Last Sunday saw the Friends River Rea flood walk. Thanks to all those who attended and made it such as successful event!

Here are the notes and links distributed as part of the pack materials handed out by Tony:

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Notes/Links for a ‘Flood River Walk along the Rea’
Cannon Hill – Selly Park – Moor Green – Stirchley

‘Mapping the Country Side of the Rea Linear Park’ is a local heritage project of Cannon Hill Park Neighbourhood Friends, OPAL and partners.

Contact for Project: Tony Fox, cannonhillfriend@aol.com 0121-449 6024

'A Lost Landscape' - Mathew Boulton's love of Birmingham Heath - between the growing town and his factory by Soho Pool in Handsworth. (written 2009 by Shena Mason, Val Loggie and Phillida Ballard)
http://www.birminghamheritage.org.uk/review.htm
 
'Sexing the Plants' - article by Jenny Uglow, in The Guardian 2002, with a reappraisal of Erasmus Darwin who brought Natural History science studies to Birmingham Lunar Society.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/sep/21/featuresreviews.guardianreview30
 
'Curlew Country' - Staffordshire Blog web site following Local Heritage Lottery Project about the Staffs Moorland habitat and this bird.
http://www.curlewcountry.org.uk/about/ 
 
Find Wild Flowers celebrated in different counties of England – and why the Foxglove is linked to Birmingham. But how many native flowers are we losing?
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/county_flowers/
 
Our beloved Cannon Hill Peoples Park web site - paths of local Discovery and Observation
www.cannonhillpeoplespark.net (including seasonal Wildlife Diary and blog 2008-2011 >

The beloved River Rea, with Rea Valley Interactive Map and Heritage Trail starting at Cannon Hill Park. See Resouces> Environmental plant archaeology from Longbridge to the Bull Ring.
www.riverreatrail.org.uk

OPAL Open Air natural Labs - with neighbourhood and national partners
www.opalexplorenature.org Big Lottery 2008-12 and www.opalwestmidlands.org Scientist projects including local Birds, Bees and Weather. See OPAL in Peoples Park 31 May–5 June.
 
iSpot - OPAL Biodiversity Survey: have you spotted? what other type of support is good for you, and seasonal observations? Feedback here and to our Peoples Wildlife website Blog -
www.iSpot.org.uk

Description of the new Park in Birkenhead (1840) designed by Joseph Paxton, with apprentice John Gibson, by Frederick Olmsted an American Farmer. Olmsted went on to design Central Park New York, while John Gibson designed Battersea Park(1860) & Cannon Hill Park (1873).
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moa;cc=moa;idno=ajq8991.0001.001;view=image;seq=77;size=75;page=root
 
Kings Norton and Northfield Urban District History - prior to Bham Boundary Extension 1911 three quarters of Cannon Hill Park land was in Worcestershire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_Norton_and_Northfield_Urban_District
 
History of Cannon Hill Fields, and Map of 1921 showing Moor Green Mill and Mill Race coming off the river Rea
http://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-c/cannon-hill/
 
Moor Green Forge and Mill from Tudor times, also known as Farmons Mill
http://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-f/farmons/
 
Floods in Selly Park South and Pebble Mill Fields - taken by Residents Flood Action Group
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcweatherman/sets/72157607172937378/

Youtube Video of Floods in Stirchley, 6 Sept 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riosZ3V8_48
 
Edible Foraging Youtube video with Alys Fowler along Moor Green and Selly Park river banks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdc9NaPeaI4

Style of Prefab Houses erected beside the Rea in Moor Green and Hazelwell 1944
www.flickr.com/photos/speedtree/4970804958/
 
Learning more about Birmingham Prefab houses and building science -
http://www.listen-to-english.com/index.php?id=433#
 
Vimeo of Mapping the Country Side Project, Jan 2011, with residents interviews
http://www.vimeo.com/19364131
 
Dogpool and Ten Acres History
http://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-t/ten-acres/
 
Hogweed, invasive plant
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=126
 
Wild Angelika, grown on local allotments
http://www.plantpress.com/wildlife/o858-wildangelica.php
 
Bumblebee Conservation, a Heritage Lottery funded Community Project. (see also OPAL Buzz)
http://www.hlf.org.uk/ourproject/Pages/Bumblebee_Conservation.aspx
 
Media Archive for Central England, MACE holds local history movies –
* Shows of local films archive at Spring Country Side Fair 4-5 June, Cannon Hill Peoples Park
http://www.macearchive.org/

Univ of Birmingham VISTA Research – GIS Projects including Climate Change

Friends of Hazelwell Park, Birds Survey Jan 2011 and Fruit Tree Planting

Research ongoing – with your support and involvement.
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