Rivers etc

[Martyn Barclay]

Agree 100%

[Jethro_uk]

European settlers.

Although it's interesting that eagles have been observed to pick up burning twigs in their beaks and carry them from wildfires to start new wildfires and take advantage of the exodus of food for easy pickings. Scientists are speculating whether it was humans observing the birds that led to fire being appropriated ...

[Pancho]

Yes, but.

Nimby = Position your back yard on high ground.

[Chris Hogg]

Which raises the question "how have the Somerset Levels performed during the recent periods of very wet weather?". I know I'm not up to date on the situation, but I don't recall seeing headlines that e.g. Thorney and Muchelney had been cut off yet again, as was the case in

2013/14. Perhaps the dredging of the River Parrett etc. has achieved what it was supposed to achieve, despite Monbiot's pessimism.

[Pancho]

Just explaining how it worked.

But I'm OK, I live up a hill, it just needs that wall you were promising.

[mm0fmf]

Nobody knows better than you.

[mm0fmf]

He has a brain injury apparently.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Plenty do, but none working in DEFRA

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, I don't.

More lies.

I have at least 4 chronic sub lethal conditions but none of them are brain injuries

[jon lopgel]

Like hell it was in the parts of Australia that has seen the recent bushfires.

That didn?t happen either.

[#Paul]

Hmm.

#Paul

[Chris Hogg]

...and introduced sheep and rabbits.

"sheep were cheap, water was available and graziers relied on saltbush and scrub to provide quality feed when overgrazing had destroyed the perennial grass. Rabbits, naively introduced in 1859, were in plague numbers over most of southeast Australia by the end of the century ? busily digging out the roots of native vegetation, and ring-barking shrubs."

From this interesting article in WUWT

Curry points out that severe drought, 'record' temperatures and devastating forest fires have all happened before, despite manipulation of the temperature statistics by the Ozzie Bureau of Meteorology and the predictable but totally false claims by the alarmists that it's all due to climate change.

"The years 1871, 1895-1902, 1926, 1928, 1931, 1939, 1982 and 2009 each have their own Black day-of-the-week and notable high temperatures: the Black Friday fire of February 1931 burned 5 million ha. or 25% of the state of Victoria, claiming 12 lives, plus a million sheep and many cattle."

[jon lopgel]

That utterly mangles the real story as does his original ignorant claim.

Rabbits, naively introduced in 1859, were in plague

They don't in fact do either.

And 1851

[alan_m]

It often just moves the problem by pushing more water in a short time into another flood plain that has been built on.

Maybe deep concrete lined culverts are the answer but I suspect those with picturesque riverside properties (during the summer) may object to this form of river management.

It's often the "flooding" that brings the debris down the river where often it get trapped under bridges etc. These obstructions are usually cleared after the high fast flowing water has calmed down.

[Tim Lamb]

I have it here. Upper Lea in Hertfordshire. The banks are hard: gravels and chalk marl. The Water Voles can't dig even if the Mink let them. Dredged 3 times over the last 60 years with all the spoil deposited within reach of the digger bucket. Most of the *flood plain* is 12-18" lower than the bank tops.

[Tim Lamb]

In message <r33jb9$1rl$ [e-mail]>, "Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)" [e-mail]> writes

Town planners do not like you building on hills unless all other space has been used.

[Chris Hogg]

Well, in the UK, they dig holes, make warrens, undermine trees, and eat the bark of saplings. In open country, all newly planted bare-root tree whips have to be protected against rabbits, with 'tree-sleeves'.

And they were UK rabbits that were introduced into Oz.

[jon lopgel]

But they don't dig out the roots of native vegetation in Oz and they don't ring bark shrubs either.

[Tim Lamb]

In message [e-mail]>, jon lopgel [e-mail] writes

Umm.. Climate difference? I suspect bark eating here is Winter months when there is less choice. They don't eat Elder bark. Perhaps Eucalyptus etc. is also unpalatable.

[Dave Liquorice]

Or no choice. The only time I've seen trees ring barked by rabbits was winter 2009/10 when we had snow cover for the best part of two months. None of the trees ring barked have died or shown any ill affects.