Apologies to Otis fans, but it sounds better than "sitting on the wall of the Crouch", and that is what canny visitors are doing this week as the temperature rises.Yesterday, I was among a large,sweltering hallfull of people,in attendance at the Essex Coastal Conference. But as much as many of us probably would have liked to have been "watching the tide flow away", it was inspiring to see and hear so many people who cared passionately about our magical coast.
The diversity of the audience was reflected by the presentations, the subject matter of which ranged from the National Planning Policy Framework, Marine planning, Marine Conservation Zones and the Shoreline Management Plan through to inspirational projects and initiatives being developed by organisations such as the Essex Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Walton-on-the-Naze community. And it wasn't all 'grey men in suits' - representatives of landowners, farmers, fishermen and wildfowlers were all in the room together as so eruditely illustrated by Andrew St Joseph of the Essex Coast Organisation.The country's longest coast must also have the widest diversity of people using its shores and wanting to protect its inhabitants on and off shore.
Our Wild Coast Project on Wallasea Island,will reflect a lot of this traditional use as we restore the island to its former marshland glory. However, "Europe's largest intertidal habitat creation project" as it has been catchily dubbed, will be far more than a saltmarsh landscape. Whilst the lost coastal marshes are recreated, the challenges of climate change and sea level rise will also be tackled. The new inner banks which, once built, will divide the island into something resembling the five islands that once existed, will also help protect property and businesses on the rest of the island from flooding.These banks will also create 15km of new paths along which visitors may explore the wild coast not accessible to them for many years. But in the meantime, visitors to our public footpath on the North Seawall, will now have something to rest on. Our 'people perches' have at last been sited and walkers or cyclists can explore the paths length, to view our volunteers' creativity. To the western end you may find the Burnham Bench with fine views of the yacht clubs on the far shore, and the Notador nearest to the car park. Walk further and you may see Walter's Roost and as you walk towards the halfway point you'll discover the Glockenspiel and Sailors' seat. For those with an adventurous bias, walk further to find Chris's Chair, a sturdy framework of driftwood, and the most adventurous visitor walking the full two miles may take a breather on Polly Styrene's Perch at the very end - before summoning the energy to walk all the way back again!
If you can't get here to see for yourself, take a peek at our Flickr site photos, where the story has been unfolding since the Shoreline Scavenge to find the materials, which fed our Wild Rubbish art day with local creative flair added by staff from The Art Factory.Just go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rspb_wallasea_island_wild_coast_project/
I've gone wild on Wallasea!