News stories from 2013

Last updated: 28 April 2014.

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February 2013

Thu, 28 Feb 2013: Natural England promises "good newts" for development and conservation: Detailed pond survey work starts this month to plot the distribution of great crested newts across England.

Thu, 28 Feb 2013: Historic Hayle sluice gates go on show: Luckily recovered sluice gates dating from 1834 are to go on show in Cornwall.

Wed, 27 Feb 2013: Shepperton scoops Thames lock award again: It's the second year that Shepperton has won "Best Lock on the River Thames" in the Environment Agency's Thames Waterways Awards.

Wed, 27 Feb 2013: Exit strategy for the Exe Strategy: It's your last chance to catch and comment on the propsoed Exe Strategy in a series of public consultations around Exeter.

Wed, 27 Feb 2013: Somerset MP accuses Agency of negligence over Levels flooding: According to Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, the Environment Agency was negligent in failing to prevent catastrophic flooding on the Somerset Levels last year.

Mon, 25 Feb 2013: Exploring the rivers of Dorset: Colin Varndell has a great photo feature in this month's Dorset Life magazine.

Wed, 20 Feb 2013: Would you swim in China's polluted rivers?: Clifford Coonan investigates for The Independent. But it's always worth remembering (when you read stories like this) that a significant proportion of China's pollution is outsourced from the West. Our rivers are cleaner partly because China's rivers are dirtier. How do we feel about that?

Wed, 20 Feb 2013: Snails stop another road!: Buglife reports on another case of miniscule road protesters (a population of Roman snails) stopping construction.

Tue, 19 Feb 2013: More on the River Thame Conservation Project: Pond Conservation's website has a new update on the project, run by the River Thame Conservation Trust and Pond Conservation, in partnership with the Environment Agency.

Tue, 19 Feb 2013: SAS spring beach cleans spring forth!: Surfers Against Sewage have (count them) 45 beach cleans all over the UK from the end of March, everywhere from the Orkneys to the Isle of Wight.

Sun, 17 Feb 2013: Severn Barrage: bad for Welsh economy: It's not "economy versus environment" anymore in the battle of the barrage: according to Bristol's mayor, the proposed Severn barrage will also bring economic harm to Wales.

Sun, 17 Feb 2013: Jobs: Project Officer: Northumberland Rivers Trust: Here's a great opportunity to join one of the newest rivers trusts working on community focused eco-action.

Sat, 16 Feb 2013: Conference: The history and future of British rivers and waterways: Still time to join the one-day conference this Thursday (21 February 2013) at the Royal Academy in London. Speakers will include, Prof. Angela Gurnell (QMUL), Arlin Rickard (Rivers Trust), Phil Hickley (IFM), Paul Logan (EA), Isobelle Durrance (DURESS project), Paul Knight (Riverfly Partnership), Fiona Bowles (Wessex Water), Chris Horril, (RAFTS), Prof. Alan Hildrew (QMUL).

Fri, 15 Feb 2013: Exposing the secret funding of climate sceptics: The Guardian probes the big businesses bankrolling climate scepticism in the United States and the UK.

Thu, 14 Feb 2013: Chalk stream Laceby Beck gets a bio-makeover: The Environment Agency and its partners are working hard to create new wildlife habitats on 2.4km of the beck near Grimsby.

Thu, 14 Feb 2013: Does the Kumbh Mela experience improve your well being?: Looking back on India's great river festival, the BBC's Soutik Biswas asks how people benefit from the experience.

Mon, 11 Feb 2013: Ten years of the Lundy No-Take Zone: Natural England looks back on a decade of marine protection around Lundy.

Thu, 7 Feb 2013: RSPB: Act now to stop more seabird spills: RSPB has called for tighter regulations to prevent polyisobutene (PIB) from being released into the sea. The chemical has been implicated in the recent deaths of thousands of seabirds off the south west coast.

