Weir learned an important lesson from Aborigines: "If we look after the river, the river will look after everything else". Now she's keen to pass that message on in a new book about the troubled Murray River.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009: Dead piranha found in Devon river!: A baffled Environment Agency has found a piranha in the River Torridge and is using the story to raise awareness of invasive species. Read more in the Environment Agency press release.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009: Illegal fish trap found on the Evesham Avon: Police are investigating following the discovery of an 80ft (25m) illegal fishing trap in a Worcestershire river.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009: Bathtub inspires 8-year-old to invent new swimming stroke: Can you do the Torno-Twister? It's the latest swimming stroke, invented for a competition by Gabe Peach-Toon, aged eight, while sitting in his bath.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009: Who polluted the crystal waters of the blue grotto?: Capri's wonderful tourist attraction has been polluted by raw sewage, but who was responsible... and why?

Thu, 27 Aug 2009: Climate camp sets up in London: It's become an annual event and there's no doubt it helps to raise awareness not just of climate change but of our guilty need to do something about it.

Thu, 27 Aug 2009: The Blue Gym: discover health benefits on the water!: Water-based sports and activities are good for your health and good for the environment. That's the message from The Blue Gym, a project that encourages people to take to the water for health and wellbeing.

Thu, 27 Aug 2009: Learn how to craft wildlife films: Avon Wildlife Trust has linked up with Bristol's internationally-acclaimed natural history film industry to offer amateur filmmakers and wildlife enthusiasts a rare chance to gain hands-on shooting, editing and production tuition from some of the world's leading wildlife film experts from 25-27 September.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009: 30 river events happening in September!: Got those September blues? Never mind! We've got lots of great events listed for the coming month, from the Angel Canal Festival and the Mayor's Thames Festival to a pond discovery day in Powys and artist Alexander Pemberton launching an exhibition of his Thames paintings at the rowing museum in Henley. Please feel free to add any more events we've not listed.

Mon, 24 Aug 2009: Rivers with Griff part 5: East: Alas, woe, Griff's excellent five-part TV series about British rivers has come to an end. Here's the BBC blurb for the final programme: "The last leg of his journey takes Griff to East Anglia, the part of the country he knows best. He sees a traditional way of life still surviving in the man-made ditches of the Fens, revisits the romantic sailing boats of his childhood on the Broads, and follows the beautiful River Stour, winding its way through Constable country and finally bringing him home." If you missed it, catch up by following this link to the BBC iPlayer.

Fri, 21 Aug 2009: WWF says "Stop moving the world's water"!: A new WWF report concludes that the practice of transferring large volumes of water from one river basin to another, whatever the reason, needs to be more carefully controlled and suggests less damaging alternatives. WWF's new analysis, launched for World Water Week, reveals that large-scale transfers of water from one river basin to another are often carried out without adequate scrutiny of their economic, environmental and social impacts.

Sat, 22 Aug 2009: Discover the Magnificent Severn this weekend: Surfing, salmon, seals and more are set to be celebrated on the banks of the Severn Estuary this weekend. Families can discover the secrets of the Severn through 'Magnificent Severn' at Over Farm on Saturday 22 August from 9am with Wildlife Trust staff from across the region.

Fri, 21 Aug 2009: Nile Delta: rising sea levels threaten Egypt's food production: One of the top three areas of the planet vulnerable to climate change is also one of Egypt's most important food production regions.

Fri, 21 Aug 2009: Making a Big Splash into the River Spey: Mad competitors are once again finding lunatic ways of splashing into the River Spey at Aviemore for the annual Big Splash event.

Fri, 21 Aug 2009: Griff's TV hit inspires a nation of river conservationists: Griff Rhys Jones' BBC One series Rivers, which ends on Sunday August 23, has pulled in around five million viewers for each show during July and August, overtaking popular shows like Holby City, The Bill and Big Brother.

Fri, 21 Aug 2009: Watch out for weevers in Guernsey: Conditions are just right for those pesky weever fish to start nibbling unsuspecting swimmers off the Guernsey coastline, experts have warned.

Thu, 20 Aug 2009: River scheme revamp gives new start to spawning fish: A newly completed scheme has opened up a 2.5km-long stretch of the Afon Iwrch for spawning salmon and sea trout for the first time in 15 years.

Thu, 20 Aug 2009: Bumper result for Tyne coarse anglers: Anglers have hooked record totals in this year's Tyne coarse angling championships. The sixth annual event saw a new Tyne record and the biggest total catch since the contest's inception in 2004.

Thu, 20 Aug 2009: Bury residents hold their noses over the River Lark: Environment Agency specialists believe a nasty pong from the River Lark in Bury St Edmonds is caused by a lack of oxygen rather than pollution, as feared.

Tue, 18 Aug 2009: Sewage protection needed all year round: This year, Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) asked all UK water companies if they had any plans to reduce their sewage treatment outside the bathing season (May-September). This is usually the best period for surf in the UK and reducing sewage treatment increases the health risks for surfers and waveriders.

Mon, 17 Aug 2009: Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones: 4: The Lea: The latest episode of Griff's TV series finds him following the Lea from its source near Luton all the way to the Thames. If you missed it, catch up now with the BBC iPlayer.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009: Dunes return to South Milton Sands: A 200 metre stretch of sand dunes that was covered by a car park 40 years ago has been re-established at South Milton Sands, a popular South Devon beach.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009: Opencast coal mining makes Britain a world joke: NASA climate expert Jim Hansen says Britain's sudden approval of new coal mines makes a mockery of its participation in climate summits.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009: Remembering the Lynmouth flood disaster: Survivor Derek Harper, now 81, remembers working as a policeman during the 1952 disaster when the East and West Lyn rivers suddenly transformed into raging torrents.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009: Cruising the rivers of Europe: The tabloids after falling over themselves to encourage us to go river cruising at the moment. This week, it's the turn of the Mirror's Captain Greybeard to praise a cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam along the Danube and the Main rivers.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009: Shellfish beds closed in Cornwall after fish deaths: Shellfish beds in in St Austell Bay have been closed as a precaution after thousands of fish died along the Cornish coast.

Thu, 13 Aug 2009: Environment Agency agrees start date for Tyne dredging: The Environment Agency confirmed today that it has agreed that dredging in the bed of the River Tyne for the second Tyne Tunnel can start on 26 September.

Thu, 13 Aug 2009: Koi Herpesvirus disease outbreak in Cambridgeshire: Movements of fish into, out of and within a fishery in Cambridgeshire have been restricted, following the confirmation of koi herpesvirus disease at Long Island Lake, Earith, Cambridgeshire.

Thu, 13 Aug 2009: "Oil can spoil" warns the Environment Agency: The environment and fish are under threat from leaking oil tanks and faulty pipe work, the Environment Agency has warned. It is urging people to check oil tanks carefully before filling them up for the winter as metal tanks and pipe work may have deteriorated during the summer months.

Thu, 13 Aug 2009: River Cam to get punt police: Touts who cheat passengers to make a fortune out of punting will be targetted by new "punt police", authorities say.

Wed, 12 Aug 2009: Crayfish plague strikes River Thet: River users in Norfolk are being warned following the discovery of dead crayfish last week.

Wed, 12 Aug 2009: Film on Mongolian Taimen Becomes Festival hit: "Amur River Basin: Creating a Lasting Sanctuary for the Mighty Taimen" explores a unique partnership to conserve one of the world's most charismatic fish: the taimen (pronounced tie-men or, alternatively, tay-men). Taimen is the largest member of the salmon family, can grow to four or even five feet long, and is a top predator that has been known to prey on 26 inch trout, muskrat, and waterfowl.

Wed, 12 Aug 2009: Salmon back in the Seine: ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to bring you a piece of good news: after strenuous cleanup measures over the last 15 years, wild salmon have returned to the River Seine in Paris, along with 31 other species. Now let's do the same to the River Thames in London, eh Boris?

Mon, 10 Aug 2009: Africa's "wildebeest river" is dying up: The wildlife-rich Mara, scene of famous wildebeest stampedes, is beginning to dry up.

Mon, 10 Aug 2009: Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones: 3: The West: If you missed the latest episode of Griff's series, catch up by following this link to the BBC iPlayer. The BBC blurb for this episode runs: "Griff follows the mighty Severn from its source in the Welsh hills to the estuary 200 miles later. He also follows its neighbour, the Wye, which starts and finishes nearby. On his journey Griff attempts to bog snorkel, meets druids for a ritual water blessing, sleeps in a hermit's cave and builds a willow coracle similar to ones used on the river thousands of years ago."

Sat, 8 Aug 2009: Angling Trust in deep water: Message boards are buzzing with the news that the Angling Trust has got itself into difficulties, laying off four of the six people employed at the Nottingham office and more from its office in Leominster. The Trust was born only in spring 2009 after the horribly acrimonious demise of the Anglers Conservation Association. Trust chief executive Mark Lloyd commented: "Too many anglers think that others will support the cause for them. Anglers have to realise that having a central body representing their interests, protecting their angling and campaigning to ensure we can all go fishing tomorrow does require a commitment from everyone today." Or maybe they've got it wrong? Almost 5 million people are tuning into the Griff Rhys Jones series on rivers and there are (apparently) four million active anglers in Britain, so there's no shortage of interest in either rivers or angling. The Angling Trust has to realize that it's failing miserably to connect with these people; by its own admission, "of 4 million anglers less than 1% have joined the Trust", which aimed to be "the new, single organisation to represent all game, coarse and sea anglers and angling in England". Worryingly, the Trust recently took over handling National Fishing Week and said that "a significant influence in the decision was the recent recruitment of six regional officers to the Trust, who in turn will enable there to be considerably more focus on successful NFW event planning." Erm... are those the people who've now been made redundant? We wish the Trust well, and if you'd like to join them you can find out about membership

on their website.

Sat, 8 Aug 2009: River cleaners relieved of their tyres: The infamous Essex river cleaners who were threatened with a bill for disposing of 120 tyres have now been relieved of their rubbish by a well-meaning tyre firm. The local council also changed its tune, but the Environment Agency—who should obviously be endorsing and welcoming community action to help rivers—continue to insist it's not their problem. (Not even as a one-off gesture, for a bit of goodwill? Amazing).

Sat, 8 Aug 2009: Kayaking in Oregon: Another great travel piece from the New York Times, following kayakers exploring rivers "uncorked" by the removal of dams.

Fri, 7 Aug 2009: Nile dispute threatens to flare again: Endless disputes over sharing water from the River Nile could resurface, despite the introduction of the pioneering Nile Basin Initiative in 1997.

Wed, 5 Aug 2009: Researchers probe mysterious Durham "floodwater canyon": A huge canyon created by millions of gallons of floodwater in County Durham is to be studied by researchers from Durham University.

Fri, 5 Aug 2009: Young pearl mussels bred in captivity reach milestone: New images of an Environment Agency Wales breeding programme to rescue the freshwater pearl mussels from possible extinction has discovered tiny 3-year old pearl mussels thriving in a hatchery in Mawddach, north Wales.

Wed, 5 Aug 2009: New research discovers why gardens are important: The National Trust has published a new research report into why people value their gardens.

Wed, 5 Aug 2009: Sheep dip polluting northern rivers: The Environment Agency is urging farmers to ensure their sheep dipping processes are secure after poisonous chemicals were recently found in Keasden Beck near Bentham and tributaries of the River Hindburn near Wray.

Wed, 5 Aug 2009: Otters drowned in crayfish traps: Dead otters have been found in illegal crayfish traps in the River Waveney on the border of Norfolk and Suffolk.

Tue, 4 Aug 2009: Does fishing hurt fish?: BBC Magazine muses on the death of Benson, the famous carp who (finally) died after being caught around 60 times.

Tue, 4 Aug 2009: Anti-Shell campaigners jailed for peaceful protest: Two campaigners from the Shell to Sea campaign have been sentenced to months in jail for civil disobedience against Shell's problematic pipeline in County Mayo.

Mon, 3 Aug 2009: Hilary Benn announces decisions on water company plans: Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has announced decisions on the next steps for the English water companies' water resources management plans. For the first time, water companies have been required to prepare and maintain statutory water resources management plans which set out how each water company will manage its water resources to ensure a sustainable supply and demand balance over the next 25 years.

