River Og Restoration
FIN is pleased to have provided a grant to Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (WWT) for channel restoration works on the River Og, a tributary of the Kennet rising on the chalk to the north of Marlborough. 1.3 kilometres of the Og runs through WWT’s newly acquired Bay Meadows nature reserve. The FIN grant supported the purchase of materials used by WWT staff and volunteers to install live willow structures to diversify flows in the river channel and to increase marginal wet woodland habitat. Some of the FIN grant was also spent on an interpretation board informing reserve visitors about the wildlife of the River Og.
The Og is a small but important headwater, a natural chalk stream of good ecological quality supporting fish such as brown trout and bullheads as well as European water voles, sedge warbler, water crowfoot and a diversity of invertebrate life. These new structures built from willow harvested on site deflect and accelerate currents to scour gravels, also forming slack areas in their lee where sediment can accumulate. Over time, the live willow roots down and becomes self-sustaining, accentuating the meandering path of the river and in-channel habitat diversity.
Live willow deflectors open gravels by increasing scour as well as forming slacks where sediment can accumulate, sustainably increasing habitat diversity and river morphology.
An interpretation board has been installed looking out over the River Og, including the FIN logo.
Click through the pages below for more details.