Fri, 1 Feb 2013: British Wildlife Photography Awards 2013: Cameras at the ready! This year's awards have just opened for entries.

January 2013

Mon, 28 Jan 2013: Why do sharksuckers suck?: The Natural History Museum explores the fascinating sharksucker fish (genus Remora), which has a kind of suction attachment on its head for sticking itself to bigger fish, such as sharks.

Wed, 30 Jan 2013: Community river events for February 2013: Here's our usual monthly roundup of walks, talks, clean-ups, courses, and other events for the coming months.

Wed, 30 Jan 2013: Pondlife's Big Spawn Count is BACK!: Help the Oxford-based pond champions to survey the UK's ponds by joining in this year's spawn count.

Tue, 29 Jan 2013: Jobs: Buglife Conservation Officer: Freshwater specialists who fancy living in the South West (Plymouth) should check out this great job with Buglife. You'll be responsible for freshwater invertebrate conservation projects, including the South West Crayfish Project and the Wessex Springs and Seepages project

Tue, 29 Jan 2013: The rising tide of tiny plastic: BBC Newsnight's Susan Watt investigates mermaid's tears and other plastic nightmares of the high and low seas.

Tue, 29 Jan 2013: Somerset Levels rivers "preferred option" for flooding fight: What can be done to stop major flooding of the Levels? Dredging of the Rivers Tone and Parrett is currently being touted as a "preferred option".

Tue, 29 Jan 2013: William Morris and his riverine inspiration: Chiswick Pier Trust explores the connection between the arts and crafts genius and the River Thames he loved.

Mon, 28 Jan 2013: The SAS Big Spring Beach Clean 2013: Another great round of beach cleans from Surfers Against Sewage. The only thing I don't understand: why does SAS need its very own "branded" beach cleaning events? Admittedly it's been doing them for a few years now, but why can't SAS, the Marine Conservation Society, and any other groups doing this kind of work join forces and deliver a harder-hitting round of cleanups in partnership?

Sat, 26 Jan 2013: Ban for five invasive aquatic plants: River groups fighting alien invaders will be delighted to hear that Defra has banned the sale of five alien invaders: water fern, parrot's feather, floating pennywort, water primrose and Australian swamp stonecrop, though only from next year.

Fri, 18 Jan 2013: Rivers and waterways are the new poverty battleground: People in developing countries are being paid to protect waterways, which sounds great... as long as the communities themselves reap the benefit. Claire Provost investigates why all's not it seems in the world of water and development.

Thu, 17 Jan 2013: New Year face lift for Abingdon Lock: Abingdon Lock on the River Thames is currently undergoing a once-in-a-generation face lift as part of the Environment Agency's ongoing commitment to keeping the river's locks in good condition for boaters..

Wed, 16 Jan 2013: Teamwork keeps the Wandle clean: The Environment Agency has announced a new partnership with the Wandle Trust, where it will train the society's volunteers to assess and respond to minor pollution episodes. The aim is to help the river reach its target of "good ecological potential" under the Eu Water Framework Directive.

Wed, 16 Jan 2013: Hastings-Bexhill protesters keep fighting!: Security contractors and police have been evicting dug-in protesters on the route of the proposed Hastings-Bexhill link road, which will cut a swathe of destruction through the beautiful Combe Haven Valley.

Wed, 16 Jan 2013: End of the line for bee-busting pesticides?: A great deal of dogged campaigning by groups such as Buglife and Friends of the Earth seems to be paying off. Today, the Guardian's Damian Carrington reports that: "the conclusion by the European Food Safety Authority is a 'death knell' for neonicotinoid pesticides."

Wed, 16 Jan 2013: Can you catch fish in frozen rivers?: Yes, according to Steve Burke... and here's how.

Tue, 15 Jan 2013: Thames21: Capture the essence of London's rivers: The annual Thames21 photography competition is looking for great photos of London rivers. Closing date is 26th March.

