Victor—the Ecologists

"Nature reserves need to be bigger and better."

THE STATEMENT from a an ecologist that the nature reserves on canals 'need to be bigger and better', should be sending shock-waves through us boaters everywhere.

Ecologist Stephen Lees, has been appointed by the Montgomery Canal Partnership to produce a conservation management strategy for the Montgomery Canal, and is certainly doing it with a will.

Straight away, in the best bureaucratic tradition, he backs his campaign by quoting figures—that only 13% of local residents want the canal restored for boats. He then calmly informs us that 'boat movements will immediately bring about a reduction in water quality, mainly because of the turbidity when propellers churn up the mud from the canal bottom'.

Concerning the section of the canal at Maerdy, Stephen Lees thinks 'these reserves need to be bigger and better than earlier plans allow'.

A rather silly way of encouraging plant life on the Rochdale, resulting in dangerous spikes sticking up, after being trashed.

He really puts his size nines in it with the people of the Waterways Recovery Group who struggled to build a vast seven acre plant reserve at Aston: 'It's good, but the seven acres are not enough'!

He even thinks that cows should be banned from drinking out of the canal, which will no doubt be of great interest to the farmers whose land it passes through!

Limit on boats allowed

STEPHEN Lees also has his sights on us dastardly boaters who will want to use the restored Montgomery Canal. He believes that there should be a yearly limit to the number of boats allowed through Frankton Locks, which lead from the Llangollen Canal to the restored sections of the Montgomery Canal.

Oh yes, my friends, he certainly has many thoughts about the boats. He maintains that they should be constructed so as to cause a smaller wash, and here it comes: 'have lower levels of pollution'.

It was little me who warned you unsuspecting lot only recently that the ecologists would want to stop us letting water from our sinks etc. into the canal, resulting in having to have tanks fitted to take the water and have it pumped out later.

A third of the canal reserved for plants on the restored Rochdale Canal cutting down the width

And if it is left to Stephen Lees it will come to pass. He doesn't mince his words either, for in all seriousness this is exactly what he wants, with the alarming statement: 'There may be a case for retaining grey water on board'.

So there you have it. Big holding tanks for all your waste water and the pleasure of frequent pump-outs to get rid of it!

Grease-free propellers and oil filters in bilge pumps are two more things he wants. Yet this latter seems somewhat ridiculous, and perhaps shows a lack of understanding, as any engine or gearbox oil leakage is, under the Boat Safety Scheme regulations, restricted to its own compartment, and thus not able to get into the bilge.

Withdrawing support

ALREADY the Shropshire Union Canal Society is one of those considering withdrawing its support for the restoration of the Montgomery Canal. British Waterways regional director, Derek Cochrane, has shown disquiet, believing that there should be unrestricted boating. Others too, are worried about this draconian approach.

At the moment, though Stephen Lees' remit is concerned with the Montgomery, but where will it end?

Personally I don't see the point. Boats, as they are now, have no effect on the fish and other living creatures who share our waterways, so why all this hassle about a few weeds? Put your hands up, all of you who are in the least bit bothered...

We should all be greatly concerned indeed about these misguided powers of the ecologists, who see canals as their domain, and not that of the boater...