Ecological writer Satish Kumar once wrote that ‘unless you know Nature, you cannot love her’. Likewise, if we wish to protect England’s green and pleasant land, it’s important to get to know why. People who drop fast food litter, pollute our seas with oil and hunt our precious wildlife, obviously were never taught all about why our land is so beautiful and precious.
Rutland used to part of Leicestershire, but now is its own independent county, situated in the East Midlands. It’s a pretty tiny place, with no motorways or supermarkets or fast food restaurants. It’s also England’s smallest county (apparently depending on whether the tide is in or out, on Isle of Wight!) The county is mostly known as being the home of Rutland Water, a large manmade reservoir that you can walk or cycle round.
The reason it’s so celebrated is because it became the place where a conservation effort to protect endangered ospreys (fish-eating birds of prey) took place. Thanks to their efforts, these birds (who migrate from Africa each year) are now thriving and can mostly be seen here and in Cumbria. Rutland Water is also home to many other birds and wildlife.
