The River Bride is a tributary of the River Lee on which the beautiful city of Cork is built. The River Bride flows through the area of Blackpool, traditionally a working class area that was, at one time, heavily polluted by industry.
The Bride has been re-routed to accommodate development and only a small section remains visible as it has flows to the city through underground culverts to join the River Lee.
Chris Moody, a local cartoonist has become a vocal activist against the Office of Public Works (OPW)’s plans to cover up the part of the river that runs through Blackpool.
“Mad!” is what he calls these plans.
Chris is passionate about the river and the ecosystem that it supports. The river is teeming with life, including freshwater shrimp, mayfly lavae and trout, not to mention the larger wildlife that it supports including foxes, badgers, stoats, mink, heron, wagtails, mallards, dippers and even kingfisher. Chris has documented this all with his camera traps.
The European Otter is perhaps the most charming of his photographic subjects, earning him an Outstanding Individual award from Cork Environmental Forum.
While the river is littered, it is not polluted, according to an ecologist that Chris invited to take a look.
Chris shares this video highlighting the vibrancy of the river:
You can follow Chris on Twitter @chrismoodydraws or take a look at the website Save Our Bride Otters to find out how you can get involved.
Join our Five Days of Action for Biodiversity taking place next week, 6 – 10 September!