Swifts, sewage and surfing in the Dales
The latest eco news and book recommendations to (finally) enjoy in the sunshine
Good morning! I’m Sarah Hartley and this is The Northern Eco weekly update. As you’ve received this newsletter then either you subscribed, or someone forwarded it to you. If the latter, then you can click on this handy little button below.
Because it’s the last Tuesday of the month, today’s newsletter has the latest book recommendations with a green tinge from Claire and Alan at The Wonky Tree bookshop (scroll down for that). But first, the latest environmental news…….
Voters against floaters!
While the national election campaign is all about the polls, gambling and D-Day, in North Yorkshire the pressure is on the politicians to sort out the issue of sewage in the rivers.
Campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) dropped their battle bus into Wensleydale on Thursday to lend support to the newly forming River Ure group.
Campaigners Ann McKelvey, Chloe Flood, Kirsty Davies and Katie Bone visited the Upper Falls at Aysgarth where they were met by Prof Loukota and others keen to see an end to the pollution of the River Ure.
Prof Loukota said:
“Surfers Against Sewage are very keen to have safe water for everyone and they have been incredibly supportive of Save Our Swale. They have kindly offered their support with everything you need to know when you are setting up a group.”
He added that many of the visitors at the Falls that day did not realise how much the River Ure was polluted, both from sewage and also agricultural run-off.
With trips to other places, including Saltburn and York for the Question Time debate, SAS were then back with the bus to host a hustings in Richmond on Friday.
The battle bus may have gone but the campaigning goes on… The second public meeting for those concerned about pollution of the River Ure in Wensleydale is on tonight, Tuesday 25 June at Leyburn Methodist Church Hall from 6pm.
In other news
📚 Talking of books, regular readers may remember that back last year we interviewed County Durham author Mim Skinner. She’d written the book Living Together which looked at different ways to live communally. Well, she’s just announced a new release! Writing on LinkedIn she described the book as: “A year-on update with a new chapter featuring four new communities of 10 people and under and a little more of our own journey.”
🗳️ Where are environmental issues in the General Election campaign? What should be on the news agenda daily regarding the environment, during this campaign, asks Peter Sagar for North East Bylines. He says: “clearly, the hugely important issue of the Climate Crisis should be a major topic of discussion. It should be a matter of concern to all of us that this has not been the case.”
🌳 A project to plant millions of trees across Northumberland has been hailed for its role in promoting ‘agro-forestry’, writes James Robinson of the Northumberland Gazette. The Great Northumberland Forest, which was launched in 2021 and is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) aims to create more wooded landscapes in a bid to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
🏗️ The body responsible for enforcing conservation of the North York Moors landscapes and heritage has been accused of “hypocrisy” after revealing it wants to build a new headquarters after not making a significant investment in maintaining its grade II listed headquarters for at least 25 years reports Stuart Minting for The Yorkshire Post.
Now, over to Claire and Alan for their book recommendations……
Time Runs Like a River by Emma Carlisle
Description: Time runs like a river, never resting, moving steadily on. But if we notice how different each minute can be, we can appreciate them before they are gone. Rivers can be fast-flowing or still, raging or calm, just like us.
This lyrical picture book from the award-winning artist Emma Carlisle explores the concepts of time and change through the ebb and flow of a river. From the fleeting flash of a kingfisher to slow grinding of pebbles, this beautiful book encourages readers to notice the big and small things happening in nature, as well as reflecting on things which have come and gone, and those yet to be enjoyed. With themes of mindfulness and nature, the book also includes non-fiction spreads at the back of the book which can be shared with children.
“Emma’s books are always beautiful and this one is no exception.”
You can order this book here.
One Midsummer’s Day by Mark Cocker
Description: Swifts are among the most extraordinary of all birds. Their migrations span continents and their twelve-week stopover, when they pause to breed in European rooftops, is the very definition of summer.
They may nest in our homes but much about their lives passes over our heads. No birds are more wreathed in mystery. Captivated, Mark Cocker sets out to capture their essence.
Over the course of one day in midsummer he devotes himself to his beloved black birds as they spiral overhead. Yet this is also a book about so much more. Swifts are a prism through which Cocker explores the profound interconnections of the whole biosphere.
From the deep-sea thermal vents where life was born to the 15 million degrees at the core of our Sun, he shows that life is a singular and glorious continuum. These birds without borders are a perfect symbol to express the unity of the living planet. But they also illuminate how no creature, least of all ourselves, can be said to be alive in isolation.
“We are all inextricably connected. Drawing deeply on science, history, literature and a lifetime of close observation, One Midsummer's Day is a dazzling and wide-ranging celebration of all life on Earth by one of our greatest nature writers.”
You can order this book here.
The Accidental Garden by Richard Mabey
Description: We regard gardens as our personal dominions, where we can create whatever worlds we desire. But they are also occupied by myriads of other organisms, all with their own lives to lead. The conflict between these two power bases, Richard Mabey suggests, is a microcosm of what is happening in the larger world.
In this provocative book, rooted in the daily dramas of his own Norfolk garden, Mabey offers a different scenario, where nature becomes an equal partner, a 'gardener' itself. Against a background of disordered seasons he watches his 'accidental' garden reorganising itself. Ants sow cowslip seeds in the parched grass.
Moorhens take to nesting in trees. A spectacular self-seeded rose springs up in the gravel. The garden becomes a place of cultural and ecological fusion, and perhaps a metaphor for the troubled planet.
“This is vintage Mabey, maverick, intensely observed, and written with an unquenchable sense of wonder.”
You can order this book here.
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The Northern Eco will be back on Friday with details of what’s on eco events plus a very exciting opportunity for any green-hearted musicians reading - a competition which offers three cash prizes of up to £2000. See you then!