Thu, 6 Aug 2009: River-cleaning hero landed with bill as bureaucrats say "it's not our problem": Here's a good one for all you community-spirited river lovers. Parish councillor Roy Hart has been landed with a disposal bill after hauling 120 tyres out of the River Crouch, despite getting permission to do it. The local council don't want to know and, in a brilliant bit of negative PR, an Environment Agency spokesman commented: "We are only responsible for clearing rivers if there is a flood risk". Good job we don't all take that attitude, eh Environment Agency? Some of us work hard for our rivers and communities because we love them, not because it's our nine-to-five job or our "responsibility".

Mon, 3 Aug 2009: Rivers with Griff part 2: the North: If you missed episode 2 of Griff's exploration of rivers, catch up on the BBC iPlayer now. This week, Griff's journey continues as he travels from Liverpool to the Humber along Britain's working waterways.

Mon, 3 Aug 2009: Burns and the threat to the River Doon: The Glasgow Herald picks up the story of the threat to the River Doon and explores links to Tam O'Shanter and Rabbie Burns.

Sun, 2 Aug 2009: Dirty money: If you like to spend your money ethically, the story of the environmental damage caused by mining copper, nickel, and other metals for coins may surprise you. Surprisingly right-on for the Daily Mail.

July 2009

Fri, 31 Jul 2009: Opening up the coastline: Natural England publishes region by region maps showing that the public do not have full access to over a third of England's coastline. Efforts to open up more are, of course, being resisted by the usual coalition of country-landowner vested interests. More on this from The Guardian.

Fri, 31 Jul 2009: Life is alright on the Rhine: The Globe and Mail explores the classically sedate way to enjoy bigger rivers.

Fri, 31 Jul 2009: Top surfers get behind the National Trust: Five of Britain's best surfers, including Robyn Davies and "Mole" Joel are helping the National Trust to promote its beach conservation work in schools and the community.

Wed, 29 Jul 2009: River Coquet changes course: Ah those pesky rivers, they still have a mind of their own, thank goodness. Teams of Environment Agency specialists have begun working on rechanneling the River Coquet after it changed course last week. The river diverted after thousands of tonnes of gravel were washed down and dumped in the riverbed following recent heavy rains, causing the river to change course six kilometres upstream of Rothbury and run into the nearby Caistron Quarry.

Thu, 30 Jul 2009: Glimmer of hope for world's fisheries: Measures to tackle overfishing are having some effect, researchers claim.

Wed, 29 Jul 2009: Celebrating British dragonflies: The Guardian has some lovely closeup photos of fantastic dragonflies to celebrate the opening of a new conservation centre at Wicken Fen.

Wed, 29 Jul 2009: In praise of wildflower farming: Wildflower field margins are a greater boost to farmland birds and other wildlife than grass alone, according to a new report. The paper published in the latest edition of the scientific journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment highlights the significant benefits for biodiversity of creating flower-rich margins around arable fields.

Tue, 28 Jul 2009: Earth's "sixth great extinction" is underway: Humans are to blame for an unprecedented wipeout of wildlife species, according to a major new review.

Tue, 28 Jul 2009: Lakes may have been host to first animals: Traditional wisdom that animal evolution began in the oceans is being challenged by new findings from ancient lake deposits.

Mon, 27 Jul 2009: Too late for the bluefish tuna?: The Economist questions whether the tuna can be saved because fish are being caught too young, before they can breed.

Tue, 28 Jul 2009: Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones: Actor and comedian Griff Rhys Jones sets out on an adventure to explore how rivers have influenced, nurtured and powered our lives throughout history. If you missed the first programme in this new series, about the rivers of Scotland, catch up now with the BBC iPlayer.

Sun, 26 Jul 2009: Ian Botham defends anglers: The former cricketer (and keen fisherman) has leaped to the defence of anglers following provocative comments last week by TV presenter Griff Rhys Jones.

Sun, 26 Jul 2009: Lots of river events this August!: Our website events page has over 30 activities listed this month, including riverside walks, river and beach cleanups, angling coaching taster sessions. There are also direct-action camps for climate action in various parts of the country.

Sun, 26 Jul 2009: Brazil and Paraguay bury differences over Itaipu dam: A new agreement over the world's second-largest hydroelectric dam signals improved relations between the two countries.

Sun, 26 Jul 2009: New aquarium celebrates 21 years of Thames Explorer: A new aquarium in Chiswick has been filled with fish caught by Environment Agency fisheries officers from the River Thames and includes species such as bream, trout, carp, bullhead and eels. It will give local residents a unique view beneath the surface of the river they live alongside every day, as well as providing a brand new way for visitors to see what lies beneath the city's famous river.

Sat, 25 Jul 2009: Dragonflies heading for extinction get a helping hand: With a third of British dragonflies now under threat, a new rescue centre is a timely attempt to stem the decline.

Sat, 25 Jul 2009: Cutting hot water to cut emissions: Hot water use will remain a major cause of domestic carbon emissions (and could even overtake emissions from heating in new homes) unless action is taken to reduce demand and energy losses from inefficient boilers and poorly lagged pipes, says a new report by the Energy Saving Trust and the Environment Agency.

Fri, 24 Jul 2009: It's the Wildlife Trusts' Marine Week again!: Lots of events and activities are running all round the country in the first couple of weeks of August.

Fri, 24 Jul 2009: Scottish Power plan major Doon diversion: Hideous plans are afoot to divert 40 per cent of the River Doon's flow from Ayrshire to make hydroelectric power, but not if the Save the Doon campaign has any say in the matter.

Sat, 25 Jul 2009: Explore the rivers and lakes of Britain: The Daily Mail has a long list of ideas for family holidays that celebrate Britain's lakes, canals, rivers, and seas.

Fri, 24 Jul 2009: "Rivers are corridors of natural beauty": In this interview with the Telegraph, Griff Rhys Jones clarifies his comments on river access, explains the thinking behind his new BBC series of river journeys, and explains his love for rivers: "undoubtedly Britain at its finest".

Fri, 24 Jul 2009: The real price of shellfish: A helpful bit of background to the fishing tragedy earlier this week in Scotland. Here, Melanie Reid from The Times explains how scallop fishermen risk their lives for a pittance to put posh food on our restaurant tables.

Thu, 23 Jul 2009: Gearing up for National Fishing Week!: National Fishing Week runs from 24 July to 2nd August, offering hundreds of events all over the country for people who love fishing and those who want to learn how.

Thu, 23 Jul 2009: Work begins to map ancient National Trust trees: A three year survey of more than 40,000 ancient trees, including Newton's apple tree and the yew tree which overlooked the signing of the Magna Carta, will reveal the full extent and condition of the ancient trees cared for by the National Trust.

Tue, 21 Jul 2009: Fears over historic weirs: Concerns are growing over the fate of five historic weirs on the rivers Thames and Kennet following Environment Agency plans to replace them with more modern, mechanised weirs to reduce flood risk.

Thu, 23 Jul 2009: Griff stirs up the anglers: Griff Rhys Jones has upset The Angling Trust with calls that canoeists and boaters should "disturb as many fishermen as possible" on their travels. Now read what the Trust's Mark Lloyd has to say about it.

Thu, 23 Jul 2009: Hampshire Water Festival 25-26 July: If you're in the south of England, check out the Water Festival (this year, coming from Staunton County Park near Havant). There are going to be over 50 water-related organizations there, lots of activities for families, talks on eco-issues, workshops, pond-dipping, and lots more. If you're not in the south, this weekend also brings us the Glasgow River Festival and the River Folk Festival in Gloucestershire. Lots more on our website events page.

Wed, 22 Jul 2009: UK Rivers Network: in your pocket and more accessible: Now our bigger and better server is up and running, we can beef up our website in all kinds of interesting ways. We've just added a mobile stylesheet so the site will (hopefully) display (more or less) correctly on handheld devices such as mobile phones and PDAs. There's also a new, high-contrast stylesheet available for users with impaired vision.

Wed, 22 Jul 2009: Let's reclaim our rivers says Griff Rhys Jones: The Welsh comedian has weighed into the argument on river access. His new programme of river journeys begins on BBC One on 26 July.

Tue, 21 Jul 2009: Crayfish in "secret protection" programme: You've seen those thrillers where the witnesses get police safe houses to protect them from the baddies? Well, our native white-clawed crayfish is now getting similar protection in south-west England. The idea is to halt the march of the invasive American signal crayfish, which has wiped out around 95% of our native white-clawed crayfish in the last 20 years.

Sun, 19 Jul 2009: How to clean up the toxic, abandoned Trinity River?: Horrifically polluted, unloved, abandoned—what can be done about the Trinity River in Texas, poisoned with toxic industrial chemicals such as PCBs?

Sun, 19 Jul 2009: Volunteers repair Welsh canal for 2010 festival: Volunteers are hard at work at Bettws Lane Lock and Ty Ffynnon Lock on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal ready for the inland waterways trailboat festival in 2010.

Sun, 19 Jul 2009: Daniel Start's wild swimming photos: These splendid photos of swimming in the "wild" accompany Daniel Start's Wild Swimming book—an excellent companion to the similarly named volume by Kate Rew.

Sun, 19 Jul 2009: Summer holiday fishing events in London: Young people from in and around the London Borough of Merton have the chance to get hooked on fishing this Tuesday 21 July 2009 at Cannon Hill Common, near Raynes Park and Morden. Find more like this on our events page.

Sun, 19 Jul 2009: Rocketing water bills and rocketing profits: The Mirror is complaining that water companies are raising prices for investment at the same time as declaring record profits.

Fri, 17 Jul 2009: Brazil's fury as UK exports its filthy waste: Remember Chris Rose dubbing Britain The Dirty Man of Europe? Now it seems we're the dirty man of the world. Brazil is furious after receiving a consignment of shipping containers packed with over 1,400 tonnes of hazardous British waste. British authorities (who claim to be equally appalled) have now agreed to take the stuff back. But what about all the exported waste we don't hear about?

Fri, 17 Jul 2009: Britain finally takes up tuna cause: Better late than never? Britain is finally going to join calls for an international fishing ban on bluefish tuna.

Fri, 17 Jul 2009: Environment Agency: Cardiff-Weston Severn barrage should not go ahead: Lord Chris Smith tells The Guardian that the "immense environmental impacts outweigh the carbon reduction benefits which you would get".

Thu, 16 Jul 2009: Government may stop the community "rain tax": Good news for the Don't Drain Us campaign. Environment Minister Huw Irranca-Davies has pledged that action will be taken on surface water drainage charges, sometimes referred to as the rain tax: "“We all agree that something is clearly wrong if Scout groups, churches and community organisations face huge hikes in their water bills."

Thu, 16 Jul 2009: Natural England welcomes National Fishing Week: On the eve of the Angling Trust’s National Fishing Week (24 July-2 Aug)&mdashldesigned to encourage newcomers to take up fishing—Natural England has highlighted the important role that angling often plays in inspiring an appreciation of the natural environment and the need to look after it.

Wed, 15 Jul 2009: Gwent Levels motorway scrapped!: Hurrah, the Welsh Assembly Government has scrapped plans for a widened M4 through the Gwent Levels (one of the UK's most important wetland wildlife sites, with no fewer than six SSSIs bordering the River Usk).

Tue, 14 Jul 2009: More than 90 per cent of UK's threatened habitats in poor shape: According to RSPB, the first assessment of more than 1,000 threatened species and hundreds of threatened habitats across 25 members of the European Union shows much of the continent's most important wildlife remains in a perilous state.

Tue, 14 Jul 2009: Wild swimming hits the screen: Kate Rew (whose book of outdoor "wild" swimming in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and seas we've championed for some time now) is making some short films for the Guardian and is appealing for video clips of outdoor swimming she can use.

Tue, 14 Jul 2009: Are self-closing flood barriers the way forward?: Flood defence becomes more important by the year, but huge permanent barriers are unpopular with the very people they aim to protect. Could the solution be low-cost, lighter-than-water barriers that rise automatically with water levels?

