October 2008
RACS workparty loosen compacted gravel in an attempt to improve Sea trout spawning success

In the middle of October a small work party from RACS raked a fair length of gravel in a small head stream on the western side of the River Adur.

The reason for doing this is to loosen the gravel on the stream bed to enable hen seatrout to make a cut in the gravel (called a redd) deposit her eggs which are then fertilised by the cock fish and covered over by the hen. This stream is an important spawning resource for seatrout, the work carried out in conjunction with the Environment Agency should mean better spawning results this season.

 18th August 2008
Black Sewer - RACS assist the Environment Agency with stream habitat improvement project

The best of the large woody debris (LWD) was put to one side so that it could be placed and pegged parallel with the bank to provide habitat for invertebrates and to slightly narrow the channel to assist the winter spates to flush out the silt.

Last Sunday morning a party of  volunteers  formed from RACS , Sussex Ouse Conservation Society and the Sussex Piscatorial Society went on site to place the LWD as agreed with the Environment Agency. In spite of nearly 5mm of rain early Sunday morning the stream level was very low and after we had placed two large logs up stream of a pool, the large amount of silt being stirred up was seen causing stress to several small trout in the pool. Work was stopped immediately, the trout recovered but its felt that we now have to leave things as they are. Afterwards further down stream we moved some concrete which should help the flow in winter spates to wash out more silt.

June 2008
RACS News update
Our project at Pondtail Farm on the Knepp Estate  to create more wetland by blocking the land drainage was partially successful but further work which involved adding more clay to the dams we had previously constructed has now almost completely stopped the water flow.

The resultant wetland will hopefully add to the biodiversity of the area as it attracts plants and insects to move in .

Two other projects being planned.

The Black Sewer at Steyning.
Not a sewer but an attractive small stream and we are hoping to assist the Environment Agency in moving rubbish and obstructions which are at the present blocking the stream and causing it to silt up. When this been done and the flow increased by heavy rain the silt will be washed out .

Knepp Estate.
This is a project to introduce large woody debris into a tributary of the Lancing Brook which flows into the western arm of the River Adur. The purpose is to make more water flow on to the flood plain and remain thus creating larger wetland and more scope for biodiversity.

 17th February 2008
SOCS Teams up with RACS on Wetlands project

At the weekend members of the SOCS Task Force swapped rivers to help the River Adur Conservation Society (RACS) with an exciting wetland creation project at Pondtail Farm on the Knepp Castle Estate near Horsham. Estate owner, Charlie Burrell involved RACS to organise and complete the work as part of a landscape re-wilding project currently being undertaken.

One aspect of this large scale project is to re-wild part of the River Adur by restoring watercourses back to their state prior to the introduction of intensive farming on the estate. The aim of this re-wilding is to recreate important wetland habitat and is achieved quite simply by blocking drainage ditches and culverts to force watercourses to overflow onto their natural floodplains.  

By use of a hired digger and driver, RACS have now blocked a number of culverts at Pondtail Farm using wooden boards and chestnut piles backfilled with clay to create dams. Now the land drainage has effectively been removed the creation of wetland will begin.

A short distance from the work site there is graphic evidence of where this has already been achieved. A flooded, boggy field with a restored stream now following its original course, replaces a once well drained dairy pasture. RACS have worked with the estate owner and the Environment Agency to ensure this work will achieve the Estate’s objective and is good ecological practice.

Until recently most of the land on the Knepp Castle Estate was devoted to traditional arable and dairy farming but in 2001 they shifted their focus entirely and embarked on a series of regeneration and restoration projects aimed primarily at nature conservation and a less intensive meat production. One aspect of the Estates ‘Wildland project’ is the ‘re-wilding’ of the River Adur – allowing the river to return to its natural meanders after three centuries of being directed into a canal.  This will return the old water lags to a natural flood plain system and is anticipated to encourage a much richer diversity of wildlife and plants.