Mike Blackmore
@blacky-himself.bsky.social
Environmentalist, Conservationist, River-restorationist! Opinions expressed are my own
#RiverRestoration
#RiverRestoration
Early start to head up to Birmingham. Talking about a national strategy for beavers with DEFRA
November 27, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Early start to head up to Birmingham. Talking about a national strategy for beavers with DEFRA
We don’t really do “leaky dams”!
November 19, 2025 at 6:25 PM
We don’t really do “leaky dams”!
Tricky commute this time of year...
November 13, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Tricky commute this time of year...
De-silting vs Dredging.
They're not the same thing!
Isolating a section of river to remove excesss fine silt and restore natural channel dimensions and habitat. #river #restoration #ChalkStream #conservation
They're not the same thing!
Isolating a section of river to remove excesss fine silt and restore natural channel dimensions and habitat. #river #restoration #ChalkStream #conservation
November 1, 2025 at 4:21 PM
De-silting vs Dredging.
They're not the same thing!
Isolating a section of river to remove excesss fine silt and restore natural channel dimensions and habitat. #river #restoration #ChalkStream #conservation
They're not the same thing!
Isolating a section of river to remove excesss fine silt and restore natural channel dimensions and habitat. #river #restoration #ChalkStream #conservation
Interesting time at the River Guardian Summit with @paulpowlesland.bsky.social and @lawyersfornature.bsky.social over the weekend.
Amazing venue, passionate people, great food and great conversations
Amazing venue, passionate people, great food and great conversations
October 22, 2025 at 5:46 AM
Interesting time at the River Guardian Summit with @paulpowlesland.bsky.social and @lawyersfornature.bsky.social over the weekend.
Amazing venue, passionate people, great food and great conversations
Amazing venue, passionate people, great food and great conversations
"Supplimenting" a species.
Helping expand the endangered white-clawed crayfish population of the upper River Itchen
#ChalkStream #conservation #crayfish
Helping expand the endangered white-clawed crayfish population of the upper River Itchen
#ChalkStream #conservation #crayfish
October 16, 2025 at 9:39 AM
"Supplimenting" a species.
Helping expand the endangered white-clawed crayfish population of the upper River Itchen
#ChalkStream #conservation #crayfish
Helping expand the endangered white-clawed crayfish population of the upper River Itchen
#ChalkStream #conservation #crayfish
Fish live in trees. Sometimes fallen trees need managing, but every bit we can keep in the water is valuable habitat
September 20, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Fish live in trees. Sometimes fallen trees need managing, but every bit we can keep in the water is valuable habitat
Restoring a dredged river.
Awesome result!
#RiverRestoration #ChalkStream #conservation #habitatrestoration
Awesome result!
#RiverRestoration #ChalkStream #conservation #habitatrestoration
July 11, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Restoring a dredged river.
Awesome result!
#RiverRestoration #ChalkStream #conservation #habitatrestoration
Awesome result!
#RiverRestoration #ChalkStream #conservation #habitatrestoration
Flashback to 2015 when a community restored their local river with almost no budget.
An Environment Agency and Wild Trout Trust partnership project
@wildtrouttrust.bsky.social
An Environment Agency and Wild Trout Trust partnership project
@wildtrouttrust.bsky.social
July 6, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Flashback to 2015 when a community restored their local river with almost no budget.
An Environment Agency and Wild Trout Trust partnership project
@wildtrouttrust.bsky.social
An Environment Agency and Wild Trout Trust partnership project
@wildtrouttrust.bsky.social
A few tickets left:
www.orvis.co.uk/products/uk-...
www.orvis.co.uk/products/uk-...
June 30, 2025 at 6:50 PM
A few tickets left:
www.orvis.co.uk/products/uk-...
www.orvis.co.uk/products/uk-...
Out yesterday with @fishtwitcher.bsky.social and came across something private 😳
June 20, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Out yesterday with @fishtwitcher.bsky.social and came across something private 😳
Out today doing my “other job”, managing the River Wylye. Seems like every work party we come across new signs from our wild #ChalkStream beavers 🦫🌳🐟
I hold a license but so far haven’t encountered a single problem requiring intervention.
I hold a license but so far haven’t encountered a single problem requiring intervention.
June 14, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Out today doing my “other job”, managing the River Wylye. Seems like every work party we come across new signs from our wild #ChalkStream beavers 🦫🌳🐟
I hold a license but so far haven’t encountered a single problem requiring intervention.
I hold a license but so far haven’t encountered a single problem requiring intervention.
Before ☠️ and after 🐟🌱:
This is what makes the job so worthwhile #ChalkStream #RiverRestoration
Recommendations from a @wildtrouttrust.bsky.social report, followed up and delivered by Wessex Rivers Trust
This is what makes the job so worthwhile #ChalkStream #RiverRestoration
Recommendations from a @wildtrouttrust.bsky.social report, followed up and delivered by Wessex Rivers Trust
June 14, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Before ☠️ and after 🐟🌱:
This is what makes the job so worthwhile #ChalkStream #RiverRestoration
Recommendations from a @wildtrouttrust.bsky.social report, followed up and delivered by Wessex Rivers Trust
This is what makes the job so worthwhile #ChalkStream #RiverRestoration
Recommendations from a @wildtrouttrust.bsky.social report, followed up and delivered by Wessex Rivers Trust
Without a ‘complete’ ecosystem we’ll always have winners and losers…
May 28, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Without a ‘complete’ ecosystem we’ll always have winners and losers…
A six month old river… 🌱💧
May 13, 2025 at 1:47 PM
A six month old river… 🌱💧
Do you want to work restoring beautiful, iconic, and globally rare chalk streams?
