April 2006

Bird Flu (dead birds)

In Poole it is Environmental & Consumer Protection Services (E&CPS) that is responsible for the enforcement of animal health controls in the event of an outbreak of Avian Influenza.  E&CPS have a copy of the national contingency plan and are working closely with Defra.  

At present Defra are only testing swans, ducks and geese; during the current situation however E&CPS will collect and dispose of any dead birds found in public places.

In Bournemouth the Council suggest you call Public Protection on 01202 451296 if you have any concerns [more].

March 2006

World Water Day 2006

Eighty percent of our bodies are formed of water and two thirds of the planet's surface is covered by it - water is our culture - our life.  We plan our cities near water; we bathe in water; we play in water; we work with water.  Our daily lives are built on water.  Without the water that surrounds us our lives would be impossible.

On World Water Day 2006 (22nd March) the Oceanarium celebrated the importance of water in our daily lives and the life of our planet, by asking us to invite a group of children for a guided tour.  We nominated the home educated children from HEED who helped with the last Yellow Fish campaign, and they tell us they all had a great time!

February 2006

South Park Road clean-up

Students from Rossmore Community College fill a skip in an hour of hard work.

July 2005

May 2005

Wessex Water £400,000 sewer scheme

Bourne Stream partner Wessex Water has completed a £400,000 sewer modernisation which will help protect the award-winning beach at Branksome Chine [more]. 

Further work was carried out in 2009 [more]

April 2005

SUDSnet visit the Bourne Stream

Delegates from the national SUDSnet group made the trip to the Bourne Valley on Friday, 15th April

• Our report

Water Voles!

We were waiting for confirmation, and we have it.  Water Voles have made a home of the new Bourne Pools - and also further downstream in Coy Pond Gardens close to Branksome Wood Road.  Regrettably it's the recent discovery and identification of a corpse that's led to this news (perhaps killed by a cat), but with the milder weather we've noticed 'live' bankside activity.

Water Voles are a Biodiversity Action Plan priority species.  This means it's receiving priority action at national level in order to reverse its rapid population decline over the last 10 years, brought about though habitat destruction and the spread of the American Mink throughout England.

Dragonfly Survey

Bournemouth University's Andrew Brown will be working in the Bourne Valley this summer, with a colleague from the Herpetological Conservation Trust, collecting data on the status of Dorset's dragonflies.

Andrew is already familiar with the valley - he worked as a LIFE Project warden during the summer of 2003.

Loss of steps at Alderney Recreation Ground

Borough of Poole recently installed a new 'safe route to school'  across Alderney Rec (since renamed Bourne Valley Park) and onto heathland that is designated SSSI.  As mitigation for this new path English Nature have requested the closure of the old stepped path leading down from Evering Avenue. These works were completed in April and the area will be encouraged to return to heath.

It is due to the importance of our heathlands that English Nature requires compensation for the habitat lost by creating the new path.

The new path is of higher quality and easier to use than the steps - for example for those using bicycles or pushchairs. 

Coy Pond Road Closure

Following a series of lengthy discussions the Borough of Poole closed Coy Pond Road to through traffic on 3rd May.

This move is intended to protect visitors to the scenic Coy Pond area and make a safer link for users of the Bourne Valley Greenway.

Steve Dean, Principal Engineer at Poole's Transportation Services said: "The decision to close the road was not an easy one and the Council discussed the issue at three separate committee meetings to be sure that all the objections had been thoroughly considered. Even so, the committee felt that it was important to be sure that the scheme has been beneficial, so they will monitor the effects of the closure and will review the scheme again after six months."

March 2005

December 2004

Coy Pond Dredging

Coy Pond was cleared of some accumulated silt in December.  The initial 'trial' maintenance effort focussed on an area to the west of the island.

Phase II was a larger undertaking which will took more sediment from around the island.

• more information

Water Voles - awaiting confirmation

Water voles have suffered a significant decline in numbers and distribution in recent years.  On the Partnership's wish-list is an increase in the number of voles on the Bourne Stream, attracted by the soft, vegetated banks that our projects create. 

Sightings were reported in Coy Pond Gardens very recently, just downstream of the new Bourne Pools; Dorset Wildlife Trust visited the area on 14th December and have agreed that certain tell-tale signs at the banks of the stream here do indicate the presence of water voles.  A formal survey in Spring/Summer 2005 will confirm.

A kingfisher is a regular visitor to the gardens, too, although mostly it just appears as a colourful flash of feathers as it flies fast and low just above the stream banks.