If you go down to the woods today
You’re in for a big surprise…
The woods, in this case, being found around the old Mill Weir, on the National Trust’s Cotehele Estate on the banks of the River Tamar in Cornwall, (UK!).
Vital work has been undertaken, over the years, by wonderful, dedicated people, to restore the river habitats here – which in turn promotes biodiversity recovery.
This has also helped the migratory fish, for which the River Tamar is a critical link in their life cycle stories.
Those able to visit Cotehele, (to breathe in the fresh air and have that mental and physical recharge), will find a new information board nestled in the calm beauty there. We hope it will provide an interesting insight into the remarkable lives of some of our co-inhabitants of this, our precious Earth and the importance of the interconnectedness of the planet’s vital water.
For those who are more distant, you can visit https://www.tamarvalley-nl.org.uk
The evolution of the ‘Global Journeys, Local Haven’ happened over the course of a few months.
It started, as everything does, with an idea. This flash of inspiration came to Ginnette Sutherland , of the Tamara Landscape Partnership and Tamar Valley National Landscape. Ginnette is also host of the Nature Connects podcasts; https://www.tamarvalley-nl.org.uk/category/news/projects/nature/nature-connects/podcast
The topic, revolving around the life stories of global migratory fish, needed the visual inclusion of oceans, Plymouth and the Tamar River valley. Life cycles, migration paths, weirs, gravel beds. Salmon, eels, Sea /Brown Trout, Lampreys and Allis Shad. (Do you remember Angela Gall’s book, ‘Allis, The Shad Who Wouldn’t Give Up’? Spot Allis on the information board!) Also relevant to the area are; Avocet, Triangular Club-Rush, Water Vole, Common Toad, Willow Tit… So many wonderful things to try and fit onto an A1 board — all of 23.4 by 33.1 inches. Suddenly that seemed too small!
It was an adventure through a maelstrom of thoughts… from those first tantalising, fleeting, peripheral glimpses of possibilities, through the development and firming up to an increasingly solid goal shape, to that final ‘that’ll do’, when the pens are eventually laid aside. Some fledgling ideas work out, some are put aside with regret – or probably with a “what was I thinking!”.
This was a collaborative endeavour between Ginnette, myself and also those involved in the fields of river / coastal restoration and protection around the Tamar, who were wonderfully helpful with factual pointers – and wish lists. I hope they all had as much fun watching the unfurling of this information board as I did in being the conduit!
I use the open source programme, GIMP, for putting together ideas for artwork. Thank you GIMP folk! Using separate layers for the different components makes it easier to accommodate changes to developing ideas. Mind you, I do end up with terrifyingly large files and a mutinous computer that would be phoning the ‘computer abuse line’ – if one existed.
visit https://www.tamarvalley-nl.org.uk
https://www.tamarvalley-nl.org.uk/category/news/projects/nature/nature-connects/podcast
Their World, in our hands. Do no harm.
Perambulations through a mixed bag of life… 