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The latest news, keeping residents and harbour users up to date.


by Paul Britton, Harbour Master/CEO www.dartharbour.org


A


fter several years of planning, we were very excited to break ground on


our Saltmarsh restoration project. Working with our partners, we’ve started installing partial leaky dams in marshes on the east bank of the river above Sharpham. These barriers are designed to slow the flow of water, and so let it drop its sediment into the area of the marsh, hopefully leading to a build-up of mud inside gullies and eroded sections of the marsh, restoring these vital habitats back to health. We’re particularly proud that


this work is being carried out on a local and low-impact basis – there is no heavy machinery,


instead a team from Dart Harbour and Parklife – a Devon-based environmental conservation organisation have been installing brushwood bundles by hand on site. We’ve even been able to give some young people taking part in work experience a very unique opportunity to take part. Volunteers have been helping make the hundreds of these bundles that we’ve used so far, using willow and hazel from locations in Long Marsh (Totnes), Sharpham and Ivybridge. The saltmarshes being restored


are a particularly important habitat, with a wide range of unusual plant species with a tolerance for occasionally being


submerged in salt water. They also act as a vital nursery for many fish species, and also support insect and bird life. Wetland habitats like this are also carbon sinks – locking far more carbon away than a tropical rainforest.


As usual, winter is our


maintenance season, and you’ll see our barges Hercules and Tardis out and about servicing every mooring and navigation mark on the river. This is a huge task of seamanship, with different techniques needed depending on the water depth, type of mooring, tide and weather conditions and whether there is a boat on the mooring or not. Each piece of chain, shackle, rope and block gets carefully inspected and replaced as necessary, to ensure that they are ready for next year. Finally, as days get shorter,


a reminder of the importance of navigation lights – there is never an excuse for not showing appropriate lights!


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