Mon, 13 Jul 2009: Free angling coaching in Essex during the Summer Holidays!: Six free angling coaching events have been organized in and around Essex by the Environment Agency and coach Nick Watkins. The events aim to give people the opportunity to try their hand at angling in the hope that it will spark a passion for a sport that can last a lifetime.

Mon, 13 Jul 2009: Making the "can-nections": Do you recycle your aluminium cans... or can't you be bothered? What about aluminium foil and take-away trays? Aluminium is one of the most energy-intensive materials people use. Where does it come from? In future, much may come from Iceland, where some of Europe's most amazing landscapes are still being threatened by huge hydroelectric schemes and aluminium smelters. If you fancy a radical summer holiday, this year's "Saving Iceland" protests run from 18th July. Try to take the ferry rather than the low-cost flight!

Sun, 12 Jul 2009: Rossport: Resistance is fertile!: The latest update from the long (and continuing) campaign against the Shell pipeline at Rossport in County Mayo, Ireland.

Sat, 11 Jul 2009: Mucking in for life: The government has begun a new campaign called 'Muck In 4 Life' to encourage people to take part in voluntary projects that benefit their environment and health. Sounds good to us!

Fri, 10 Jul 2009: Can the G8 pull off an "80% greenhouse emissions cut"?: The Independent's Michael McCarthy probes the reality behind apparently meaningless promises.

Fri, 10 Jul 2009: Yorkshire: Emergency aid for fish in distress: Efforts are underway to save fish in South Yorkshire which are suffering from the effects of the warm weather. A combination of low water flows and high temperatures are thought to have reduced oxygen levels in some watercourses to barely a quarter of usual summer levels, making it more difficult for fish to breathe.

Fri, 10 Jul 2009: Action to be taken to stop Sussex's plummeting eel population: The Environment Agency is consulting on a series of measures designed to stop the decline of eels in Sussex, as populations in the region are plummeting and they are now at their lowest since records began. Once common in British waters, the long-term future the traditional sea-side delicacy is bleak as the numbers of eels entering European rivers has crashed by over 95 percent in recent decades.

Fri, 10 Jul 2009: Water industry is first to try out the new climate change projections: The first Projections in Practice conference has explained how the UK Climate Projections illustrate the extent of the changes the UK could face if nothing is done to cut greenhouse gas emissions—warmer and wetter winters, hotter and drier summers, increased risk of coastal erosion and more severe weather.

Fri, 10 Jul 2009: Surfers begin their summertime beach-cleaning tour: Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) has once again teamed up with Barefoot wine for their nationwide beach clean-up tour this summer. The SAS team will visit 6 beaches around the UK and everyone's welcome to help.

Fri, 10 Jul 2009: Kayaking on the Blackstone River, Massachusetts: Another vividly written travel guide to rivers in the United States from the New York Times. This one explores the delights of canoeing through central New England.

Fri, 10 Jul 2009: New landing stages for the River Great Ouse: Messing about on the river is soon to become even more pleasurable—and safer—for boaters on a popular waterway. The Environment Agency is replacing eight landing stages at five locks on the River Great Ouse between Roxton and Cardington. These include Roxton, Great Barford, Willington, Castle Mills and Cardington.

Wed, 8 Jul 2009: Britain Ready for Huge Increase in Wind Power as New Report Scuppers Anti-Wind Arguments: Britain's energy system is already capable of taking a large amount of wind power, according to a new report released today by a leading energy expert. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, RSPB and WWF, who commissioned the report, are calling on the UK Government to put in place funding and incentives to encourage investment in much more wind power and to grant priority access to the energy market and the electricity grid.

Tue, 7 Jul 2009: Thames Water dumps sewage in the river: Heavy rainfall prompted Thames Water to discharge sewage from its Mogden Sewage Treatment Works in Isleworth into the Thames last week. The water company regretted the incident but said the discharge was legal and unavoidable, pointing out that the alternative was to allow sewage to back up into people's homes. Over 200 fish (mostly flounders) died around Kew Gardens. Welcome to the 21st century!

Tue, 7 Jul 2009: A "significant achievement" in improving SSSIs: Natural England has welcomed the report by the Public Accounts Committee into its role in improving SSSIs. At the end of March 2009, 88% of the land area of SSSIs was in favourable or recovering condition. This is a very significant achievement given the situation that existed only six years ago when the figure was at 57%.

Tue, 7 Jul 2009: Looking closely at a river: The Independent's Michael McCarthy discovers the value of river contemplation: "A river is just a river when you give it a casual glance, but when you sit still and let its essence enter your perception, it is transformed".

Tue, 7 Jul 2009: High court pesticide victory thrown out on appeal: Defra has successfully appealed the landmark court victory Georgina Downs won last year against crop spraying, but the persistent Sussex campaigner has vowed to go to the Lords.

Sat, 4 Jul 2009: River Don: Habitat plans on show at Fishlake: North Doncaster residents are being invited to an event later this month to get an update on the Environment Agency's plans to create a valuable freshwater wetland area next to the River Don at Fishlake. Environment Agency staff will be at Fishlake Village Hall on Tuesday 14 July from 2pm until 7pm to show residents the detailed designs for the project. Staff last held an event in February to get residents’ views on the proposed scheme and started work onsite in May.

Fri, 3 Jul 2009: CALM Alliance fights Gwent Levels motorway with better transport arguments: The Campaign Against the Levels Motorway has launched a visionary "Prospectus of options" which will provide value for money solutions to transport issues in the M4 corridor around Newport. CALM is fighting a destructive M4 toll-motorway plan that could damage the internationally important Gwent Levels, close to the Rivers Severn and Usk.

Fri, 3 Jul 2009: Manchester conference hears climate solutions: Renewable energy bonds are among practical, postive ideas being floated at a climate change conference this weekend.

Fri, 3 Jul 2009: Diesel spill near River Afon Mydyr: Environment Agency staff are dealing with a spill of red diesel close to a tributary of the Afon Mydyr near Lampeter in Ceredigion, Wales.

Fri, 3 Jul 2009: Scottish Water hails improvements for River Spey: A new waste water works at Newtonmore in the Cairngorms National Park should help to cut pollution in the Spey.

Thu, 2 Jul 2009: Cam Wash habitat vandal will undo damage: A man has been ordered to restore an area of the Cam Washes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Wicken after constructing a track and a car parking area through an important wildlife habitat. On 30th June 2009, Mr Andrew Lawrence pleaded guilty at Ely Magistrates' Court, to five offences relating to construction of a 180m long track and creating a car parking area and destroying an area of habitat used as nesting sites for birds.

Thu, 2 Jul 2009: Technology brought in to solve puffin puzzle: New research starting this summer will aim to explain why puffin numbers have fallen so dramatically in the last five years by using GPS satnav technology to track their movements. Puffins living on the Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast, will be tagged with GPS transmitters (a world first for these birds) in order to shed new light on puffin movement and behaviour.

Thu, 2 Jul 2009: Watch out for porpoises!: Anglers, boaters and walkers are being urged to keep their eyes peeled for shy Yorkshire rivers visitors, porpoises, in the coming months on the River Ouse and the Humber.

Thu, 2 Jul 2009: Pollution: one hidden cost of cheap meat: Campaigner Tracy Worcester's new film Pig Business, which points the finger at industrial meat production, is causing something of a stir. One of the impacts she's drawing attention to is noxious lagoons of pollution: "A factory farm with 5,000 pigs produces about 25 tons of raw faecal waste every day. In the US and much of Europe this is disposed of in huge open lagoons or sprayed directly onto fields." Inevitably, runoff finds its way into watercourses sooner or later.

Wed, 1 Jul 2009: Chairs and ordinary members appointed to Regional Flood Defence Committees: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has today made the following appointments to Regional Flood Defence Committees (RFDC). Amanda Nobbs as Chair of Thames; Frank Major as Chair of Northumbria; and Alan Lovell as Chair of Wessex.

Wed, 1 Jul 2009: WWF welcomes £10m rivers funding announcement: Following an announcement of an extra £10 million government funding for England's rivers, lakes and canals, WWF's freshwater policy manager, Dr Tom Le Quesne, comments: "Any support to help tackle the problems facing our rivers and lakes and the species that rely on them is welcome. The government's further funding allocation can help make a positive difference to our water environment, and we look forward to seeing the improvements the funds will bring."

June 2009

Sun, 28 Jun 2009: 25 river events happening in July!: Thanks so much to all those of you who've added river events to our new list. For July, we're currently listing 25 events, including river festivals in Stratford, Evesham, York, Maidstone, Colne Valley, Glasgow, and Cheshire. National Fishing Week starts on 24 July and runs until 2nd August. Other interesting events include the Summer Rivers Course on 25-26 July 2009 organized by The Westcountry Rivers Trust. Take a look at our page and please do add any more events you know about. It's very easy to do.

Sat, 27 Jun 2009: Pontcysyllte aqueduct is *officially* a world wonder: The marvellous 200-year-old aqueduct near Wrexham has been added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.

Sat, 27 Jun 2009: Going Mad in Vermont: A nice little piece in The New York Times about fly-fishing and other vacation activities in this (apparently) unspoiled quarter of Vermont.

Fri, 26 Jun 2009: Vacancy: Stepping Stones for Wildlife Project Officer: Can you make space for rare invertebrate species in south Essex by taking a lead on this exciting new project? Buglife is seeking an enthusiastic person with knowledge of habitat creation and management (closing Date: 22 July 09).

Fri, 26 Jun 2009: Climate change: time for mitigaton?: Gordon Brown marks a major shift in climate politics by proposing a fund for dealing with the effects on developing country. But what about the causes?

Fri, 26 Jun 2009: Fishing threatens a third of shark species: Sixty-four shark species are now named as "endangered": overfishing threatens to drive a third of open-ocean species to extinction.

Thu, 25 Jun 2009: Watching sharks give birth in Cornwall: According to the Wildlife Trusts: "Snorkellers have today witnessed basking shark behaviour never before seen anywhere in the world. Up to five basking shark pups have been born to two females during a mass gathering of the world's second largest fish, off the coast of Cornwall."

Thu, 25 Jun 2009: Legal challenge to fluoride in water: A Southampton resident is judicially reviewing a decision by South Central Strategic Health Authority (SCSHA) to add fluoride to tap water in her area.

Wed, 24 Jun 2009: Air your views on the River Aire: People across West Yorkshire are being asked to have their say on how flooding risks could be managed for the next 100 years.

Wed, 24 Jun 2009: Seaton Burn gets three tonne clean up: Three tonnes of rubbish were removed from Seaton Burn in Dudley by volunteers. The cleanup day, on Friday 19 June, was organised by Living Waterways, a partnership with the Environment Agency.

Tue, 23 Jun 2009: England's most amazing wild spaces line up for a summer of family fun and adventure: Celebrate the summer holidays with Natural England's special programme of family days out on National Nature Reserves. Discover butterflies, lizards, fossils, seals and even otters. Take a picnic, learn to make a bird feeder or go on a bog safari. These are just some of the adventures on offer at as Natural England rolls out its summer programme of family days out at National Nature Reserves.

Wed, 24 Jun 2009: Please don't adjust your sets!: We'll be moving the UK Rivers Network website to a new hosting company during the next week or so and it's possible service may be interrupted briefly in the handover. Rest assured that, if this does happen, and our website fails to load, we will be back very soon.

Sun, 21 Jun 2009: Irish firms dig their own water wells to avoid bills: Expensive water charges are supposed to help water companies clean up rivers, but in Ireland they're prompting some customers to opt out of the water system altogether by digging ther own boreholes.

Sat, 20 Jun 2009: How Earth's coastlines will be in 4000AD: Southampton oceanographers are winding the climate clock back half a million years to see what they can find about our climate future.

Fri, 19 Jun 2009: Thames Water breaks more records: We've made a habit of pointing the finger at Thames Water over its environmental and financial performance in past years, but what's this? The company's employees have just raised a splendid £636,000 for WaterAid at their annual summer ball. Great news, indeed. But wait, two days later, another record: the company announces record profits of £610 million—putting the sum raised for WaterAid (1000 times smaller and raised by employees) into perspective. The company is also planning huge increases in water bills (17% above inflation) for the next five years, supposedly to clean up the Thames. Let's hope so.

