Why don't you just leave it alone?

       I went pike fishing for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon, unsuccessfully as it turned out, and met a somewhat angry farmer. When I asked what was wrong he took me to the Bankside and simply said 'look at it'. A riverbank that looked like this a few weeks ago with plenty of cover for birds and wildlife now looks like this. Now that finished result is definitely what I call 'improving it worse'. No respect at all.

      The drainage board had been at work with their toys cutting the reed, sedge and all bank side growth back to near baldness leaving the trimmings to rot and sour. And these organisations are supposed to be the new guardians of wildlife and 'maintain the waterways'? The farmer and I have no idea why they remove all cover and protection although the farmer reckons that they'd like the all of the banksides to look like a garden lawn.

      The fishing amounted to a couple of small perch and and two lost pike which summed up the mood and those banks won't grow up until next year. Philistines. Meanwhile the farmer intends making a large sign saying 'Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings used to live here', never mind Kingfishers used to fish here side-by-side with the Herons, Ducks, Coots and Waterhens. All we need now are the dredgers. . .