Ida Valley explore deep in the gorge
Ida Valley Catchment Group are on a mission to ‘daylight’ the Poolburn Gorge. They’ve been working with a freshwater scientist to understand how their removal plan will impact and affect the gorge.
Looking upstream
Ida Valley Group have engaged successfully with Access to Experts funding to help scope out an ambitious project in the Poolburn Gorge.
The group ran a survey a little over a year ago to ask community what their priorities would be in terms of activating good projects in the valley. The Poolburn gorge, choked with willows and a flood risk in its current state was high on the priority list.
Since the survey, the group have worked away in the background contacting and running site visits with the stakeholders to assess the current situation, talk through the vision the group hold, of ‘daylighting’, naturalising and ultimately over time, removing the willows through the gorge, bringing back a more natural system for gravels to flow freely, and for the native flora and fauna to flourish.
As part of the process the group deemed it necessary to get a scientific overview of the proposed removal plan, to determine any issues but also look at the benefits this staged removal would provide to the gorge in time.
EOS of Canterbury have been working with Ida Valley Group on this, and some really great conversations have been sparked through this opportunity.
It has been great to see the group embrace the approach of EOS, which has been made possible through the Access to Experts fund with BECA.
These photos are taken from down in the gorge – catchment members and scientist Shelly McMurtrie from EOS at the beginning of March.
Catchment group members and Shelley (EOS) checking out the heart of the Poolburn Gorge.
Watch this space – this is going to be a big, exciting project!
Looking downstream, Rail Trail at left of photo