19 February 2017 @10am-11am
Present: Lucy Hayes (Environment Scientist), Tamara Froud (Ceramicist), Banu Schmid (ArtsCafe), Lawrence Collins(Thames21~Ravensbourne Catchment Improvement (RCIG)

• Lawrence will look into London Wildlife funding
• Lucy suggested to create a wildlife blackboard beside cafe
• Interpretetaion Boards ~information on the boards about wildlife is to be decided collaboratively by Lawrence Collins + Shayna Soong+Lucy Hayes+Emma Higgs
• Anne Marie (Lewisham Gardens) may be of help with funds towards a wildlife mural
• 3rd June-24th June 3 Rivers Clean-Up
• Mosaics wall art will need information  on lifecycle/biodiversity for a final design
• Mosaics will be designed by Tamara & Banu ~ community will be invited for making it
• Title of this project to be ~ Lewisham Wildlife (Discovery) Project
• Interpretation Board 1 Location ~ HG bridge side entrance to Quaggy ( near the wooden post on top of the stairs )
• Interpretation Board 2 Location ~ middle entry to Quaggy (near the wooden post)
• 5 clay tile rubbings of river creatures on the wall of Forries Edu space, suggested by Lawrence for safety+practicality for children ( Banu & Tamara can create the tiles @ElthamPottery ~ images to be checked with Shayna Soong+Lucy Hayes+Emma Higgs+Lawrence+ Judith
  
• 1 large Wildlife Scenery mosaics ( Design by Tamara Froud ~ information images to be supported by the above scientists/educators ) by HG bridge side
• 1 A2 size mayfly mosaics on another wall space in the middle or towards Dermody Bridge side
• 2 xA2 size mosaics of wildlife ( butterfly + king fisher) near by HG wall space
• 10 stepping Stones ( Tamara & Banu with the help of community ) to be placed by the middle entry to Quaggy

Our first meeting: 12 February 2017 @10:30am-12:30

Present: Pamela Zollicoffer (QWAG),   David Larkin (QWAG), Tamara Froud (Ceramicist) , Chris Murphy ( Fundraiser/Musician), Banu Schmid (ArtsCafe)

• Quaggy Discovery Project is about

revealing the river as a breathing pulsating organism, against all of the odds it is still there and living, little creatures are still existant and resilliant. Life is hard and they are still hanging in there. The Quaggy appears and disappears, resolutely just carries on...

• Planning

Wade&Cleaning Days ~ 1st planned for 18 March wih Lawrence Collins (Thames21)
Leaflet to be designed and printed for families for the 18th March ~ explaining what we wish to do and if they can contribute to pledge towards fundraising...
Finding out how we want the final look of the information board design.. Biodeversity..

• Creating

sense of wilderness and magical aspects of the river Quaggy along with information panel, creating trail of imagery artifacts~some hidden, rubbings, stepping stones, future training sessions to run workshops around these images and information, possible self-guiding tours...

• Information Panels on biodiversity of Quaggy + Trails of artifacts supporting ideas + Combining clean-ups with Talks etc. + Using wall space of Quaggy (Mosaics/Paintings/Rubbings) looking at Manor Park ( 2 homes agreed for a start)  + Stepping Stones in different spots on the park side + QWAG Training sessions (for future workshops)

Second Meeting is due on 19 February @10am-12:00

POEM by Quaggy Poet
Patrick Lee
Recorded on 9/February/2017 by Banu Schmid (ArtsCafe)

Rivers and Philosophy
Water is omnipresent, yielding and ever-transforming. It embraces all living things and is forever seeking balance and harmony...Dao

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”Heraclitus

“Sullen, untamed and intractable” was how T.S. Eliot imagined this “strong brown god”. There’s wisdom in considering rivers divine.

The Quaggy ~ Vol 1
https://youtu.be/zhCtQuiIyDw
Published on Sep 28, 2011Internal Networkz is the first in a series of video documentaries exploring the capitols connecting wild corridors, such as its rivers and train lines. In this first volume, the viewer comes with us on a journey as we explore the path of the river Quaggy. We pick up the route at its end, where it flows into the River Ravensbourne at Lewisham Train Station. We follow it where it passes underground at the police station and on, through suburban parks and the backs of houses through south east london......