Sat, 20 Jun 2009: How Cuyahoga River came back from the dead: It's taken 40 years of hard citizen graft to bring fish back to a river once deemed a toxic, industrial sewer. Here's how it happened.

Fri, 19 Jun 2009: How Norway and Japan subsidise whaling: The governments of Norway and Japan are using taxpayer money to subsidise unprofitable whaling industries, according to a new analysis of the economics of whaling by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).

Fri, 19 Jun 2009: Twenty billion investment over 25 years is needed to protect England from flooding: Two new reports from the Environment Agency show that 1 in 6 homes in England are at risk of flooding and that investment in the building and maintaining of flood defences will need to almost double to £1bn a year by 2035.

Thu, 18 Jun 2009: Government warns of "dangerous climate change"--but does little to stop it: More hot air from the government on climate change. The "soft", flabby climate and environment departments pump out climate warnings, but the "hard", economic business and industry lobby keep building airports, roads, and other climate clutter. Read responses and reactions to the government's announcements from the National Trust, FoE, The Wildlife Trusts, and RSPB.

Thu, 18 Jun 2009: Future water strategy for Wales launched: Environment Agency Wales is encouraging everyone to use water more efficiently to protect our rivers and to help prevent possible future shortages due to climate change and population growth.

Sat, 6 Jun 2009: Pret ditches dodgy tuna: Hello cheese and pickle: upmarket sandwich chain Pret-a-Manger has ditched tuna sandwiches in response to growing concerns about overfishing.

Sat, 6 Jun 2009: Water voles make for the River Wandle?: London Wildlife Trust is hoping voles will return to the River Wandle by 2012 after exhaustive river cleanups.

Fri, 19 Jun 2009: Britain needs doubling of flood protection: One in six English homes is now at risk from flooding, according to the Environment Agency, and climate change will make that significantly worse.

Fri, 19 Jun 2009: Met Office sounds alarm on climate change: Droughts, floods, and more seem certain—but will we act now to stop worse?

Mon, 15 Jun 2009: Beavers make their mark in Scotland: They've only been back a fortnight but beavers are already "remodelling" their environment—to the delight of supporters and to the consternation of fishermen and other opponents.

Sat, 13 Jun 2009: Durham Regatta: the "Henley of the North": Over 2000 rowers will be taking part in the 176th Durham Regatta this weekend.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009: Protecting Salmon Fishing on the River Ribble: The Environment Agency is once again reminding anglers of the byelaw on the River Ribble in Lancashire, limiting the number of salmon that can be killed. From 16th June through to the end of the salmon season on 31st October 2009, anglers are permitted to fish for salmon but can only take and retain a maximum of 2 salmon per person.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009: WWF: New coal plants not needed to test carbon capture: WWF is arguing that the best way to demonstrate "carbon capture" technology is to retro-fit it to existing power stations, rather than building a new coal-fired plant for a small-scale test. The power sector is currently responsible for more than 30% of the UK's CO2 emissions, and around 70% of this comes from burning coal.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009: Short-haired bumblebee comes back to UK?: A campaign is undderway to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee to the UK from New Zealand.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009: Shark tagging gets underway in Scotland: The Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network are tagging sharks for research purposes off the the Dumfries and Galloway Coast.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009: 30 years of biodiversity mapping with the National Trust: During the last three decades the Trust's biosurvey team (which is thought to be the longest serving of its kind in the UK and currently consists of a plant ecologist, two animal ecologists and mapping specialist) has visited over 1,000 sites.

Thu, 11 Jun 2009: Surfers gather at Kimmeridge in MoD protest: Surfers Against Sewage's (SAS) new campaign Protect Our Waves (POW) is having its first action, The Gathering, at Kimmeridge Bay at 10am on Saturday the 20th of June, International Surfing Day, to show the MoD how important waves are to surfers and waveriders.

Thu, 11 Jun 2009: Looking forward to the new fishing season: Chris Yates on being "as excited and fidgety as a child on Christmas Day" as the fishing season kicks off.

Mon, 8 Jun 2009: War on waste: Defra gives anaerobic digestion the go-ahead: Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has today announced the five successful projects to receive government grants to create energy from organic waste, such as food.

Mon, 8 Jun 2009: Rossport campaigners step up fight against Shell: Work on the off-shore pipeline for Shell's Corrib Gas project in County Mayo, Ireland is still being valiantly opposed by campaigners. The pipe-laying ship, the Solitaire, is expected to arrive within the next few weeks.

Mon, 8 Jun 2009: Join RSPB's nature count: How much nature is there in your garden? RSPB is asking us to get counting this week "to make nature count".

Mon, 8 Jun 2009: Youngsters get hooked on Crawley's great catch: The Environment Agency joined forces with Crawley Angling Society to give children a taste of the pleasures of angling and the great outdoors at the popular Lakeview Fishery near Crawley.

Mon, 8 Jun 2009: School pond restoration will provide major benefits in environmental education: Discover how the Environment Agency has funded the transformation of a once neglected and inaccessible school pond to turn it into an environmental learning centre for Hampshire schoolchildren.

Mon, 8 Jun 2009: Environment Agency and Police team up to stop harmful waste reaching developing countries: Enforcement officers have raided two sites in east London and in Essex in the most significant action to date in stopping the suspected illegal export of electrical waste from the UK.

Mon, 8 Jun 2009: Prof scoops mine clean-up award: Bangor University's Prof Barrie Johnson has won an award for decontaminating water from mine workings in Wales.

Fri, 5 Jun 2009: Is this the end of our fish?: Johann Hari of The Independent reflects on Charles Clover's film about overfishing.

Mon, 8 Jun 2009: Why set-aside still matters for nature conservation: Dr Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, has reminded the government of the environmental benefits of set-aside: "Its contribution to the needs of some of our farmland birds such as the skylark, corn bunting and lapwing – must not be underestimated. It contributed habitats for some of our farmland bird and other wildlife and helped improve the quality of our water courses."

Fri, 5 Jun 2009: Where does all our rubbish go?: The Guardian's depressing photo gallery shows that out-of-sight, out-of-mind is a cruel deception: much of our rubbish is now blighting developing countries.

Fri, 5 Jun 2009: Carbon offsetting = dodgy accounting: Dangerous climate change will be unavoidable if the UK, EU and USA succeed in increasing the use of carbon offsetting, Friends of the Earth is warning in a new report that exposes carbon offsetting as ineffective and damaging.

Thu, 4 Jun 2009: Buglife wins award for West Thurrock Marshes campaign: Buglife has been selected for the Conservation Award in the Observer Ethical Awards for the 3-year fight to save West Thurrock Marshes.

Thu, 4 Jun 2009: Boris gets quaggy with the Quaggy: Widespread coverage of London Mayor Boris Johnson helping out at a cleanup of the River Quaggy was dominated by a brief, accidental slip in the river (why is that news?), but brought welcome publicity for positive river action. He commented: "Volunteering is good for individuals and great for London in tough economic times. By giving your time, whether a one-off few hours or a regular commitment, we can both help to make the capital a more civilised, pleasant place and reap the rewards of putting something back into the communities in which we live."

Tue, 2 Jun 2009: Help Our Rivers fight for our rivers: The Our Rivers coalition (WWF, RSPB, the Angling Trust and the Association of Rivers Trusts) needs your help in shaping the Water Framework Directive: "At the end of this year, as the Water Framework Directive is further implemented, the fate of every river in this country will be sealed in one of 11 River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). The plans content MUST be informed by the people who know their rivers best; the local groups and individuals living and working on them. The draft RBMPs have been criticised not only for their significant lack of ambition but also for their impenetrability to all but a few with the time and resources to work through them. The upshot of this is that much of the local knowledge that exists about our rivers is not being fed into the official process. Our Rivers is working to turn this around." Take a look at the website and see what you can do to help.

Tue, 2 Jun 2009: The end of the line for fish?: Telegraph environment editor Charles Clover has turned his excellent book about overfishing into a film, out this week.

Mon, 1 Jun 2009: Jellyfish survey begins: Over 30 huge jellyfish will be tagged in Camarthen Bay this week as part of a joint Welsh-Irish tracking project.

Mon, 1 Jun 2009: Help for spawning fish in the River Dyfi: A three-year-long scheme to help spawning fish on one of the most important tributaries of the Dyfi has been officially opened by Environment Agency Wales. The GBP40,000 project on the Afon Ceirig has fenced-off the river corridor, removed blockages, created in-river habitat and stabilised the river bank on a 2.6 kilometre stretch of the river. The scheme has also created drinking areas, crossing points and swing gates to prevent livestock from eroding the banks.

May 2009

Sun, 31 May 2009: Your beef is my rainforest: You thought the rainforest was a dead issue? A new report from Greenpeace shows growing western demand for leather and beef is intensifying deforestation and hastening climate change.

Fri, 29 May 2009: The beavers are back!: Four hundred years after they disappeared, beavers are returning to Scotland. Eleven beavers have been released into the wild as part of the controlled Scottish Beaver Trial.

Thu, 28 May 2009: Calling time on the cuckoo?: The latest assessment of the status of all of the UK's 246 regularly occurring birds shows 52 are now of the highest conservation concern and have been placed on the assessment's "red list". The revised red list now includes even more familiar countryside birds, including the cuckoo, lapwing and yellow wagtail, joining other widespread species such as the turtle dove, grey partridge, house sparrow and starling.

Thu, 28 May 2009: Progress on brownfield reuse but Green Belt loss continues: Land use change figures just published by the Government show that 78% of homes were built on brownfield last year. CPRE has welcomed the continuing progress in making better use of existing developed sites but is alarmed at continuing building within the Green Belt and in areas of high flood risk, despite Government commitments.

Thu, 28 May 2009: WWF and M&S unite to save fish stocks: One of the most unethical and uneconomic issues in our fishing industry is discards (unwanted fish dumped overboard). But it's a problem that some forward-thinking fishermen are trying hard to resolve by using new types of "selective" fishing nets. WWF wants this sort of selective fishing gear to be compulsory in European fisheries, and along with Marks and Spencer they've produced a new guide to the options available to the industry, including advances in trawl net technology.

Wed, 27 May 2009: Come to the Leeds River Aire flood scheme consultation exhibition: Leeds residents are being invited to the first of three exhibitions on proposals to tackle flooding from the River Aire, at Leeds Town Hall from Wednesday 27 May to Saturday 30 May. The scheme could be one of the largest ever built in the country, and the proposals on show will cover the different types of flood defences being suggested, and where they could be located.

Tue, 26 May 2009: Devon otter spotted at Exeter City mill: Devon Wildlife Trust has filmed an otter leaving its spraint on an urban mill in the city.

Sun, 24 May 2009: New business attempt to undermine climate cleanup: Most businesses at the climate change summit will want "business as usual", not the radical reform our planet badly needs.

Sat, 23 May 2009: Eco activists find 4x4s a letdown: Manchester urbanites are huffing and puffing as climate activists let down the tyres on their 4x4 cars. According to this report in The Independent, over 80 of the gas-guzzling cars have been targetted so far.

Fri, 22 May 2009: Barnsley farmer fined 2,000 GBP for killing hundreds of fish with slurry: A Barnsley farmer has been fined GBP2,000 for polluting a watercourse, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of fish and other creatures. John Hill pleaded guilty at Barnsley Magistrates Court today, 21 May 2009, to polluting a stream with slurry.

Fri, 22 May 2009: Prepare for invasion: new forecast as non-native animals threaten to take hold: To mark International Biodiversity Day 2009, Natural England has published a major report identifying the potential for a number of non-native animal species to increase in number in England and become invasive.

Fri, 22 May 2009: Water voles get a boost in Devon: 100 water voles have been released into the Lower Axe Valley in an attempt to boost the species.

Fri, 22 May 2009: Poor weather blamed for fewer 'good' beaches: The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has announced a 16.5% drop in the number of UK bathing beaches recommended for excellent water quality in its annual Good Beach Guide, compared to last year.

Thu, 21 May 2009: Report on Shellfish Finds 85 Percent of World's Oyster Reefs Have Vanished: The Nature Conservancy has just released the first-ever comprehensive global report on the state of shellfish at the International Marine Conservation Congress in Washington, DC. The report, which finds that 85 percent of oyster reefs have been lost worldwide, concludes that oyster reefs are the most severely impacted marine habitat on the planet.

