Exe Estuary Management Latest Newsletter
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2021 Issue 59 Summer In this issue The Phantom Cleaner Big Exe Autumn Clean-Up Aliens in the Exe Dawlish Warren Beach Management Scheme update Wild Exmouth Eels on the Exe & Much More Great Crested Grebe Credit Jay Francis Boyle Jay Francis Credit Grebe Crested Great follow us on @Exeestuary FOR THE LATEST ESTUARY-WIDE INFORMATION, NEWS AND EVENTS PLEASE VISIT WWW.EXE-ESTUARY.ORG CONTENTS A MESSAGE FROM THE NEW EEMP 2 Changing Tides at the Exe Estuary 8 Wild Exmouth Management Partnership 9 Exmouth NCI CHAIRPERSON, CHRISTINE CHANNON 3 A message from the new EEMP Chairperson, 10 Dawlish Warren Beach Management Scheme Christine Channon – Environment Agency update I represent Exmouth and Budleigh Coastal Ward on the Goat Walk late at night trying to identify the calls of the 3 Renewing the Management Plan 11 Aliens on the Exe Devon County Council but I work together as a team wildfowl on Exminster Marshes. In more recent times I have 4 Good News Story - The Phantom Cleaner 12-13 Eels on the Exe with Cllrs Jeff Trail and Richard Scott, who represent enjoyed the Avocet Cruises. The Exe Estuary is a haven for 5 Big Exe Autumn Clean-Up 15 D&S IFCA Exmouth Rural, to represent this lovely area and an amazing collection of birds and every year seems to wonderful environment. I have been a County bring a few surprise visitors. We are so fortunate. However, 6 Devon Wildfowlers - Exmouth LNR Clean-Up 16 Future of Exe Press Councillor for 28 years and my ward boundaries I also recognise the need to preserve a balance between 7 Plastic Free Exmouth has changed three times during that period but conservation and recreational and commercial groups from a wildlife point of view the last one has been using the estuary. the most stimulating. I am pleased to have been appointed as your elected CHANGING TIDES AT THE representative from Devon County Council and I will make I grew up in the Peak District of Derbyshire and when every effort as your Chairman to continue the valuable I first came to Devon I lived in an apartment on the work of the Partnership. EXE ESTUARY MANAGEMENT Strand in Topsham. I used to love walking along Following a year of maternity leave, I feel very All of us who are involved are passionate about the estuary, RENEWING THE MANAGEMENT PLAN fortunate to return to my role as Exe Estuary and the people and wildlife that thrive here. We are looking Officer. I am diving straight back into work, forward to working with you all to ensure our estuary continues to be a wonderful place for us all to cherish. What is the Management Plan? In 2020, the Partnership created an updated State of the getting stuck into Exe related matters, and Exe report, but did this through an online toolkit. As a Steph Harper-Chung, Exe Estuary Officer The Exe Estuary Management Plan details management exploring new opportunities to ensure our result, this toolkit reflects the latest, and in many cases, measures to guide key and statutory organisations in estuary is in tip top condition for everyone Email: [email protected] real-time data. Comparison between the latest data and delivering their statutory duties in a co-ordinated manner. the data from the 2014 report will play a key role in shaping to enjoy. Tel: 01392 382236 It outlines policies, issues and five-year objectives to the Management Plan for the next 5 years. Web: www.exe-estuary.org ensure sustainable use of the Exe for the future. The plan incorporates the Management Scheme for the Special How Can You Have Your Say? For the time being, I will be working Monday to Wednesday. Protection Area (Regulation 34, Habitats Directive), To support the work of the partnership, we are lucky Gathering your opinion is essential to ensure that we are identifying policies which aim to achieve favourable enough to keep Jay in post until September. He will be producing a Plan which reflects the views of estuary users. condition of the protected wildlife and supporting habitats. focussing on the review of the Exe Estuary Management There will be multiple opportunities for stakeholder input, The Plan also promotes the sustainable use of the Estuary Plan, details of which are covered within this newsletter. the first of which will be through an online consultation on a balancing the demands made on its natural resources and DRAFT version of the Plan which will open in late August. We The partnership has also seen a change in Chair this year! resolving conflicts of interest and provide a framework will also be using this years Summer Stakeholder Forum as a Councillor Jeff Trail BEM has been handed