Quaggy Film 2
https://youtu.be/2o109LSyq5E
Published on Mar 10, 2014
with Matthew Blumler

Quaggy Film 3
https://youtu.be/DHyCRlILoQI
Published on Jan 4, 2014
In 2012 the Quaggy Waterways Action Group (QWAG) made four in-stream films along the river Quaggy featuring former chair Matthew Blumler. This third wade takes us through the culvert at Sutcliffe Park up to the Hadlow College site. Includes comment from Dr Geraldine Wharton of Queen Mary's University of London and shows footage of the trash screen, and narrow culverting, possibly responsible for the December 2013 floodings along this stretch of the Ravensbourne catchment. Filmed by Lawrence Beale Collins (QWAG)

Quaggy Film 4
https://youtu.be/8s0Wu3eIAek
Published on Mar 12, 2014
Fourth in the series,
with Matthew Blumler

Uploaded on Nov 13, 2011
Geography Flooding case study
by Amy Symons

The river itself would be more interesting and of much greater wildlife value.  Combined with the establishment of river plants along its banks, the Quaggy would become a very beautiful, attractive and memorable feature for everyone
restoring rivers offers environmental, educational, and amenity benefits

We want to reveal the river as a breathing pulsating organism The river and its tidal changes remind us that our lives play out, not in the urgent context of minutes or hours but in the slower deeper context of thousands of centuries


Quaggy>quagmire > to express the same general idea of shaky, wet, unsteady ground that cannot support the weight of a man or large animal and is therefore dangerous to enter and difficult to leave

Documentary LOST RIVERS https://vimeo.com/ondemand/lostrivers/50839044
Once flowing through nearly every developed city in the world, rivers provided the infrastructure upon which modern metropolises were built. In this adventurous and revelatory look into the disappearance and recent resurfacing of these historic waterways, Lost Rivers leads us down the drain into vast underground museums of urban development. Guiding us through the hidden river networks of London, Brescia (Italy), Montreal and Toronto, intrepid groups of subterranean explorers known as “drainers” reveal the buried waterways that house the secrets of each city’s past. Exploring recent initiatives to resurface and revitalize these forgotten waterways in Yonkers and Seoul, the fascinating Lost Rivers brings to life an aspect of urban ecology that has long been kept secret.

Significance of rivers in regions and traditions, listen to Radio 4’s Rivers of Faith
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07nrlqz

Sacred Canals
canalriverwf.wpengine.com/community/exclusive-new-podcast-sacred-canals/
Listen to our beautiful new podcast, created especially for Friends of the Canal & River Trust, to hear why people feel such a strong connection to the waterways


There is a
good balance between feeling that there are
likely to be people walking through – making it
feel less isolated – and still feeling as though
you can hide away in a secluded corner.
Many studies have shown that children benefit from access to natural environments
(Lester and Maudsley, 2006).


We want to reveal the river as a breathing pulsating organism The river and its tidal changes remind us that our lives play out, not in the urgent context of minutes or hours but in the slower deeper context of thousands of centuries

Healthy rivers are an asset for any community. Peaceful and fun places to be near and full of wildlife. Our river Quaggy's life is depending on the awareness like many others. We wish to raise focus and care to our streams.
- will connect people with nature by developing a meaningful engagement to improve the quality of our river Quaggy
- will encourage a better appreciation of Quaggy's natural heritage to protect
- will increase awareness of lesser known plants, animals and organisms in Quaggy
- will bring the near by schools and local groups together in participation with experts and local artists
- will create a permanent informative mosaic installations about lifecycle, habitat etc for future references

Idea via Shayna Soong
"Panels - could be a clay tile with a relief impression of pond creatures so children can do rubbings using a crayon and paper. You could still include some printed information on another panel around the clay tile or next to it, perhaps with a mosaic frame around the whole thing.
Include in the funding bid some money to have a nice leaflet designed and printed for families to purchase at a small fee (eg 50p) from the cafe kiosk to do an interactive trail around the park - including the panels by the Quaggy. Could include some information, some questions to answer, challenges to do, and a space for the rubbings I mentioned earlier. Maybe a colouring picture on the back for younger children.

Ecological info - include more than just a statement of common aquatic insects/invertebrates, but also include info about the interdependence/ ecological relationships, for example caddis fly larva hatches to become winged caddis fly which is in turn food for birds or bats. 

River dipping days possibly to be combined with river cleanup days