Chalk streams are among the world’s most remarkable ecosystems. They’re rare as rhinos, but much more English: 85% of the world’s supply are distributed between Dorset and East Yorkshire. Their mineral rich water is famously clear, and supports remarkable flora and fauna, including England’s oldest animal. But they are in trouble, thanks to decades of mismanagement, over-abstraction and pollution.
In March 2023, a conference in Cambridge, inspired by poet and environmentalist Ted Hughes, explored the culture and crisis of these beautiful rivers, and resolved to build the most inclusive possible coalition of care in their defence and protection.
We recorded its eight sessions, each ninety minutes in length, with most consisting of three twenty-minute presentations and half an hour of questions. (Session 4 included four fifteen-minute case studies from around England.) These built towards an open discussion chaired by Tony Juniper of Natural England looking forward to the urgent changes needed to reverse the abuse inflicted on our chalk streams since the Second World War, to address the failures of water companies, regulators and Government in not enforcing existing statutory regulations and in seeking to remove those that remain. These discussions all mix wonder at natural beauty, horror at what we’ve done to it and hope at how to fix the mess we’ve all been complicit in.
Subscribe to access all eight ninety-minute podcasts, and download (https://ownedbyeveryone.org) the conference programme, and the presentations’ slides as you listen along at our partner website https://ownedbyeveryone.org (https://ownedbyeveryone.org), where you can also read the statement issued on behalf of the attendees at the end of the conference, share stories from your own community action group, learn how you can make a difference yourself, and access a growing range of resources from our ever growing community of those who believe that a culture is no better than its rivers. You can also comment or get in touch with your ideas.
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This eighth and final podcast is devoted to an open discussion about the future of chalk streams. It's chaired by Tony Juniper, the Chair of Natural England, and introduced by author, natural historian and activist Amy-Jane Beer, and by Stephen Tomkins, outgoing Chair of the Cam Valley Forum and Emeritus Fellow of Homerton College. After eighty minutes of contributions and ideas from speakers whose voices you may recognise from earlier episodes and members of our invited audience, Mark Wormald wraps up and looks forward. To keep up to date with the plans Mark describes, to read a statement issued in early April 2023 on behalf of the conference delegates, and to contribute your own ideas and resources, please visit https://ownedbyeveryone.org.
Timings:
Tony Juniper concludes the discussion at 1.16.38.
Mark wraps up from 1.16.53.
Thank you for listening. If you've found any of these episodes enjoyable or provoking, please share. They are, as the health of our chalk streams should be, owned by everyone.
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31 May 2023
Solutions
Broadcaster and environmental journalist Joe Crowley chairs this seventh and penultimate episode of Owned by everyone? Its theme is possible solutions to the problems afflicting chalk streams. First up is Pippa Heylings, environmental sustainability consultant, Liberal Democrat District Councillor and parliamentary candidate for the South Cambridgeshire constituency for the next General Election, whose title, freighted with a question mark, is 'Developments on the Cam?' Pippa speaks without notes. Leading writer, fisherman, campaigner, convenor and chalk stream restorationist Charles Rangeley-Wilson speaks with qualified confidence about a national catchment-based strategy for a better future for our chalk streams -- in due course. Finally, Stewart Clarke, the National Trust's National Specialist for Freshwater and Catchments, tells us about the best international contemporary practice in managing landscapes and riverscapes.
Remember that you can download Charles and Stewart's presentations via the episode link.
Timings:
Joe introduces the session; Pippa speaks from 1.11
Joe introduces Charles from 18.52
Joe introduces Stewart from 46.58
Q & A from 1.08.56
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21 May 2023
Opportunities
Shaun Leonard, Director of the Wild Trout Trust, introduces our speakers in this sixth episode of 'Owned by Everyone?' Literary critic Terry Gifford considers the movements of river and self in contemporary poet Jeremy Hooker's 'Itchen Water' sequence. Conservationist turned leading environmental lawyer Carol Day makes her discussion of ongoing cases involving water, the law and environmental democracy anything but dry. Riverkeeper for the Piscatorial Society movingly describes his fishing life and his personal vision for the future of fishing. Don't forget you can scroll or download all three speakers' slides via the episode link or at https://ownedbyeveryone.org
Timings:
Terry from 00.17
Carol from 19.41
Stuart from 37.31
Q & A from 56.51
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18 May 2023
Barriers
Our fifth episode, chaired by Dame Fiona Reynolds, whom John Fanshawe introduces, is on the theme of barriers. Environmental historian Hadrian Cook disputes that characterisation of water meadows, arguing that they're more heroes than villains; Mike Foley, citizen scientist from the Cam Valley Forum provides the current, or rather hopelessly abstracted, problems with water quality in his local chalk streams; Trevor Bishop of Water Resources South East describes the pressures on and planning of water resources at a regional and national level.