Thu, 21 May 2009: 23 anglers prosecuted after ignoring 'No Fishing' signs: 23 anglers have been prosecuted at Kings Lynn magistrates court for fishing in an unsafe area.

Wed, 20 May 2009: Buglife seeks new conservation projects manager: Could you build an invertebrate conservation project from concept through to delivery? Can you manage staff, volunteers and entire projects? Could you promote Buglife's conservation work? If so, then you could be the new Buglife Conservation Projects Manager! Closing date for applications is 15 June 09.

Tue, 19 May 2009: Great Ouse gravel removal is complete: The Environment Agency has completed gravel works on the Great Ouse in Bedfordshire in an attempt to increase the population of barbel and other fish.

Tue, 19 May 2009: Car scrappage scheme's lack of green criteria slammed: Designed as an economic rather than an environmental measure, the Government's new car scrappage scheme will undermine confidence in the UK Government's determination to tackle climate change and develop a low carbon economy, Friends of the Earth has warned.

Tue, 19 May 2009: Breathing new life into our iconic lakes: England's most famous lakes such as Windermere and Grasmere are facing serious threats from climate change, non-native species and pollution from farming and sewage, and need urgent action to protect and restore them for future generations, said Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency.

Tue, 19 May 2009: Vote for wildlife friendly farmers!: Everything's still to play for as the UK public begin voting for the nation's most wildlife friendly farmer: it's the sound of Britain's rural songbirds that has helped four talented farmers reach the shortlist of the RSPB's Nature of Farming Award.

Mon, 11 May 2009: Why do basking sharks disappear?: Shark scientists think they've cracked the mystery of why these fish disappear for eight months of the year.

Sat, 16 May 2009: Maelos birds get nature refuge in Jakarta: Unusual birds that can fly as soon as they hatch from the eggs have been granted the privilege of a special beach nature reserve in Indonesia.

Fri, 15 May 2009: WWF attacked for backing aquaculture: In a highly unusual move, 70 human rights and environmental groups have signed a letter of "outrage" addressed to WWF over its support of a new aquaculture programme.

Fri, 15 May 2009: Surfers encourage you to report pollution: Surfers Against Sewage is encouraging people to report pollution incidents to its new hotline.

Fri, 15 May 2009: Seahorse found three miles inland!: A Dorset woman has found a seahorse in her garden, three miles from the sea at Weymouth.

Thu, 14 May 2009: Silage making: Environment Agency Wales plea to farmers: Making sure silage is as dry as possible before bailing not only makes better silage, but can also cut down on the risk of causing water pollution.

Wed, 13 May 2009: Green flagship project brings more people to the countryside: More people across England will have the chance to benefit from access to parks, city farms and woods thanks to two new flagship projects announced by Natural England as part of its £25 million Lottery-funded grant programme "Access to Nature".

Tue, 12 May 2009: British wild birds show over 10 percent decline in five regions: According to new figures from Defra: "Between 1994 and 2007, the population index of farmland birds showed a decline of more than 10 per cent in five regions; the South West, the South East, the East of England, the East Midlands. During the same period the farmland bird index for England dropped by 13 per cent."

Mon, 11 May 2009: BBC Norfolk: A week on the River Wensum: Prior to Springwatch 2009 at Pensthorpe Nature Reserve, BBC Radio Norfolk hosts "A week on the Wensum". Graham Barnard and Karen Buchanan follow the river's path from its source in East Raynham on Monday, 18 May to its end on Friday, 22 May, 2009.

Mon, 11 May 2009: TV hunt for best young environment photographers: The Environment Agency is searching for talented young photographers while highlighting one of the most important environmental issues facing the country: the vital resource that is our water. The competition, "Water: What's the Story?" is designed to get young people thinking about how they interact with the water environment; be that as part of everyday life, as a lifeline or for sport and recreation.

Mon, 11 May 2009: CPRE: "England can be a greener and even more pleasant land": The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has set out what it describes as "an inspiring and optimistic vision for the future of the English countryside, our greatest national asset".

Sun, 10 May 2009: Climate change threatening stately homes: The National Trust is reporting increasing damage from climate change at a number of its properties.

Sat, 9 May 2009: Governments unite to reduce DDT and other toxic chemicals: Over 160 Governments have just concluded a one-week conference with practical decisions that will strengthen a global effort to eradicate some of the most toxic chemicals known to humankind.

Fri, 8 May 2009: Green groups say Severn tidal power study is biassed: National Trust, RSPB, WWF and the Anglers' Trust have attacked a study into Severn estuary power schemes, claiming it favours the controversial barrage proposal.

Fri, 8 May 2009: Marine bill: Lobby the Houses of Parliament with WWF on 13 May!: On Wednesday 13 May, WWF, RSPB, the Marine Conservation Society and the Wildlife Trusts are organising a "Make the Marine Bill Count" lobby of parliament in London. It’s a highly visible way to make an instant impression on MPs and decision-makers.

Thu, 7 May 2009: Search for the Conservation Volunteering photographer of the Year: Defra and Kew Gardens' International Garden Photographer of the Year Competition have joined forces to find the first Conservation Volunteering Photographer of the Year.

Thu, 7 May 2009: Water voles bounce back in Sussex: There are encouraging signs of a recovery in voles on the River Stour in Suffolk, according to Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

Thu, 7 May 2009: Cumbria's Festival of Fishing: The first week-long Cumbrian Festival of Fishing will get off to a flying start at the opening event, which will take place on Saturday, 16 May, at Bessy Beck Fishery, Newbiggin-on-Lune.

Thu, 7 May 2009: Fewer blue flag beaches, poor weather blamed: Crummy summers for the past two years are being blamed for lower beach standards.

Wed, 6 May 2009: Butterflies bank on more flowers: Keeping livestock off a river bank will give one of the North East's rarest butterfly species a better chance to thrive. The Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary now is extremely rare in County Durham after numbers fell by about 95 per cent in the past 120 years. The species is in decline in the rest of the UK.

Mon, 4 May 2009: National Parks: bigger and better?: Natural England has announced that it will re-start its work on identifying possible extensions to the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks.

Sun, 3 May 2009: Web use is heating the world: There are growing concerns about the energy impact of the Internet.

Fri, 1 May 2009: Buglife north of the border: Find out about what Buglife has been up to in Scotland at its Scottish Open Day and Member's Day, which will be held in Edinburgh on Saturday 23rd May.

Fri, 1 May 2009: Eels in 95% nosedive: Why have eel numbers collapsed over the last quarter century?

Fri, 1 May 2009: South West bathing water survey under way: The Environment Agency has started its annual programme of bathing water testing off the coasts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. Every year between May 1 and the end of September 20 samples are taken from each of the region's 191 European Commission (EC) designated bathing waters and checked for water quality.

Fri, 1 May 2009: Throw back your salmon, Scottish anglers urged: The Association of Salmon Fishery Boards (ASFB) is appealing to anglers to help reverse a drastic fall in salmon stocks.

April 2009

Thu, 30 Apr 2009: Scotland leads on marine protection: New laws proposed for Scotland will protect seals and other marine creatures.

Thu, 30 Apr 2009: Brown must go green on marine letter, surfers say: Clean water campaigners from Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) believe that the UK Government urgently needs a National Marine Litter Strategy to tackle the worsening crisis of litter in our oceans and across our beaches.

Wed, 29 Apr 2009: Defra consults on water abstraction licences in England and Wales: Defra today published a consultation on amendments to water abstraction licences in England and Wales. The consultation is seeking views on new regulations that will bring some currently exempt activities, such as the irrigation of crops, under the licensing arrangements and maintain some exemptions, such as most abstractions within water meadows, that are a low risk to the environment and other water users.

Tue, 28 Apr 2009: New report highlights the impacts of climate change across the marine ecosystem: Climate change is having a significant impact on our seas, according to a new report, as many small effects are being magnified through important links within the marine environment.

Tue, 28 Apr 2009: Brunel's River Tamar bridge to get an overhaul: The 150-year-old rail bridge that connects Devon and Cornwall is going to get a dust down, revamp, and repair.

Tue, 28 Apr 2009: Tesco attacked for promoting eco air miles: Climate change campaigners have targetted Tesco shops for promoting energy-saving lightbulbs using air miles.

Mon, 27 Apr 2009: Nuclear pollution culture at Faslane: The MoD's nuclear submarine base at Faslane in Scotland has a culture that allows repeated pollution, according to newly released, previously confidential information.

Mon, 27 Apr 2009: Where have all the butterflies gone?: How did once-common insects become endangered species?

Mon, 27 Apr 2009: Historic River Severn ferry is back in action: Knocked out by floods in 2007, the Hampton Loade Ferry, near Bridgnorth, is now back in action.

Mon, 27 Apr 2009: Environment Agency acts to reduce sewage overflows into sea and rivers: The Environment Agency announced it has taken further action on sewage overflows in England and Wales to ensure they pose a minimal risk to the quality of rivers and seas. It is the conclusion of a 20-year comprehensive programme by the organisation to reduce the pollution risks posed by sewage overflows.

Fri, 3 Apr 2009: Shell nets removed as Rossport campaign fights on: The small farming community of Rossport in North Mayo County continues its war of attrition against Shell's Corrib gas pipeline.

Mon, 27 Apr 2009: Sunspots and climate change: Scientists are puzzling over the lack of sunspot activity and what it might mean for theories of climate change.

Mon, 27 Apr 2009: The truth about climate change: Prof John Houghton rolls back the myths and misinformation and calls for urgent action: "What is required now is recognition that anthropogenic climate change will severely affect our children, grandchildren, the world's ecosystems, and the world's poorer communities, and that the severity of the impact can be substantially alleviated by taking action now."

Sat, 25 Apr 2009: The growing Pacific garbage dump: Can we really turn the tide on the growing problem of plastic in the oceans?

Fri, 24 Apr 2009: Vanishing orchards get a lifeline: The National Trust and Natural England are joining forces to fight the decline in traditional orchards.

Tue, 21 Apr 2009: World's major rivers in decline: New research shows some of the world's major rivers have experienced huge declines in water levels over the last half century.

Tue, 21 Apr 2009: Natural solutions to flood management: Natural England has welcomed publication of the draft Floods and Water Bill, arguing that conventional methods of managing floods and coastal erosion may no longer be adequate or sustainable in the face of climate change.

Tue, 21 Apr 2009: Draft Flood and Water Management Bill published: On 21 April 2009, Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government published a draft Flood and Water Management Bill together with an associated consultation document. These set out how flood and coastal risk management (FCRM) in England and Wales will be managed in the future, and provide the basis for a new legislative framework supporting a more integrated approach to water management.

Tue, 21 Apr 2009: New funding to help save pollinating insects: Buglife has welcomed a new initiative to increase research funding into the decline of bees and other insect pollinators (such as honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies), which are thought to contribute to one in every three mouthfuls of the food that we eat.

Sun, 19 Apr 2009: Human plunder leads to starving sea life: Our overfishing of the oceans is now beginning to disrupt the entire marine ecosystem.

Wed, 15 Apr 2009: New river access law needed now: Welsh Assembly Members are pushing for a change to the law to reconcile growing conflicts between anglers and canoeists.

Tue, 14 Apr 2009: Barton's Britain: Wicken Fen: A nice little video about Wicken Fen (a well-known Cambridgeshire wetland) from Guardian reporter Laura Barton.

Tue, 14 Apr 2009: World to miss warming target: Most climate experts agree that global warming cannot now be confined to just two degrees centigrade.

Tue, 14 Apr 2009: Locals irked by River Irk pollution: The Environment Agency is investigating reports that Manchester's River Irk has been turned into a giant foamy bubble bath, with some fish deaths already noted.

Tue, 14 Apr 2009: Kent water-powered railway wins reprieve: A historically important, water-powered, Victorian cliff railway has won a temporary reprieve.

Tue, 14 Apr 2009: National Trust backs butterfly campaign: Britain's biggest conservation charity, the National Trust, is throwing its weight behind The Independent's campaign to survey butterflies this summer.