Tue, 15 Jan 2013: Our World: India's Water Crisis: How will the world keep pace with growing water demand? This programme on the BBC iPlayer examines the case of India, where rich cities are diverting water from poorer rural areas.

Mon, 14 Jan 2013: Kumbh Mela: The world's greatest river festival: Our river festivals look drab and tame compared to Kumbh Mela, where millions of Indians bathe at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in Allahabad, India each year.

Sun, 13 Jan 2013: Climate delay will cost extra three trillion: Climate change is forecast to cost the world $20 trillion (if we start now) or $25 trillion if we wait until 2020.

Sat, 12 Jan 2013: Pond Conservation: How to look after a pond in winter: Worried about your pond freezing over? Here are Pond Conservation's tips for looking after wildlife in chilly weather.

Thu, 10 Jan 2013: Eco-friendly Severn barrage is "spin" and "guff": Opponents of the Severn barrage have dismissed its eco-friendly repackaging as "spin" and "guff", writes Adam Vaughan in The Guardian.

Thu, 10 Jan 2013: Eco-friendly Severn barrage is "spin" and "guff": Opponents of the Severn barrage have dismissed its eco-friendly repackaging as "spin" and "guff", writes Adam Vaughan in The Guardian.

Sun, 6 Jan 2013: Attenborough Upon Zambezi: Part of the BBC's long-overdue celebration of Sir David Attenborough's astonishing output is a great collection of his programmes from the 1960s, including several programmes exploring the River Zambezi: "First transmitted in 1965, David Attenborough follows the River Zambezi from its source in the centre of Africa 2,000 miles to the Indian Ocean. At the start of his journey, Attenborough meets some of the people and animals that have made their home along the river in Zambia. He is invited to witness the Kuomboka festival, featuring the Litunga, chief of the Lozi people of western Zambia, and his people. In the festival they migrate from Lealui to Limalunga, before Lealui is flooded by the Zambezi. The spectacular ceremony consists of a fleet of barges, many containing the Lotunga's possessions, making the journey up the river accompanied by heavy drumming of the royal Maoma drums. Other highlights include David Attenborough joining the Litunga as he opens the court and presides over the inauguration ceremony." Watch now on the BBC iPlayer.

Sun, 6 Jan 2013: Thames Water apologises for Lambourn sewage flood: Thames Water has revealed that drainage systems could not cope with heavy rainfall in December, prompting a significant flood of raw sewage into West Berkshire homes.

Thu, 3 Jan 2013: River access campaigners lobby parliament: Paddlers who want more access to rivers have been asking pointed questions in Parliament about the historic right to navigate that they've been highlighting over the last few years, though with apparently little success: ministers Owen Paterson and Richard Benyon appear to show little sympathy for their cause.

Thu, 3 Jan 2013: Predicting the next big flood: BBC science editor David Shukman reviews the cutting-edge science now being used to warn about floods in advance.

Thu, 3 Jan 2013: Norfolk Broads: A new low-salt diet: A new project to reduce the threat of major fish kills from salt water surges in the Broads started on Wednesday 3 January. The Environment Agency is now working with the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain (PAC) and the Broads Angling Strategy Group (BASG) to increase water quality monitoring during tidal surge events and checks for signs of dead or distressed fish across the Broads network.

Tue, 1 Jan 2013: Matt Shardlow: Floodplains that should remain just that: This short piece by Buglife's energetic boss reminds us that building on floodplains is still A Very Bad Idea, but is government (national and local) ever going to take any notice?

Tue, 1 Jan 2013: Richard Long: Mucking in with the River Avon: In an interview from a couple of years ago, the recently honoured, perambulating artist talks about his work and how rivers (the Bristol Avon in particular) have inspired him.

Tue, 1 Jan 2013: Forthcoming events for January 2013: Our monthly roundup of forthcoming river walks, talks, festivals, courses, and other river-related events will be five years old this year. Here's a summary of about 30 events happening all over the country in January.