Out & About Magazine Autumn 2020

N ick Richards is the river keeper for the Barton Court Estate, near Kintbury, owned by Sir Terence Conran. He is responsible for two and a half miles of river bank and plans his days based on the weather and, in fishing season, times when anglers are booked in. Nick said: “I could be in the water at 5.30am cutting weeds. I try to do noisy work early before the anglers arrive, then they can enjoy the peace and quiet.” His main priority, he says, is managing the river for the benefit of aquatic wildlife, but that has the knock-on effect of benefiting other wildlife and general habitat. The biggest change he has seen in his 20 plus years as a river keeper is the increase in abstraction – water being taken out for general use. “It has changed the shape of the river and the ‘energy’ of the water has been sapped.” But with preserving the planet very much on people’s minds, the tide is turning. “Agricultural practices have improved so there are less chemicals going into the water and the great team of volunteers from ARK regularly come and help with conservation work.” The riverbanks are not public walkways and this poses a dilemma. “The public miss out, but more footfall would damage the land. The good thing is that as wildlife becomes more abundant it spreads out and what you see as you walk along the canal is probably overspill from the river.”

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