Nature River Mel Group
Spring is the season that arguably shows the river at its finest. The early flowering marginal plants provide splashes of yellow and purple along the river, which is welcome after the bleakness of the long winter months. We always look forward to seeing the first fish hatchlings and the mayfly rising, which also means that the volunteers can get back into the river. It is not that they are not hardy folk, but in winter the river needs to remain undisturbed for the fish to lay their eggs and hatch. This does not mean that we have been idle, but have been carrying out work along the riverbank, maintaining the dead hedges, litter picking and this year, improving the woodland path. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and the support of the community and statutory bodies the main structural work on the river has been completed. But, the work of our volunteers is not finished because we have used environmentally friendly ‘soft engineering’ techniques to improve the river flow. These structures need regular maintenance if they are to continue to do the job they were designed for. Working parties meet monthly, either in Melbourn or Meldreth. For further details about volunteering or the dates of future working parties please telephone Maureen Brierley on 01763 262752.
Photograph by Richard Symonds
Photograph by Maureen Brierley
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