Timings
John and Fiona to 4.15
Hadrian from 4.15
Mike from 24.05
Trevor from 40.38
Q and A from 1.00.14
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9 May 2023
Case Studies
Our fourth episode, from the session which closed the first day of our conference, is devoted to four case studies, reports from chalk streams across their geographical range in England by those who know them better than anyone. Ash Smith, of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, introduces Jon Traill on the chalk landscapes of East Yorkshire; Kate Heppell on overcoming challenges to the Chess; Rob Mungovan, who numbers drought, deer and dogs among the stresses on Cambridgeshire's chalk streams, but who also provides hope and revelation with his final video, available along with all the presentations for you to scroll through or download here; and David Holroyd, who describes recent action on the most accessible of our iconic chalk streams, the Wiltshire Avon, and his experience of working alongside water companies and the Environment Agency.
Timings
Ash Smith introduces Jon Traill from 0.01
Kate Heppell speaks from 17.03
Rob Mungovan speaks from 34.15
David Holroyd speaks from 52.42
Ash Smith invites questions from 1.05.32
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25 Apr 2023
Nature and Culture
Episode Three, Nature and Culture, is introduced by Ali Morse, Water Policy Manager at the Wildlife Trusts. Ali welcomes author and biologist Amy-Jane Beer, who talks about her own experience of nature and connection through chalk streams; Dylan Everett, countryside manager and river keeper on the Test at Mottisfont, on the culture, nature and land choices influencing the most iconic of our chalk streams from the nineteenth century to the present and into the future, and environmental lawyer and activist Paul Powlesland. Paul speaks, without notes, about the rights for nature movement, his love for the River Roding, and the case for granting rivers rights of their own. A fascinating Q & A ends with a reading of Ted Hughes's poem 'Nymet'.
Timings
Amy-Jane Beer speaks from 0.06
Dylan Everett speaks from 21.10
Paul Powlesland speaks from 40.42
Q & A from 59.33
'Nymet' from 1.21.31
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20 Apr 2023
Nature Live
What exactly goes on under the surface of our chalk streams, and why is it important to know as precisely as possible? Our second episode, Nature Live, introduced by WildFish Conservation's CEO Nick Measham, reveals the behaviour and sheer physical beauty of the fish that swim in our chalk streams, and sometimes connect them to the sea. Nick gives way to Tom Worthington of the IUCN, who describes his team's fascinating work on swim ways; to Jack Perks, leading underwater cameraman and film maker Jack Perks, who brings a light touch and a steady hand to the tech and techniques needed to get wet for a good cause; and specialist fish illustrator Marc Dando, on why trout and grayling have lured him away from even bigger fish.....
Timings:
Nick Measham to 3.34
Tom Worthington from 3.34
Jack Perks from 22.04
Marc Dando from 43.54
Q & A from 1.01.53
Marc Dando from
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17 Apr 2023
The crisis facing our chalk streams
In this first episode, 'The crisis facing chalk streams', John Fanshawe introduces us to the work and partnerships that make the Cambridge Conservation Initiative exactly the right place for our conference. Mark Wormald briefly establishes wo of those assembled does what in, on or beside chalk streams. Then John introduces Chris Smith, Lord Smith of Finsbury, the chair of our first scene setting session. You’ll hear talks from Mark Wormald, on the inspiration and reproach of Ted Hughes, writer Adam Nicolson on the crisis and culture of our chalk streams, and Catherine Sayer, freshwater ecologist and freshwater lead at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Catherine describes the IUCN’s ongoing work in reassessing salmonid and other fish populations, including the genetically distinct taxon of chalk stream salmon.
Don’t forget to download pdfs of the three presentations from our website https://ownedbyeveryone.org here (https://wordpress.com/post/ownedbyeveryone.org/628).
Timings: introductions to 6.07
Mark Wormald from 6.08
Adam Nicolson from 28.47
Catherine Sayer from 48.56
Q & A from 1.10.05
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