Revitalization of Olho – Working together to care for our In-land water Channel

On the 21st of March, with the meeting point at Linhares Roman Bridge, we launched a clean-up, planting and environmental revitalisation initiative at the “O Olho” stream, organised by Reflorestar Serra de Arga with the support of WWF Portugal, as part of the European RurALL project and the full support and collaboration of the Lanheses Parish Council.

During the day, we had over 30 people from ages 5 to 80 years working together on tasks facilitated by instructors:

Recovery of the Bird Watching Shelter
Clearing up of paths and access;
Identification of bird and plants species using painting and ID tags;
Planting of trees and shrubs to provide food for birds: hazel, hawthorn, myrtle and elder;
Planting of a field with varieties of willow to be used in basketry, a traditional craft associated with this wetland habitat.
Construction of a raft with a local boat maker to enable navigation and clearing of the channel to continue this work in the future.

It was a full day dedicated to developing communication within working groups, joint decision-making, and, above all, deepening the sense of place, citizen-led action, and community.