The Water Vole

The water vole is one of Britain’s most endangered mammals. A native of the British Isles, and popularised in modern culture as ‘Ratty’ in Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, the water vole is a cherished resident of our rivers, canals, streams and ponds. But this once ever-present mammal, like so many others, is now in danger – during the 1990s Britain’s water vole population declined by over 80 per cent, and it is now fully protected by law in England and Wales. In The Water Vole, Christine Gregory, author of Brown Hares in the Derbyshire Dales and A River in Time, tells the story of the water vole, past, present and future, principally through its history in the waterways of Derbyshire. Having spent several years studying Derbyshire’s water vole population and habitats, and capturing their behaviour intimately through her photography, Christine has developed a relationship with many of the custodians of the county’s waterways, who are vital to the survival of the water vole. Decades of painstaking research into the decline of the water vole and the visionary work of conservationists give much cause for hope. Respecting our countryside and wild places and rebuilding the health of our rivers is key: we all have a role to play in the water vole’s future.

Christine Gregory is a writer, photographer and painter. Having taught social and political studies in adult and community education for over 20 years, she went on to teach radio skills and print journalism in further education. She has made community-based radio programmes for BBC Radio Sheffield and features for BBC Radio 4, although now concentrates full time on writing, painting and photography. She lives in the Derbyshire Dales of the Peak District where she has been following, studying and photographing brown hares in their natural habitat for several years. This book, Brown Hares in the Derbyshire Dales, first publishing in 2010, is the result of a life-long love of the countryside and a personal concern for the environment.

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Update: September 2022. Most orders received through the Vertebrate Publishing Adventure Books website are dispatched from Gardners in Eastbourne, UK; some orders (such as signed copies of pre-orders, or limited stock items) are sent from our office in Sheffield, UK. If your order is for multiple items, you may receive more than one package, though we try to avoid this (if applicable, you would only be charged once for shipping). Orders received before 11 a.m. are dispatched the same day; orders received after 11 a.m. are usually dispatched the following business day. You will be sent a notification email when your order has been dispatched. If we are temporarily out of stock of a title we will advise by email.

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