Join an innovative, creative, supportive and committed team at the cutting edge of freshwater conservation.
Become a Wessex Rivers Trust Project Officer!
www.wessexrt.org.uk/vacancies.html
Join an innovative, creative, supportive and committed team at the cutting edge of freshwater conservation.
Become a Wessex Rivers Trust Project Officer!
www.wessexrt.org.uk/vacancies.html
May 13, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Do you want to work restoring beautiful, iconic, and globally rare chalk streams?
Join an innovative, creative, supportive and committed team at the cutting edge of freshwater conservation.
Become a Wessex Rivers Trust Project Officer!
www.wessexrt.org.uk/vacancies.html
Join an innovative, creative, supportive and committed team at the cutting edge of freshwater conservation.
Become a Wessex Rivers Trust Project Officer!
www.wessexrt.org.uk/vacancies.html
Another year, another UK River Restoration Centre conference. I think will be my 15th. I must be getting old! 😂
River people… ASSEMBLE!
River people… ASSEMBLE!
April 1, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Another year, another UK River Restoration Centre conference. I think will be my 15th. I must be getting old! 😂
River people… ASSEMBLE!
River people… ASSEMBLE!
Standing on a buried riverbed!
The previous landowner went to staggering efforts to gain a fragment of extra farmable land.
But water is relentless, and this field (and the road downstream) are collapsing back into a steep valley.
The river always wins
The previous landowner went to staggering efforts to gain a fragment of extra farmable land.
But water is relentless, and this field (and the road downstream) are collapsing back into a steep valley.
The river always wins
March 25, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Standing on a buried riverbed!
The previous landowner went to staggering efforts to gain a fragment of extra farmable land.
But water is relentless, and this field (and the road downstream) are collapsing back into a steep valley.
The river always wins
The previous landowner went to staggering efforts to gain a fragment of extra farmable land.
But water is relentless, and this field (and the road downstream) are collapsing back into a steep valley.
The river always wins
This is why the way government subsidises farming matters.
Farmers don’t want to lose their valuable topsoil any more than we want it polluting nearby watercourses. Both have economic impacts.
It’s not “woke” to pay for nature-friendly agriculture, it’s a sensible investment.
Farmers don’t want to lose their valuable topsoil any more than we want it polluting nearby watercourses. Both have economic impacts.
It’s not “woke” to pay for nature-friendly agriculture, it’s a sensible investment.
March 23, 2025 at 11:40 AM
This is why the way government subsidises farming matters.
Farmers don’t want to lose their valuable topsoil any more than we want it polluting nearby watercourses. Both have economic impacts.
It’s not “woke” to pay for nature-friendly agriculture, it’s a sensible investment.
Farmers don’t want to lose their valuable topsoil any more than we want it polluting nearby watercourses. Both have economic impacts.
It’s not “woke” to pay for nature-friendly agriculture, it’s a sensible investment.
Humans are rubbish at joining watercourses to the sea
March 20, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Humans are rubbish at joining watercourses to the sea
The Chalk Stream Recovery Pack is a DEFRA document outlining the policy roadmap to protect and restore England’s unique chalk streams.
It exists. It was set for publication in 2023. The government shelved it.
Now there is a petition to publish it: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
Sign up 💙
It exists. It was set for publication in 2023. The government shelved it.
Now there is a petition to publish it: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
Sign up 💙
March 1, 2025 at 7:04 AM
The Chalk Stream Recovery Pack is a DEFRA document outlining the policy roadmap to protect and restore England’s unique chalk streams.
It exists. It was set for publication in 2023. The government shelved it.
Now there is a petition to publish it: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
Sign up 💙
It exists. It was set for publication in 2023. The government shelved it.
Now there is a petition to publish it: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
Sign up 💙
Some New Forest streams are literally eroding into trenches before our eyes; stripped of gravel by historic straightening work 😢
Today I met the unsung heroes who’ve been steadily restoring them despite fierce opposition in one of the UKs most politically charged landscapes 👏🏻
Today I met the unsung heroes who’ve been steadily restoring them despite fierce opposition in one of the UKs most politically charged landscapes 👏🏻
January 29, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Some New Forest streams are literally eroding into trenches before our eyes; stripped of gravel by historic straightening work 😢
Today I met the unsung heroes who’ve been steadily restoring them despite fierce opposition in one of the UKs most politically charged landscapes 👏🏻
Today I met the unsung heroes who’ve been steadily restoring them despite fierce opposition in one of the UKs most politically charged landscapes 👏🏻
Out today with the Wild Trout Trust checking up on another wilding #ChalkStream #RiverRestoration on the iconic Bourne Rivulet, delivered in partnership with Wessex Rivers Trust
River adapting well, salmonids spawning.
Can’t wait to see it when the plant life returns!🌱🐟
River adapting well, salmonids spawning.
Can’t wait to see it when the plant life returns!🌱🐟
January 17, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Out today with the Wild Trout Trust checking up on another wilding #ChalkStream #RiverRestoration on the iconic Bourne Rivulet, delivered in partnership with Wessex Rivers Trust
River adapting well, salmonids spawning.
Can’t wait to see it when the plant life returns!🌱🐟
River adapting well, salmonids spawning.
Can’t wait to see it when the plant life returns!🌱🐟