[Announce] Cam Valley Summer Walk Tuesday 24 May

[John Lawton]

 From the Cam Valley Forum:

Dear Members and Supporters,
You are warmly invited to join us on *Tuesday 24 May at 6.30pm* for a 
walk along the
*Bourn Brook*. Our leader will be *Vince Lea of the Country Restoration 
Trust* who is
exceptionally well placed to show us its state in the modern world.
*The starting point will be at grid reference TL40605461 which is just 
south of Barton where*
*the minor road to Haslingfield has branched off the A603 and crosses 
the Bourn Brook itself.*
*Vince writes that *we will proceed westwards along the north bank, with 
a detour to look at features on the south bank. There is about 2km of 
brook in that direction, so plenty to look at, and anyone who wants to 
turn back at any time can do so. As usual with rivers, we have to do the 
same route out and back!

We shall see some of the problems created by dredging the course of the 
brook in the past - there is an old meander loop which has been left 
high and (usually) dry, but we have added cobblestones to the dredged 
channel to raise the level and oxygenate the water. Around the course of 
the Bourn Brook, all farmland has been restored to hay meadows, reducing 
siltation and runoff into the watercourse. There are many veteran willow 
pollards which we are restoring. Depending on how far people can manage 
to walk in a couple of hours, we should be able to get to the more 
distant reaches where a few Black Poplars have been planted.

It is likely that Himalayan Balsam will be starting to show itself in 
places, despite our efforts to control it. Along the Bourn Brook there 
is still a lot of seed resources keeping it going.

I will also show the mink rafts and the latest technology in trapping.

Assuming it's a nice evening we are very likely to see Barn Owls towards 
the end of the walk, Kingfishers are always a possibility, and otter 
signs. Some invertebrate sampling if participants are interested.
*To help with planning it would be a great help if you would kindly 
reply to this email (if the idea of the walk appeals) to register an 
interest.*
With thanks,
David Brooks