Water for Wildlife
Essex supports a staggering variety of habitats and species linked by a common thread – water. It is the fundamental building block of life, but something which we often take for granted. In Essex, the shocking manifestation of this neglect was rivers so polluted with industrial and agricultural chemicals that only two decades ago, they could not support otters.
Thankfully times have changed and the Essex Water for Wildlife Project is part of a partnership of The Wildlife Trusts, Environment Agency, Water Companies and other local partners, dedicated to providing a consistent, targeted approach to all types of wetland conservation.
One of the main aims of the project in Essex is to bring Water Voles back to our streams and rivers after twenty years of decline. Advice and practical help are given across the county to landowners, councils, conservationists and recreational groups in order to achieve this.
RIVERSEARCH was also set up in 2007 and has trained over 100 volunteer surveyors to search for Otters and Water Voles. Courses are held each spring and are open to everyone, regardless of previous experience or knowledge.
If you require advice on river or wetland issues, or would like to become a RIVERSEARCH surveyor, please contact the Project Officer, Darren Tansley on 01621 862995 or email darrent@essexwt.org.uk
Downloads (pdf)
Essex Otter Survey 2007
Essex Otter Survey 2008
Riversearch - Otter information sheet
Riversearch - Water Vole information sheet
RECENT NEWS -Water Vole Translocation
Three hundred Water Voles were translocated on 21 June from DP World's London Gateway to the River Colne in Essex. A 50 mile move!
Trapping of the Water Voles began in March 2010 under a licence from Natural England, with voles being weighed, sexed and placed in holding cages with bedding and food before being transported to temporary homes, including Wildwood wildlife sanctuary in Kent.
The Water Vole is England's fastest declinning mammal. By the year 2000, Essex had lost 94% of its Water Voles. Water Voles were once a familiary sound 'plopping' in waterways and the most famous Water Vole is 'Ratty' from Wind in the Willows.
The Water Vole translocation was the brainchild of Darren Tansley, Essex Wildlife Trust's Water for Wildlife officer, who oversaw the release and provided advice to DP World. Darren had managed a Water Vole translocation at Abberton Reservoir the previous year which proved to be very successful.
One of the main release sites was Fordham Hall Estate, a 500 acre Woodland Trust nature reserve in Fordham Essex.
A lot of planning was put into the new site and Darren worked with landowners along the river. This involved managing the site to ensure that Mink were not present, as Mink is the Water Voles biggest predator and the main reason that numbers are now so low.
The Water Voles were driven from Kent to London in transport cages. Water Vole release pens had been prepared the week before along the river at carefully measured intervals. A detailed plan had been drawn up of where the Water Voles would be placed and they were released with alternate sexes in each pen. The release pens had bedding and food in them ready for the Water Voles. Each Water Vole was released a relase pen via a Pringles tube. When the Voles jumped into the tube, it was placed into the release pen and the Water Voles moved into their temporary homes. There was enough food and bedding in the release pens so that the Water Voles could spend a few days in them if they wished.
One in ten of the translocated Water Voles will be radio-tracked by Essex Wildlife Trust and Thomson Ecology to establish in which locations they choose to settle, providing important information for future translocations across the UK. During the summer and autumn the colony will be monitored carefully and will give information on how quickly they breed and expand their range. The area will be regularly surveyed over five years to establish how successful it is.
Water voles nees to eat 80% of their body weight every day. A female Water Vole can produce up to five litters of young per year and they breed from late March to October. The Water for Wildlife project is taking place across the country.
If you would like to support our work, join Essex Wildlife Trust now CLICK HERE