Tue, 14 Apr 2009: Attempts to boost Manx river salmon: A new weir bypass in Santon Burn on the Isle of Man aims to help salmon and trout travel further upstream.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009: Massive pollution risk from container ships: A new study finds container ships creating vast amounts of carcinogenic pollution. According to John Vidal's article, that means 15 giant container ships make as much pollution as the entire world fleet of cars.

Fri, 10 Apr 2009: Plastic bag obsession is carrier for environmental ignorance: Why are plastic bags treated as the root of environmental evil, asks George Monbiot, when there are much bigger fish to fry.

Thu, 9 Apr 2009: Make peat history, says RSPB: With a staggering 94% of lowland peat bog habitats in the UK now destroyed by peat extraction, RSPB is urging gardeners to go peat-free this Easter.

Wed, 8 Apr 2009: Cardigan river art project gets thumbs up: Locals are divided over a Channel-4 art project called Turbulence, which has just gained planning approval despite 4,400 objections.

Wed, 8 Apr 2009: Wave of success for revolutionary flood gate: The job of getting water to go where you want it to go has just got easier thanks to a world-beating invention pioneered by the Environment Agency. In 2007 Mike Williams, a technical specialist with the Agency, teamed up with a Devon engineering firm to develop a new device that could revolutionise the way wetland habitats are created.

Wed, 8 Apr 2009: Lampreys caught on camera: Rare footage of Brook Lampreys (an eel-like jawless fish) has been caught on camera by an Environment Agency fisheries staff during a visit to Berkshire's Whitewater River near Reading. The secretive fish can be seen busily building nests in preparation for the spawning season. The video is a rare glimpse of how these creatures live under the tranquil waters of the county's rivers.

Wed, 8 Apr 2009: Beach litter at record high: New figures from the Marine Conservation Society make depressing reading for anyone who takes part in beach cleans and litter picks. The main findings: "Since 1994 the average litter density on uk beaches has increased by 110%; average figures for the uk are now at 2195 litter items/km of beaches surveyed compared to 1045 items/km in 1994; the density of plastic found on uk beaches is at its highest level ever; average litter density on uk beaches has increased year on year".

Tue, 7 Apr 2009: Natural England: water companies must commit to the natural environment: Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, said: "The review of water company prices has shown the real commitment of water companies to deliver environmental improvements. Water companies must now stand firm to ensure the natural environment remains a key part of their business plans."

Mon, 6 Apr 2009: New climate fears as Antarctic bridge shatters: More gloomy news from the bottom of the world. A major ice shelf has broken away, prompting fears of more drastic warming to come.

Mon, 6 Apr 2009: Fish and walkers get better access to nature reserve: Access improvements to a former clay pit will help to boost fish numbers in the River Hull and visitor numbers to a nature reserve. High Eske Nature Reserve, near Beverley, originally provided clay to raise and strengthen flood banks alongside the River Hull.

Mon, 6 Apr 2009: Financial crisis hits organic sales: Fairweather organic consumers are going back to cheap and tasteless polluted food, but many remain committed to organic food (and a better environment) for the long haul.

Mon, 6 Apr 2009: States move to clean energy act: Just days after Earth Hour, when millions of Americans called for action on climate change by turning off their lights, legislation has been introduced in a first step toward strong climate bill.

Sun, 5 Apr 2009: Allegations of Scottish seal slaughter: The Seal Protection Action Group claims up to 5000 seals are being shot each year by Scottish salmon falmers. Watch BBC Countryfile at 7pm on Sunday 5th April to find out more.

Sat, 4 Apr 2009: Great Ouse gets a spring clean: The Environment Agency has been using high-pressure jets to flush the beds of the Great Ouse in Bedfordshire.

Fri, 3 Apr 2009: Bad news on British biodiversity: New figures from Defra show many wildlife habitats in trouble, with 55% of habitats deteriorating compared with just 20% improving. "This is very bad news for the environment, for the last 10 years the Government has taken its eye off the health of wildlife populations and the issue of acid rain, we are now seeing the results" said Matt Shardlow, Director of Buglife, the Invertebrate Conservation Trust.

Fri, 3 Apr 2009: Shell's Efforts to Secure a Net at Glengad are Not Allowed.: For the third time this week nets at Glengad have been put up by Shell and taken down by local residents. The purpose of the net is to stop sand-martins from nesting in the cliff-face.

Fri, 3 Apr 2009: Salmon Home Coming Project receives national award: Environment Agency Wales' Salmon Homecoming project finished a fantastic second place in the Education category at the prestigious Waterways Renaissance Awards in Liverpool. The project has worked with more than 1,300 primary school children in the South Wales valleys teaching them about the life cycle of the Atlantic salmon.

Thu, 2 Apr 2009: Natural England to release one million children to the wild: Woodlands, countryside and parks have become out of bounds to a generation of "cotton wool kids" with fewer than ten percent playing in such places, according to new research results revealed today by Natural England.

Thu, 2 Apr 2009: Reptiles and Amphibians in Gardens 2009 Survey: The BTO Garden Ecology Team is working with Froglife and the Herpetological Conservation Trust on a new survey to find out how reptiles and amphibians use gardens. In particular, we need people to tell us about the different habitat features within their gardens (such as ponds and compost heaps), features that might support particular reptile and amphibian species.

March 2009

Tue, 31 Mar 2009: Surfers say water must be clean all-year-round: Clean water campaigners from Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) welcome the return of full Ultra Violet (UV) treatment for Tynemouth's sewage tomorrow. SAS will use this opportunity to warn other water companies that reducing sewage treatment can have serious impacts on the health of surfers, waveriders and water users.

Tue, 31 Mar 2009: Stern says shelve Kingsnorth: A proposed new coal power station in Kent should be shelved until carbon capture technology is perfected, argues government climate advisor Lord Stern.

Tue, 31 Mar 2009: How green is your valley?: Regional versions of the UK Government's indicators of sustainable development are published today to help provide a perspective of sustainable development in each region.

Tue, 31 Mar 2009: At last, the South Downs National Park!: Natural England (the organisation responsible for designating National Parks in England) heralded today's confirmation of National Park status for the South Downs as a landmark decision.

Tue, 31 Mar 2009: Fishy goings on at Llanrhaeadr too: Baby salmon (salmon fry), hatched and raised in the classroom by pupils from Llanrhaeadr Junior County Primary School, in Powys, from eggs supplied by the Environment Agency, will be released into the Afon Rhaeadr at Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant.

Tue, 31 Mar 2009: Saving water can help businesses beat the credit crunch: Fifty per cent of businesses in some regions are missing out on energy and water efficiency cost savings.

Tue, 31 Mar 2009: Saving water can help businesses beat the credit crunch: Fifty per cent of businesses in some regions are missing out on energy and water efficiency cost savings.

Sat, 28 Mar 2009: Power down for the planet: According to WWF: "On March 28 you can VOTE EARTH by switching off your lights for one hour. Or you can vote global warming by leaving your lights on. The results of the election are being presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. We want one billion votes for Earth, to tell world leaders that we have to take action against global warming."

Thu, 26 Mar 2009: Lovelock says wind energy is a load of hot air: Climate visionary James Lovelock crunches the numbers and concludes (in a response to Ed Miliband) that wind farms are too little, too late.

Thu, 26 Mar 2009: Would you swim in your local river?: More than half (52 per cent) the people questioned would not swim in their local river because they think it is too polluted. That was the shocking finding from a survey carried out for the Blueprint for Water, a coalition of leading conservation groups.

Thu, 26 Mar 2009: Water meters: a quick Q&A: The BBC answers your questions about proposals to make water metering national (about time too).

Wed, 25 Mar 2009: New survey helps River Tees salmon to spawn: How collecting scales from fish is helping scientists to follow their life cycle.

Tue, 24 Mar 2009: Fighting windfarms is socially taboo: Climate secretary Ed Milliband attacks the irresponsibility of attacking renewable energy. Way to go, Ed.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009: Another great World Water Day!: Over 85 events held worldwide marked World Water Day yesterday, 22nd March, drawing attention to the importance of clean water and sanitation.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009: Worming their way to our hearts!: This week children across the UK will be taking part in Worm Week: an initiative to raise awareness of nature's recyclers, launched by wildlife charity Buglife.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009: Surfers shun shiny clothes for clean water: Who needs nasty phosphates in washing powders? Clean water campaigners from Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) climbed on their giant soapbox today to launch their new "Go Phosphate Free" campaign for World Water Day, 22nd of March, with support from the Co-operative supermarket.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009: "Disappointing" results from fertilizing oceans: Early tests of fertilizing the ocean to soak up carbon dioxide and help mitigate climate change have brought only modest results.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009: Anglian Water fined GBP75,000 for sewage spill: Yet another case of a water company dumping poop in clean water, this time killing at least 2679 fish.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009: Southampton sewage ship will be salvaged: A barge carrying sewage that sank in the River Itchen is to be retrieved this week.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009: Cameron stamps out anti-green sentiment: A senior Tory has been slapped down by David Cameron for likening anti-airport campaigners to "the climate change Taliban".

Fri, 20 Mar 2009: Bangladesh could be saved by river silt: As sea levels rise in Asia, inhabitants of low-lying river deltas are hoping to build up their land with silt.

Wed, 18 Mar 2009: Beavering away at the return of the beaver: The results of a unique study into the desirability and feasibility of reintroducing the European beaver to the English countryside have just been published by Natural England and the People's Trust for Endangered Species. According to Natural England: "Beavers were once a common feature in the British countryside but were driven to extinction in England 400 years ago. Recently there has been considerable interest in the potential for their reintroduction, recognising the contribution that beavers make to river and wetland management and to restoring lost biodiversity."

Wed, 18 Mar 2009: Oxfordshire County Council passes the application to build the Cogges Link Road: Oxfordshire County Council passed the application to build the Cogges Link Road, which threatens a big chunk of the River Windrush, on Monday 16 February. But CPRE West Oxon and Witney First, who oppose the road, still have some tricks up their sleeve. Check out their website and help if you can!

Tue, 17 Mar 2009: Miliband thwarted by mandarins: Te Independent reports how climate and energy minister Ed Miliband is finding times tough in his department.

Tue, 17 Mar 2009: Environment Agency seeks out advisors on angling and recreation: Enthusiastic people with an interest in angling, recreation and the environment are being urged to make a difference by advising the Environment Agency in Yorkshire and the North East.

Mon, 16 Mar 2009: Walking fish found in Thames Estuary: Environment Agency Fisheries Officers received a report this week of an unusual walking fish found in the Thames Estuary at Woolwich in South East London.

Mon, 16 Mar 2009: Water voles are not rats!: Suffolk Wildlife Trust is concerned about people attacking threatened water voles they've mistaken for rats.

Mon, 16 Mar 2009: Ross-shire sewage will no longer be dumped at sea: Alness and Invergordon, the last remaining towns with untreated sewage water, are to get a spanking new treatment plant.

Mon, 16 Mar 2009: David Bellamy's climate credentials under fire: George Monbiot has stepped up pressure on David Bellamy and his controversial views on climate change.

Sun, 15 Mar 2009: Disease-Related Impacts of Salmon Aquaculture Top Agenda at Dialogue Meeting: WWF reports on work to reduce the environmental impacts of salmon farms on the environment.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009: Simple pleasures provide antidote to recession, suggests survey: People in the UK are turning to simple pleasures such as spending time in beautiful surroundings to get them through the gloom of the recession, figures from the National Trust show today.

Fri, 13 Mar 2009: Dracula minnow almost has teeth: The Natural History museum presents new information about the carp-like fish, Danionella dracula.

Fri, 13 Mar 2009: UK should create world-class marine park: RSPB is supporting plans to create "to create one of the world’s greatest conservation areas" in the Chagos Archipelago, a little-known British Indian Ocean Territory.

Fri, 13 Mar 2009: Stern new warning on climate change: Lord Stern, author of the major report on climate change economics a couple of years ago, has issued a far more pessimistic update, saying climate change inaction could cost 50% more than he previously thought.

Wed, 11 Mar 2009: Growing risks of ocean acidification: Carbon dioxide emissions have made the sea almost a third more acidic since the Industrial Revolution, threatening many species. There's a very detailed article here from the BBC's ever-interesting environment analyst Roger Harrabin.

