This winter work season has seen a flurry of activity on the River Roding: using the brief window of time in late winter to plant & tend hundreds of trees, remove tonnes of rubbish & clear paths & create public access along the river. None of this would be possible without our many dedicated volunteers who come out in all weathers to restore & care for the river we all love. With spring on the way, we want to squeeze in a few more workdays to get the river in as good a state as it can before plant growth stops most work, so we have three more volunteer days coming up for anyone in London who wants to get out in Nature & care for it. This Saturday (tomorrow) we’ll be at Aldersbrook (one of the rubbish pollution hotspots along the river) trying to remove as much plastic & floating litter as we can. More details at the eventbrite link, or simply meet st this point at 11am (maps.app.goo.gl/XJ9ayH1nFvhs…); anyone welcome to come later if they can’t meet at that time. eventbrite.com/e/12684935814… On 16th March we’ll be going out last reedbed clean up of the season, trying to get as much litter out of the reeds between Barking & Ilford as we can: eventbrite.com/e/12685017057… Then, on Saturday the 29th, we’ll be creating a large new wildlife pond alongside the river in Barking: eventbrite.com/e/12684981952… Do join us for any events that you can!

Exciting news in River Guardianship: The Roding, Beam & Ingrebourne Catchment Partnership are seeking to become the first in England to bring the voice of the river they care for onto a Catchment Partnership. Although voluntary, these bodies bring together many different authorities & groups working for their rivers across the country & this have a key role in river protection & restoration. I joined the RBI Catchment Partnership 4 years ago & although I have been impressed by the efforts of many members of the group on behalf of the river, I found it odd that there was no voice we ever heard: that of the river itself. There were many issues where the lack of consideration of what the river itself might want or need led to firstly worse outcomes for the Roding. For some time I’ve sought to persuade the partnership that we should follow the burgeoning worldwide Rights of Nature movement & represent the voice of the river on the catchment partnership. They recently agreed to do this, and now we need to find the right person. The guide for the role is below: we already have a lot of knowledge of the Roding itself on the catchment partnership, so more than local knowledge, we are looking for someone who has knowledge & experience of nature guardianship & acting, advocating & speaking up for rivers. If you think this might be you, & you’d like to be the first voice of a river on an English Catchment Partnership, do consider applying for the role or asking any questions you might have.

On Thursday night I looked out of my boat & knew immediately that something was wrong on the River Roding. The moon was glimmering off the water in a strange way I hadn’t seen before. I went outside to discover an oil slick streaked across the river & the smell of engine oil in the air. Here’s what I did about it & what it says about regulatory failure & the role of river guardians 🧵

This morning from 10am, #AssemblyEnvironment will question guests on what it will take to make London’s waters swimmable. Watch live or later here: webcasts.london.gov.uk/Assem… @ZackPolanski

After my first sighting on the 2nd March, this happened today along the same stretch of the River Roding at Wanstead with @WansteadBirder. One the very few photos of a wild Otter on a London river @riverroding @standardnews #londonbirds

Last night I represented the River Roding at Redbridge scrutiny committee, during questioning of Environment Agency & Thames Water about Water pollution & flooding. I brought water from the river itself into the chamber, as discussing nature without its voice or presence is a cause of many of the river’s problems.

We think these may be otters in the River Roding can anyone confirm or deny? #otter #wildlife

I ain’t afraid of no ghost rivers… Halloween feels like a good time to give a happy update on the Back River, probably the easiest ‘ghost river’ in London to bring back to life. Following my proposal to Newham, and thanks to all of you who wrote in supporting the proposal, the restoration of the Back River has now been included twice in the Draft Local Plan: both generally & for a specific development site. There is still much campaigning & (of course) hard practical work to be done, but the inclusion in the local plan is an excellent & hugely positive development. It feels like the Back River is now one of the best opportunities in London to fully restore a lost river.