Water voles in decline

The latest news from the National UK Water Vole Database is not good for our furry friends.  The population is taking a nose dive - down by one fifth this summer.

What can we do to help?  There is plenty that could be done for this species and the health of our waterways in general: create and maintain large-scale, good-quality habitat; reintroduce water voles in specific areas; control the mink population (an invasive species which has become a huge problem for water voles in some areas).

Erosion control on the Exe Estuary

We completed an unusual erosion control project on the Exe Estuary in 2008.  Tides were eroding the estuary banks, exposing old landfill.  Reeds, which would normally hold the bank together, were getting damaged and leaving the banks even more exposed.

JPR used a traditional technique for erosion control which involved capturing the silt washed in and out with the tides in bundles of hazel.  This then settled on the banks, covering the erosion and allowing the vegetation to build up once again.

The invisible pond liner

The pond after 4 years

Want something that will blend into the local environment, looking for all the world as if it has always been there?  Bentonite is a great liner for this.  It is compacted with soil, making it pretty much invisible.

Standard, butyl liners are hard to disguise but there's no such problem with Bentonite.

We were tasked with creating a wildlife-friendly area in a small field on the side of the client’s property.  It's worked really well ....

Is this an otter print?

Could this be an otter print at Hartpury Blackwell End Orchard? We think it is (we mean the animal print to the right, of course we know the thing to the left is a lens cap!).