01-11-2009, 06:49 PM
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Member
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: The Wild West of Dymock
Posts: 5,152
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MFA Auction - use of funds
Hi All
Thanks to Admin for their support and suggestion that we offer some information on where last year's funds were targetted. Cranefly has supplied an excellent piece which will show you just what a important contribution that your generosity makes to our ability to get the job done. When you think that forum members attend our May Social, and that this year's social raised £2K+, it kind of puts into context the strength of this forum.
Firstly a big thank you for generously bidding and for the really great lots that were given by members of the Forum. Without your help the auction would raise a lot less.
Secondly; “a few words” will not do justice to how much has been achieved with your money and by the MFA and its supporters over the last 12 months but here goes:
The biggest project that we did last year and what the money raised at the auction went into was the Escley Project, which was cost £70,000 and was funded by National Grid to the tune of £47,000 and match funded by the MFA to the tune of £23,000. With this we were able to complete more than 7km of coppicing and fencing and laying in of live woody debris which linked work already completed by the River Monnow Project and work done by farmers under the Countryside Stewardship Schemes to create a continuous corridor of nearly 15km of improved riparian habitat. We were also able to combine 16 farmers’ fishing rights and put two beats of over 2 miles each into the Wye and Usk Foundation’s Passport Scheme so you can experience what we have done with your money on what is turning out to be a gem of a stream.
Other voluntary works that the MFA have organised and carried out have included:
- Spraying and hand pulling Himalayan Balsam (HB) and spraying of Japanese Knotweed (JK) on the Honddu from its upstream boundary. After two seasons the JK has been eradicated from one site and the results of HB control on the 3.5 miles of river and stream bank tackled to date are very encouraging with almost total control being achieved in one year by a combination of spraying large, dense stands, hand pulling lighter stands and returning to each site regularly after the first treatment to pull any missed or re-growth. The work has been carried out with the voluntary help of the MFA, EA, BBNP and Keep Wales Tidy.
We have also encouraged all anglers to “Pull 50 A Day”; every time you visit the river to pull at least 50 HB plants a day.
The aim is to clear the Honddu of HB and demonstrate that it can be done!
2. Project management on the Honddu, Escley and Dulas Brooks.
3. Gravel jetting, using a back pack leaf blower. 4 side streams, on the Honddu, Dore and Escley were targeted last year, with encouraging results.
4. Re-coppicing of alder, coppiced by the River Monnow Project and coppicing and canopy lifting on side streams. A trial site was chosen on the Dore and volunteers from the Countryside Restoration Trust trained to carry out coppicing and layering in of living material.
MFA volunteers have carried out coppicing and canopy lifting on two spawning streams and coppicing and clearing to make four WUF Voucher beats on the Escley, and Dore, more fishable.
5. Liaison with the EA’s Catchment Officer and Pollution Enforcement Team to highlight areas of concern.
6. The MFA have advised several land and fishery owners on management of their riparian habitat.
7. Complete overhaul of the MFA’s website; www.monnow.org
8. The MFA are actively investigating the use of coppiced material for logs and wood chips for local fuel supplies. This has recently included a demonstration by a local contractor of a tracked “360” excavator mounted with a grab and shears, supplying a tractor mounted chipper.
9. The MFA and EA Project Officer, George Woodward have taken three classes of school children onto the Escley to show them spawning trout and the river habitat and supplied back up educational material and we will repeat and expand this area to other schools that have expressed and interest following our approaches to them.
10. The MFA have arranged with farmers on 6 additional beats to be let on the WUF Voucher Scheme.
In all, between March 2008 and March 2009 the MFA has contributed over £25,000 worth of Professional, Skilled and Unskilled Labour, at EA Volunteer rates.
Thanks again, your continuing support is vital and very encouraging to those of us on the ground.
Robert Denny A.K.A. Cranefly
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"A homeward tramp thro' mist wrapped night,
With heart and creel in common light,
Complete content, the day has brought it,
They fished for pleasure - and they caught it"
P F Morgan
taken from the catch record book at Llanthony Hotel, Honddu Valley, Aug 1942
www.monnowlogue.com
www.monnow.org.uk
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Monnow Fisheries Auction 2009
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