Meon Valley Partnership activities
Recent and current activities undertaken by the Partnership.
Public Consultation
A public consultation was held on 20th November 2008 in Meonstoke where the local community and local businesses were invited to give their opinion on issues affecting the Meon Valley. A report was produced to summarise these discussions and to give the Partnership guidance on where their efforts should be focused. The report and the delegate evaluation can be downloaded.
Ecological Appraisal report
In 2009, the Environment Agency commissioned two reports to look at the ecological health of the River Meon and the impact of structures on fish passage. These reports identified issues of concern and will be used to help guide the work of the partnership. A summary of the two reports can be found on the Environment Agency website.
Land Management Advice
Carrying out site visits and offering advice to land and river owners and managers forms a large part of the work of the partnership. Recently, visits have been made to landowners interested in taking up Environmental Stewardship Schemes, schools looking to improve their school grounds, and landowners looking to improve the management of their land and river for local wildlife . If you would like to speak to someone about the management of your land or reach of river, please contact Elaina Whittaker-Slark on 02392 591362 or elaina.whittaker-slark@southdowns.gov.uk
River Restoration at Midlington with the Wild Trout Trust
The partnership worked with the Wild Trout Trust on their project at Midlington which has seen the enhancement of 800 metres of river for brown trout and river wildlife. The project was funded from local rod licence sales through the Environment Agency, from funds from South Downs Joint Committee and from the Wildlife Trust.
The work has created much needed variations in river depth and flow patterns which will result in improved habitat for a variety of chalkstream plants, invertebrates, and fish, including brown trout. The scheme was designed and project managed by the Wild Trout Trust (WTT) with valuable input from one of the country's leading river ecologists, Dr Nigel Holmes. The initial results are looking great and the works managed to stand up to the heavy rain and snowfall which fell soon after the works were completed. For more details, download the press release.
‘Making Space for Ratty on the Meon' Project
This project is the first step in a long process which we hope will see the return of 'Ratty' to the Meon Valley. The project has involved water vole surveys, river restoration workshops and practical work both to the river and floodplain, funded by SITA Trust, and the South Downs Joint Committee (now South Downs National Park Authority) through their Sustainable Development Fund. The project aims to improve the habitat for water vole by monitoring and controlling non-native American mink, and by carrying out habitat enhancements at sites within the valley. The practical works have been completed and monitoring of the success of the project is underway - so far, mink numbers are dropping, but whilst the habitat at the enhanced sites appears suitable for voles, none have been recorded there yet. This may be because there are no nearby populations of water vole which could recolonise easily, so the partnership are now looking for funding to reintroduce the water vole into the valley.
The Invasion of Non-native Species
Since 2010, the partnership has been collating records from the valley to identify hotspots for invasive non-native species such as New Zealand Pigmyweed, Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed. Efforts are now focussing on controlling or removing the species to prevent their further spread. To find out more about these species and why they need our attention, please visit the GB non-native species secretariat website.