the prestigious for the co-ordinated management of the Estuary and way of gathering input through a workshop style event. We title of Devon County Council Chairman and is focussing communication between users and organisations with are aiming to host this event in mid-September and further his efforts on this new role over the coming year. Councillor authority over the Exe. details will be released shortly, so please keep an eye on our Christine Channon, who has supported various estuary website, social media channels, and your mailbox for this. projects over the years and has a balanced interest in the Why Renew the Plan? environment and the people that use the estuary, has The current plan covers the period of 2016-2021 and The Summer Stakeholder Forum will taken the reins as Chair of the Exe Estuary Partnership. was based on the scientific report, the ‘State of the Exe Estuary 2014’, which detailed the information available on be held in mid-September. Further Jeff will continue to have close involvement with the Exe the condition of the environment at that time. However, Estuary as he has recently taken up a voluntary position details will be released soon, please things will have changed considerably since then. with Exeter Port Authority aboard the Harbour Master, keep an eye on our website, social The environmental conditions of the estuary will have Grahame Forshaw’s patrol vessel. These voluntary changed, and policy and legislation are different today than media channels, and your emails. positions are essential in order to support Grahame and his it was in 2014. Not only this, stakeholders have changed, team in their mission to help keep the Exe Estuary safe and If you have any questions about the renewal of the with new emerging user groups and businesses being enjoyable for all. Management Plan, please get in touch with the Exe Estuary present on the estuary. Officers at [email protected] or call 01392 382236. 2 3 GOOD NEWS STORY - THE PHANTOM CLEANER Interpretation panels and signage play a key Early into the New Year we were informed that our role in helping the Partnership raise awareness brand-new signs at the Exmouth Wildlife Refuge were around the wildlife, areas of interest, businesses, subject to graffiti, much to our frustration! Just as we heritage, and culture on the Exe. We work with were deliberating over what to do, whether to remove them, we received an email from an East Devon District key partners and stakeholders to ensure we are Council member of staff who was on a site visit to inspect delivering these messages in the right way. the damage. His email stated that the signs had been It involves hard work and collaboration which miraculously cleaned, and to this day, we have no idea The last clean-up event took place on the 14th is why it is so frustrating when our signs who by… September 2019 at Exmouth Local Nature Reserve. are vandalised. So, if you’re the ‘Phantom Cleaner’ please let us know Vandalism around the estuary isn’t something new to the as we would like to thank you for your role as The Good Partnership or to any other organisation that is responsible Samaritan! Whilst we are used to getting informed that The impacts of litter have been well documented over the for the maintenance of infrastructure such as interpretation something has been damaged or broken, receiving this past few years, but that doesn’t make it any less important. panels. However, the main issue is that our signs are often email really did make us smile. BIG EXE Litter continues to have detrimental effects for our wildlife, funded through limited and constraint budgets meaning our environment and our economy. The presence of litter that sadly, in many cases, once a sign is vandalised, on the Exe not only devalues the beauty and enjoyment it cannot be replaced and must be removed. of the Estuary but can impact upon our tourist industry AUTUMN which many local businesses rely on. This is what makes our clean-ups and the hard work or other organisations running similar events around the Exe so important! CLEAN-UP We can all help to make a difference by remembering to take our litter home with us or using bins provided when visiting the Estuary. You can also get involved with the A huge part of the calendar year for the Exe following initiatives such as the 2-minute Beach Clean, Estuary Partnership is our Big Autumn Clean-Up #MiniBeachClean, or help your town/village become a event, which unfortunately along with the past plastic free community (see page 7 for more information). two Spring Clean-Ups, we’ve had to postpone If you want to sign up to our mailing list or you are a due to COVID-19.