Mon, 9 Mar 2009: Environment Agency investigates oil spill in Surrey lake: The Environment Agency is investigating an oil spillage at Beddington Park Lake in the River Wandle after concerned local people alerted authorities.

Mon, 9 Mar 2009: Custard for Mandy: childish prank or rational response?: Leila Deen, the activist who coated Lord Mandelson in green slime, explains why action is the only language politicians understand.

Mon, 9 Mar 2009: Maldives acts to promote sharks: Hunting reef sharks in Maldivian waters is now banned after a drastic fall in their numbers.

Mon, 9 Mar 2009: Carbon cuts have only 50-50 chance of success: Scientists believe carbon-cutting has only a 50-50 chance of averting planetary disaster.

Sat, 7 Mar 2009: Northumberland water voles get a boost: Two million pounds is being spent promote water vole habitats on the River East Allen.

Thu, 5 Mar 2009: Obituary: Sir Martin Doughty: Roy Hattersley pays tribute to the dynamic head of English Nature who died this week after a long battle with cancer.

Thu, 4 Mar 2009: Let breeding frogs lie: As the weather starts to warm up, frogs, toads and newts congregate in local ponds, canals and even large puddles to produce spawn for the next generation. But more than half of Britain's ponds were lost during the last century.

Wed, 3 Mar 2009: Surface water management plans guidance published: As part of its response to Sir Michael Pitt's review into the summer 2007 floods, the Government has proposed that local authorities will be given responsibility for co-ordinating the management of surface water flooding in their area in partnership with other relevant authorities.

Wed, 3 Mar 2009: National Trust welcomes funding for battle to control plant disease: The Government has announced plans to spend 25 million pounds over the next five years on a programme of work to help tackle these two plant diseases which have already affected gardens across the UK.

Wed, 3 Mar 2009: Buglife launches 'High Rise Homes for Wildlife' Project: Buglife's new Living Roofs for Wildlife project will create seven "living roofs" for rare bugs and birds in some of London's most densely populated areas. Living roofs are seen as a vital step towards reversing the decline of urban wildlife caused by the ongoing loss of habitats such as brownfield land and gardens. Species that are likely to benefit include the endangered Brown-banded carder bee and the Black redstart.

Mon, 2 Mar 2009: Costa Rica and Nicaragua take river fight to court: There's a battle raging in The Hague over access to the San Juan River.

Mon, 2 Mar 2009: Australia: 200 whales stranded!: Rescuers are using everything at their disposal to help 194 pilot whales and six bottlenose dolphins stranded near Tasmania.

Sun, 1 Mar 2009: Downturn pushes back Abingdon Reservoir: Thames Water has announced a lengthy delay to its proposed Abingdon Reservoir project. We still oppose it all the same.

Sun, 1 Mar 2009: Climate change closing in on British birds: Native species such as the lapwing and Scottish crossbill are under pressure from global warming, according to RSPB and Durham University.

Sun, 1 Mar 2009: Surfers give Porthtowan a spring clean: Surfers Against Sewage supporters were cleaning up Porthtowan beach in Cornwall this weekend.

Sun, 1 Mar 2009: Fal River Festival gears up for fourth year!: The 2009 Fal River Festival in Cornwall has announced even more events this year. Organisers are now preparing for the nine-day spectacular running from 23 to 31 May 2009.

February 2009

Thu, 26 Feb 2009: 140 year old rod licence gets 21st century makeover: Rod licence sales are set to reach a record high this year and the Environment Agency plans to start the new season with a new look rod licence. The Agency is switching to a membership-card style licence and ditching the old fashioned paper version, which has seen few style changes since it was introduced in the 1860s.

Fri, 27 Feb 2009: Don't get caught out! Check your oil tank!: Home owners in Cornwall are being urged to check their domestic oil tanks following one of the worst winters on record for oil spills.

Fri, 27 Feb 2009: Northumbiran Water kills thousands of fish: An alkali leak from a water treatment plant has killed thousands of fish in the River Derwent.

Mon, 23 Feb 2009: Exporting emissions to China: We're still hearing lots of government crowing about supposedly falling CO2 emissions in Britain. Meanwhile, a new report shows that half of China's recent rise in emissions are caused by it manufacturing goods for countries such as the UK. Out of sight, out of mind?

Thu, 19 Feb 2009: Tony Juniper: Forget nuclear and focus on renewables: The former FoE supremo says nuclear energy is a waste of time and money in the fight against climate change.

Thu, 19 Feb 2009: NHM expert gets in a flap about new butterfly: A new species of butterfly from Colombia has been discovered with the help of its 'moustache'. Natural History Museum butterfly expert, Blanca Huertas, discovered the new species (Splendeuptychia ackeryi or Magdalena Valley Ringlet) while on an expedition to a remote mountain region in Colombia in 2005.

Mon, 23 Feb 2009: Wales: Major increase in funding to reduce flood risk: The Flood Risk Management Wales committee meeting will be told how there has been a large increase in the amount of funding being made available to reduce the risk of flooding in Wales.

Sun, 22 Feb 2009: Finally: time to tackle Mercury: Expect lots of activity on cleaning up the world's mercury problem as UNEP puts a focus on the issue.

Fri, 20 Feb 2009: Can geoengineering save the planet?: Climate politics is so much hot air. Technology got us into this mess, but can it get us out again?

Thu, 19 Feb 2009: Million Ponds Project launched!: Working with 10 other organizations, the charity Pond Conservation has launched an important new project to restore Britain's vibrant, living ponds to their former glory.

Thu, 19 Feb 2009: Oils not well in the Ouse: A 10-km (6-mile) oil slick has been caused by a leak of central-heating oil in East Sussex.

Wed, 18 Feb 2009: No Ganges hydro power!: Indian scientists and engineers are fighting a major power project on India's holy river. Indian writer GD Aggarwala continues his 36-day fast in protest.

Wed, 18 Feb 2009: Magnox to pay 400,000GBP for 14-year radioactive leak: Nuclear power station operator Magnox has been fined 250,000GBP and ordered to pay 150,000GBP costs for over 14 years of radioactive leaks at the former Bradwell Nuclear Power Station, Southminister, Essex. Erm, just one thing: why did it take 14 years for the problem to come to light?

Wed, 18 Feb 2009: Surfers win sewage victory in Guernsey: A big well-done and thank you to clean water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), who are celebrating another major campaign victory: the States of Guernsey have finally committed to full sewage treatment! This is great news for Guernsey's recreational water users, bathers, water related businesses and the reputation of Guernsey. SAS have been campaigning on Guernsey for full sewage treatment since September 2004. During that period SAS has delivered nearly 20 actions calling for full sewage treatment while an estimated 6,574,500,000 gallons of wastewater and raw sewage has been dumped untreated into the sea off Guernsey.

Tue, 17 Feb 2009: Best underwater photos wanted!: You've got until next Monday (23 Feb 2009) to enter this year's British Society of Underwater Photographers competition. The Guardian is currently showing some of last year's winners on its website.

Mon, 16 Feb 2009: New practical workshops help farmers prevent nitrate pollution: Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) workshops and farm walks that provide hands-on help for farmers and land managers are now taking bookings across the East Midlands (and elsewhere).

Mon, 16 Feb 2009: The Environment Agency's guide to living on the edge: If you own land or property alongside a river or other watercourse, help is at hand thanks to a newly updated Environment Agency guide.

Mon, 16 Feb 2009: Ladybird Spider back from the brink: The Ladybird spider, so named for the male's red hot markings during the mating season, has made a remarkable recovery from near extinction in England thanks to a major conservation effort by a partnership of leading conservation bodies and landowners as part of Natural England's Species Recovery Programme.

Mon, 16 Feb 2009: Tyne ferry finds new home in the South: A famous ferryboat that served the River Tyne from 1976 to 2007 is "retiring" to Portsmouth to become a bar.

Mon, 16 Feb 2009: Government quietly scraps nuclear safety watchdog: After 50 years advising the government on nuclear risks, The Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee (NuSAC) has been disbanded with no public announcement.

Sun, 8 Feb 2009: Wildfires and the grim deal on global warming: Is there ever any good news on climate change? Expert Chris Field warns it's all getting hotter quicker than we imagined with a much greater risk of devastating wildfires.

Sat, 14 Feb 2009: Surfers Against Sewage Ask, Do You Love Your Beach?: This Valentine's Day clean water lovers, Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), launched their 'Love Your Beach' campaign. The aim is to help recreational water users to apply for 'bathing water' designation for their recreational water sites, providing them with extra legal protection.

Thu, 12 Feb 2009: Calling all primary schools: worm Week is coming!: Buglife is keen to get us all involved in 'Worm Week' in March, a celebration of earthworms. Primary schools across the country can take part in worm-charming or poetry-writing and win fantastic prizes!

Thu, 12 Feb 2009: WWF demands stronger sea protection: As part of its Marine Act campaign, WWF is calling for the establishment of a strong management organisation which ensures that UK seas are developed sustainably.

Tue, 10 Feb 2009: Public invited to have their say on North Bank: In October last year the River Tyne North Bank Project Board selected international property and regeneration experts GVA Grimley to prepare a master plan and implementation plan for the 600 hectare site.

Mon, 9 Feb 2009: Local authorities ignore advice on floodplain buildings: Local planning authorities in England granted planning permission for 16 major developments, including some 240 homes and a primary school, despite Environment Agency objections on the grounds of flood risk during 2007/08, according to a new report. The Agency objected to over 6,200 planning applications on grounds of flood risk in 2007/2008.

Mon, 9 Feb 2009: Minister praises boost for Devon fishing and economy: Fisheries Minister Huw Irranca-Davies has praised the efforts of local people, businesses and public sector bodies to boost the local economy and fishing industry on a two-day visit to Devon.

Sun, 8 Feb 2009: China's giant water scheme pushed back four years: Plans to divert water from southern China to the arid north are running four years late.

Sun, 8 Feb 2009: Mugabe: dirty water and disease: Richard Black looks at the health consequences of Zimbabwe's dirty drinking water: 3,000 dead and 60,000 more ill.

Sun, 8 Feb 2009: Ministers water down marine protection: Geoffrey Lean reveals that ministers are already diluting much-heralded plans to protect marine areas.

Fri, 6 Feb 2009: Launch of Living Waters for North Wales: A six month consultation with North Wales' people and businesses on how to improve Wales waters even further, creating cleaner rivers and better conditions for wildlife and people who use Wales waters in so many different ways begins on Thursday 12th February at 10.30am.

Thu, 5 Feb 2009: The elusive Otter takes to the Lower Thames: The elusive otter has visited Thames lock island in Surrey after Environment Agency staff built a new home for the webbed-pawed mammals.

Thu, 5 Feb 2009: Beavers will harm rivers say Tweed Foundation: Plans to reintroduce beavers will have a "severe negative impact" on sea trout and salmon, claims the River Tweed Foundation.

Thu, 5 Feb 2009: WWF Applauds Ban On Commercial Fishing In U.S. Arctic Waters: WWF has applauded the decision by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to ban commercial fishing in U.S. Arctic waters until the potential impacts of such activities are better understood. Recent melting of the Arctic sea ice on a scale unprecedented in modern times has opened up wide swaths of previously inaccessible waters to commercial fishing, oil and gas development and shipping, posing new challenges for resource managers.

Wed, 4 Feb 2009: Surfers give thumbs up to new ship poop regs: New regulations that prevent sewage pollution from ships came into force yesterday in the UK. According to clean water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage, the regulations will help the UK control a shipping industry, which the Government believes could be responsible for 5% of all coastal sewage pollution incidents.

Tue, 3 Feb 2009: UK cooks the climate books again: Oxford University economist Dieter Helm and friends continue to challenge "creative accounting" by the British government. British emissions are still rising if you count them properly, not falling, as official figures claim.

Tue, 3 Feb 2009: Protecting our valuable lakes for future generations: England's longest and most popular lake will set the scene for an international conference aimed at securing the future economic, environmental and social benefits of the country's lakes. 'Lakes for Living, Lakes for Life' takes place between 18-21 May 2009 at the Low Wood Hotel on the shores of Lake Windermere.

Tue, 3 Feb 2009: Salmon Dee-lights have begun again: The annual fishing season on the River Dee has just been opened by broadcaster Clive Anderson.

