The River Misbourne is a chalk stream which flows for 17 miles through the Missendens, Amersham, the Chalfonts and Denham. The Alderbourne runs from near Fulmer and flows for 6.5 miles. Both rivers flow through the Colne Valley Park to join the Colne at Denham and Uxbridge Moor respectively.
The Colne Valley Park is a mosaic of farmland, woodland, water and villages containing 125 miles of watercourse, 167 miles of paths and hundreds of green spaces.
28. Denham Country Park Backwater
Aim:
Improve wildlife corridors; Work together
Working in partnership to create a backwater on the River Colne in Denham Country Park.
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16. Reedbed restoration at Maple Lodge Nature Reserve
Aims:
Improve wildlife corridors
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28. Giant Hogweed Control
Aims:
Control invasive non-native species
Giant Hogweed found at the confluence of the Pinn and Frays
26. River Restoration at Denham
Aims:
Improve wildlife corridors
River and ditch restoration in pursuit of Water Framework Directive improvement
Remove trees, other woody scrub and bramble from sections of the Fray’s River and ditches on Fray’s Farm Meadows London Wildlife Trust (LWT Reserve). Work on the Fray’s River was carried out in February 2016 to remove overhanging branches but retaining woody habitat already in the river. The extra light allowed on to the river should encourage the growth of marginal plants that provide ideal water vole habitat while the woody material in the river will act as nursery areas for small fish. The photographs show the situation on the river immediately before and after the work.
25. Colne Valley Water Vole Conservation
Aims:
Improve wildlife corridors
Maintain and extend the surveying of water bodies to look for evidence of water voles and hence increase knowledge of the presence and absence of water voles in the valley. Increase the number of rafts to monitor and control American mink, the prime predator of water voles. Wherever possible improve habitats to benefit water voles and other riparian wildlife.
15. Lower Colne Mink control
Aim:
Control invasive non-native species; Improve wildlife corridors
American Mink monitoring and control for the benefit of Water Voles and other native wildlife.
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3. Stockers Weir
Aim:
Improve wildlife corridors; Manage flow
Weir modifications and bypass channel to create fish passage and improve flow upstream of the weir.
14. Uxbridge Alderglade
Aims:
Improve wildlife corridors
Habitat enhancements and access improvements at Uxbridge Alderglade Nature Reserve.
13. Black Park Alder Carr
Aims:
Improve wildlife corridors
Habitat enhancements in the Alder Carr to slow drying out of the wet woodland Site of Special Scientific Interest.
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12. Colne Valley Park short walks
Aims:
Involve people with their local waterbodies
Update and reprint the series of 20 short walks throughout the Colne Valley Park
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11. Floating Pennywort removal, Denham
Aims:
Control invasive non-native species
Programme to remove Floating Pennywort from the Colne at Denham
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6. Connecting People with the Colne Valley
Aims:
Involve people with their local waterbodies
The project aimed to encourage local people to discover wildlife in the Colne Valley through events, volunteering opportunities and new educational materials.
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10. Hardings Row Millenium Nature Reserve
Aims:
Improve wildlife corridors
Habitat enhancements and access improvements at this small nature reserve in Iver Heath
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8. Springwell Reedbed
Aims:
Improve wildlife corridors
Habitat restoration for wildlife. Improved site signage and interpretation.
7. Rickmansworth Aquadrome
Aim:
Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors
Enhancments to Batchworth Lake and Bury Lake as part of site management plan implementation.
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9. Route to the Colne Valley Park from Uxbridge
Aims:
Involve people with their local waterbodies
Improve the paths from Uxbridge into the Colne Valley Park, its network of waterside paths and countryside attractions.
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5. River Colne Backwater
Aims:
Improve wildlife corridors
Backwater creation for mutual benefit of fishery and wildlife. To be undertaken as programme of habitat, access and landscaping enhancements along the River Colne walk
4. Colne at West Hyde
Aims:
Improve water quality
The Stretch of River is Fished by the Fisheries Angling Club. Over the last few years a decline in catches has been noted by the angling club. This section of river has been historically modified through the practice of dredging. With little to no in channel habitat for fry and juvenile fish species survival a project was worked up to provide back water habitat. This will provide Juvenile fish and adult fish a survival area in times of high flows and provide a safe warm nursey for juvenile fish with shallow marginal ledges. These ledges established emergent vegetation also providing cover for fish species form the risks of predation.
2. Frays and Colne weir
Aims:
Improve wildlife corridors
Weir modifcation to provide fish passage. Next steps are feasibility study and detailed design
1. Grand Union Canal backwater
Aim:
Improve wildlife corridors; Work together
Creation of a backwater for mutual benefit of the fishery and biodiversity. A fish refuge/spawning area and haven for wildlife with shallow sloping edges, variable depth, steep banks for Kingfishers. Tree works to increase light to the backwater to encourage growth of marginal vegetation. Habitat enhancements along the edge of the Grand Union Canal.
27. Lower Misbourne habitat enhancements
Aim:
Improve wildlife corridors; Manage flow; Work together
River enhancements to improve habitat from upstream of the Colne Valley Park Visitor Centre to the confluence with the Colne.
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22. Higher Denham habitat enhancement
Aim:
Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors; Work together
Local volunteers completed the enhancement of the lower Misbourne near Higher Denham in May 2014, improving habitat for fish and wildlife.
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24. Misbourne Water vole monitoring scheme
Aim:
Control invasive non-native species; Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors
Following on from the discovery of water voles along the lower Misbourne a monitoring scheme was set up by BBOWT in 2009.
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23. Riverfly monitoring
Aim:
Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve water quality
Volunteers from the Chiltern Society and Misbourne River Action monitor riverflies at 12 sites along the Misbourne. Monitoring began in 2011 and results are posted here.
21. Gerrard's Cross Golf Club - Channel restoration
Aim:
Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors; Work together
Project to remove weirs and concrete lining of river channel, enhance habitat and improve access for golf club users.
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20. River dipping
Aims:
Involve people with their local waterbodies
Creation of an access beach to enable school groups and visitors to continue to river dip whilst minimising erosion to the river bank elsewhere.
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Potential: Opportunity identified, further consultation required
Planned: Consultation, costing and/or fundraising in process
Ongoing: Project currently being implemented
Completed: Project finished