Taming the Tame – The Diary

Welcome to Taming the Tame’s, project diary. Keep up to date with project entries from Tameside Local Nature Reserve in Tamworth, and witness a ‘lost island’ being reborn back into the River Tame.

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Move slider left to right to see before and after

Monday 3rd October 2016 – And so it Begins!

Dear Project Diary, 

Today was the start of the Tameside project, ‘Taming the Tame’. The shrub around the entrance was cut back to allow the diggers to access the site, off Peelers Way. The area has been sealed and prepared ready for action! Lets take a look…

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Tuesday 4th October 2016 –  We had a visitor!

Dear Project Diary,

Today the earthworks got into full swing. The diggers looked happy and so did their operators, removing spoil from the site. We even had a visitor! No I’m not talking about Tamworth Herald, who were also present for a photo shoot of the site. I’m talking about a resident Heron decided to pay a visit to check in on what was happening. Back to Tamworth Herald though… go and check it out for an insight into the ‘Lost River Island’.

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Thursday 6th October 2016 – The start of a channel!

Dear Project Diary, 

Today we have a channel! This is the start of the ‘Lost River Island’ being reborn.

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Friday 7th October 2016 – A tree?

Dear Project Diary,

Continuing to dig the channel out, we came across an unexpected treasure. A tree! Underneath the ground, across the channel, is an old tree which has fallen. This is a fantastic find, which will naturally help slow down the flow of the river, thus creating a better habitat for fish and invertebrates. The tree has been left but part has been sent away for carbon dating, which is very exciting. But wait, there is more… With the help of an onsite archaeologist and ecologist, there has been a couple other discoveries, including old wood posts and a horse shoe!

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Monday 10th October 2016 – A Misty Morning.

Dear Project Diary, 

Wow, what a beautiful Autumn morning. Blue skies, frost and diggers. What more could you want? Today the downstream channel wall was broken to connect with the River Tame! Oh and there is a new name circulating the Environmental Agency for the ‘Lost River Island’… Tracey Island! Courtesy of Tracey Doherty, Wetland Officer for the Tame Valley Wetlands and lead on the project. P.s Gravel has arrived!

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Wednesday 12th October 2016 – Digger and drone duo.

Dear Project Diary, 

Today we welcomed Fresh FX Media to site to film the progress of the ‘Taming the Tame’ project with their drone; the same that was used for the Community Wetlands short film. Most importantly though, we broke through the upstream channel wall! It’s officially an island reborn.

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Friday 14th October 2016 – Picture perfect.

Dear Project Diary,

The final product of two weeks hard work can be seen. Over the process, gravel has been added to the channel to help improve biodiversity. The gravel acts as a safe haven for fish and invertebrates, as they can hide in between the stones. It’s also very good for food and breeding. The project isn’t completely finished though. A sand martin bank is due to be installed and the remaining spoil (earth) will be seeded with wildflowers.

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▸ Click here for more information about Taming the Tame…

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