Tue, 3 Feb 2009: Fish okay on the border: Historic Scottish fishing methods have no effect on fish south of the border, a new report has found. The Environment Agency has put limits on haaf-netting in England to protect stocks on the River Eden in Cumbria.

Mon, 2 Feb 2009: Meanwhile back at the world water crisis: The BBC's Richard Black reminds us that water is still a pressing issue for much of the world.

Tue, 3 Feb 2009: Snow joke for garden birds: RSPB is asking you to spare a thought for the birds when you head out for a snowball fight: fill up your feeders and make sure they have some unfrozen water to drink from.

January 2009

Sat, 31 Jan 2009: Dolphin's culinary triumph: Scientists have found dolphins go to amazing lengths to prepare a tasty cuttlefish meal.

Thu, 29 Jan 2009: Emperor penguins shuffle toward extinction: Declining Antarctic sea ice could leave the iconic Emperor penguins high and dry by the end of this century.

Wed, 28 Jan 2009: Buglife stranded in the marshes: Britain's leading invertebrate group has lost a court battle to save West Thurrock Marshes from destruction and now faces a legal bill of £30,000. Please help with a donation if you can.

Thu, 29 Jan 2009: Water companies: don't drain us!: Those greedy profiteering water companies are at it again, trying to bleed churches, scout groups, and other community organizations for a few more pounds for their shareholders. Find out more about the Don't Drain Us campaign!

Thu, 29 Jan 2009: Britain to be prosecuted for air pollution: So much for all that green hot air: in reality, as John Vidal describes here, Britain has been breaking air pollution laws in cities like London for years.

Tue, 27 Jan 2009: Thames Water wipes out 20 years of painstaking river restoration in one day: A water company whose careless operational practices decimated the aquatic life in an iconic urban river has been fined a paltry £125,000 and ordered to pay £21,335 in clean up and investigation costs. Environment Officer Peter Ehmann, who was one of the first on the scene, said: "This pollution effectively wiped out 20 years of painstaking restoration work on the River Wandle. For many years individuals and organisations, including the Environment Agency and the Wandle Trust, have achieved great improvements to water quality and aquatic life in the Wandle. This incident is a major set back to all their hard work."

Tue, 27 Jan 2009: Severn barrage: good or bad?: As the government edges tentatively closer to a massive Severn barrage, green opinion is divided on whether the renewable energy benefit outweighs the damage to the Severn's river environment. Natural England has urged the government not to commit to tidal power without full understanding of environmental impacts. Friends of the Earth has reacted angrily to the exclusion of large offshore tidal lagoons from the shortlist of potential schemes for the Severn estuary.

Tue, 27 Jan 2009: Business experts chart a course to a low-carbon future: According to WWF: "On the day that President Obama is releasing his plan to create a new, green economy, the leading management consultancy McKinsey and Company has issued a ground-breaking report that outlines a path toward realizing the President's goal by showing how current technology, if fully deployed, could dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many of the technologies identified in the report would provide savings to consumers and create thousands of new, green-collar jobs."

Tue, 27 Jan 2009: Nepal's Kosi river put back on course: A river in Nepal that switched course last year displacing millions of people has been diverted back to its former course.

Mon, 26 Jan 2009: Silt to be dredged from Northampton's River Nene: February will see the start of Environment Agency dredging works along the River Nene in Northampton to improve navigation and reduce flood risks. Weather permitting, work is due to start outside the Carlsberg Brewery with the removal of approximately 1,500 cubic metres of silt. Two more areas adjacent to the White Water centre at Bedford Road will then be dredged, resulting in a further 7,000 cubic metres of silt taken away from the riverbed.

Sun, 25 Jan 2009: Britain: once again the dirty man of Europe: Tony Juniper asks why "The UK government is up to its old tricks on acidic emissions: talking good green talk at home, while at the same time trying to water down EU environmental targets."

Sun, 25 Jan 2009: Cleaning up after dishwashers and washing machines: They get your clothes and dishes clean, but did you know they can dirty our rivers too? Now one water company is starting a campaign to rectify the problem, caused by faulty plumbing connections.

Tue, 27 Jan 2009: The future of Arctic Ice: The Observer's Juliette Jowit asks when it will melt altogether.

Sun, 25 Jan 2009: Outdoor swimmers brave chilly Tooting Bec lido: It's that time of the year where outdoor swimmers take on the elements with more bravado than usual!

Fri, 23 Jan 2009: 'Carry On up the Witham' with Betty the Bream: Environment Agency fisheries scientists have been closely monitoring bream in one of the largest freshwater fish migration studies that has ever been done, in the lower River Witham between Bardney Lock and Boston.

Fri, 23 Jan 2009: National Trust weighs in against Heathrow expansion: The National Trust has warned that the tranquillity of its properties across west London and Berkshire was under direct threat following the Government's decision to support the expansion of Heathrow airport and remove existing safeguards.

Tue, 20 Jan 2009: New Scottish Strategy for Invertebrate Conservation: A new vision for the conservation of thousands of Scotland's animal species including bugs, snails and starfish has been set out today. Invertebrates, such as insects and shellfish, make up around 98 per cent of Scotland's animal species and a new strategy will aim to ensure they are valued and conserved for future generations.

Mon, 19 Jan 2009: Setting out Obama's green agenda: Peter A Seligmann, chairman and chief executive of US NGO Conservancy International, sets out the green challenges facing America's 44th president.

Mon, 19 Jan 2009: Carlisle's rivers of life: An exhibition of artwork, which will form part of Carlisle's new flood defences, will go on display in the centre of Carlisle (outside the Town Hall) on 24 and 25 January 2009. The collection of 40 plaques designed by local artists depict aspects of life that flow from the river, from the past to the present day. Images and words show the river's industrial heritage and the wildlife which inhabits and surrounds the river.

Mon, 19 Jan 2009: Agency wants your views on the Solway Tweed River Basin District: The Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have recently published the draft River Basin Management Plan for the Solway Tweed river basin district - and now they're seeking your views on the plan via a six month consultation.

Mon, 19 Jan 2009: Veg patches are the new decking: Why are British gardeners suddenly flocking to grow their own?

Mon, 19 Jan 2009: River Corve bridge rises again: A river bridge in Ludlow, Shropshire that collapsed in June 2007 has just been rebuilt and reopened.

Sun, 18 Jan 2009: Dirty deals in Heathrow decision: Opponents of a third runway at Heathrow point out close lobbying links between BAA, the airport operator, and the Labour government.

Fri, 16 Jan 2009: Surfers support a wastewater charge in Guernsey: Clean water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) have been campaigning for full sewage treatment in Guernsey since 2004, yet despite several close calls the Government have yet to commit to a modern and efficient treatment plant that would end the daily discharge of raw sewage to Bellegreve Bay.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009: Nitrate pollution prevention regulations: appeals deadline extended: Farmers wishing to appeal against the designation of their land within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) now have until 10 March 2009 to submit evidence.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009: In angling we trust: There's a new body for anglers, the Angling Trust, but voices of dissent are already questioning whether it's a good idea.

Tue, 13 Jan 2009: More on London's lost rivers: Juliette Jowit provides more details on the Environment Agency's plans to restore 14 lost London rivers.

Tue, 13 Jan 2009: Algae to get PR makeover as wonder fuel!: It's the green scum you love to hate on rivers and ponds, but it could soon be powering the world as a major source of biofuel.

Mon, 12 Jan 2009: Thousands in denial over floods: The Environment Agency is worried that over half a million people in Wales do not realize the flood risk they face. It's urging people to sign up to its flood warning service.

Mon, 12 Jan 2009: Climate protesters rush to Heathrow picnic: It all sounds jolly sooper: people dressed as Edwardian suffragettes picketing one of the biggest future sources of greenhouse emissions: a planned new runway at Heathrow Airport.

Mon, 12 Jan 2009: Action plan to restore London's 'lost' and neglected rivers: River quality in the River Thames has improved greatly since the industrial revolution but the many tributaries still suffer from the 20th century legacy of confining rivers in concrete channels. The London Rivers Action Plan (LRAP) aims to restore these rivers to their natural state, creating a more sustainable city, as well as reduce flood risk and improving the environment for all.

Mon, 12 Jan 2009: Explore Nottingham's photogenic waterways: British Waterways is encouraging people in Nottingham to visit well-known film locations featured on a new map.

Mon, 12 Jan 2009: Work begins to restore flood-damaged Wrexham bridge: A 17th-century packhorse bridge in Caergwrle near Wrexham is being restored after part of it collapsed in a flood of the River Alyn almost a year ago.

Mon, 12 Jan 2009: Buglife launches new project to save native crayfish: Buglife have launched a new conservation project which aims to work with the aggregates extraction industry to save the UK's largest freshwater invertebrate: the White-clawed crayfish.

Sun, 11 Jan 2009: Anglers anger over river power plans: The newly formed Angling Trust is already making its voice heard on the issue of rejuvenating water mills for hydropower.

Sat, 10 Jan 2009: John Stewart talks transport: The superbly effective transport campaigner talks to The Guardian's John Vidal.

Fri, 9 Jan 2008: Return of the Malloch Challenge Salmon Trophy: The most prestigious and historic trophy in the Scottish angling world, The Malloch Challenge Trophy, has been reinstated from the opening of the 2009 salmon fishing season after an absence of 10 years. First awarded in 1972, The Malloch Challenge Trophy will be awarded again this year to the angler catching the heaviest salmon of the season.

Wed, 7 Jan 2009: Top 10 natural history stories from 2008: The Natural History Museum presents its pick of the most interesting news bites.

Tue, 6 Jan 2009: Unpleasant PR job for great white shark: The good news? You're getting a PR makeover. The bad news? We're cutting you open to do it. Scientists are examining a dead great white to show it's not as bad as Jaws viewers may think.

Tue, 6 Jan 2009: 2009 set to be a bumper year for fishing: With over 1.3 million rod licences sold last year, the Environment Agency says 2009 is set to be a bumper year for angling. More than 1.3 million people took to the rivers in 2008 fully armed with a fishing rod and licence in a bid to find credit crunch-friendly entertainment that won't break the bank.

Tue, 6 Jan 2009: How about a conservation holiday with the National Trust this year?: If you fancy a holiday with a difference, a life-enhancing experience where you can meet new friends, feel part of something worthwhile and get the most for your budget, then a National Trust working holiday is for you. Around 400 holidays across England, Wales and Northern Ireland offer the chance to help with the conservation of wildlife, coast, countryside, historic houses and gardens.

Tue, 6 Jan 2009: Cleaning rivers throws up surprises!: What happens when you drain a river for a spring clean? Workers in San Antonio, Texas, made a few unusual finds, including a snake!

Tue, 6 Jan 2009: Bush designates ocean conservation areas: He's trashed enough of the planet to make a few concessions in his last fortnight in office.

Mon, 5 Jan 2009: Bonkers 250 in mad, muddy river dash!: Good old English eccentrics: the annual Maldon River Race saw 250 mad people scrambling through the muddy bed of the River Blackwater in Essex in freezing temperatures.

Mon, 5 Jan 2009: Clawing back the crayfish in Cumbria: Moves are afoot to protect native white-clawed crayfish in Cumbria's River Eden.

Mon, 5 Jan 2009: Tapbusting in Northumbria: Northumbrian Water has launched new water quality improvement schemes in Tyneside and Northumberland.

Sun, 4 Jan 2009: Sleazy nuclear sell-off at Sellafield: THe Independent on Sunday busts open another seedy nuclear tale in the recent sell-off of Britain's nuclear waste plant.

Fri, 2 Jan 2009: Jim launches new Arctic river boat: Polar explorer Jim McNeill has designed a new boat called a Qajaq for exploring frozen waters.

Fri, 2 Jan 2009: 'Access to Nature': connecting people with nature: Natural England's Access to Nature grant scheme has been inundated with applications since it was launched in autumn 2007 by Alan Titchmarsh. Access to Nature aims to encourage a much broader range of people to appreciate England's countryside.

Fri, 2 Jan 2009: How to keep your bird bath flowing this winter: RSPB has issued some handy practical tips for stopping bird baths freezing during the freezing weather.