WE'RE approaching that time of year again when the call of the great outdoors becomes impossible to resist and each minute spent away from the riverbank is a minute lost.

It seems like only yesterday that the rods and tackle were packed away in the shed at the end of the coarse fishing season and attention turned once more to more mundane tasks such as finding work to do about the house or garden.

Yet that three months of enforced inactivity will be over in a week-and-a-half's time. And when that time comes, the Izaak Waltons among the population will once again find any excuse to exchange hearth and home for the rustle of the reeds, whistling trill of the kingfisher, and maybe - just maybe - a fish or two in the net at the end of the day.

The psychology of angling is easy to understand. Water is Nature at its most accessible and fundamental - every cast into an unknown pool is a voyage of discovery.

The descent of the weighted bait to the bottom, midwater or surface is as much an expedition as Livingstone's exploration of Africa, Drake's circumnavigation of the globe or Yuri Gargarin's space journey in the early 1960s. Only in miniature.

By reaching down into the river, this soup of myriad life forms that runs through our life of machines and noise, we tap into a universe that is vital for our sanity and survival.

We cling by our fingertips to the natural world and the conduit is angling.

But the eco-system of rivers, canals, lakes and ponds throughout Britain is a delicate organism that needs careful nurturing. And this was brought home to me the other day when a magazine called Reel Life dropped on to the doormat.

Reel Life is published by the Environment Agency, the body responsible for safeguarding our waterways. Anyone aged 12 years or over who wants to fish in England or Wales must have an Environment Agency Rod Fishing Licence.

But the agency is far more than merely a mechanism that takes money out of the pockets of those engaged in piscatorial pursuits. It is the thin line that protects all our waterways from any threat, be they man-made pollution or natural catastrophes.

Barbara Young is the chief executive of the Environment Agency and she has laid out her organisation's stall in the latest edition of Reel Life.

She writes: "The duty of the Environment Agency is to contribute to sustainable development. To achieve this, we aim to improve the environment for fish and other wildlife and work to create a better quality of life for people.

"Angling contributes to both. It relies on the quality of our lakes and rivers and anglers have a key role in protecting them. Without your interest and vigilance, many pollution incidents might go unreported.

"Angling is enjoyable and healthy, and depends on a healthy water environment - so everybody wins."

Everybody wins. As opposed to everyone loses, my first thought whenever I encounter litter or acts of vandalism along the Severn and Teme, which, as many of you will know, are favourite haunts of mine.

Anti-social behaviour on riverbanks does tend to be the province - though not exclusively - of youngsters who don't know any better. And this where the Environment Agency is taking the initiative.

The organisation has recently sponsored the Scouts' Association Angling Proficiency Badge, provided beginner's licences for new anglers on coaching schemes and supported National Fishing Week, for example by offering free one-day licences.

In addition, the agency has sponsored the National Federation of Anglers' coaching roadshow and assisted with other schemes around the country.

But, most of all, the cost is being slashed. A year's fishing licence for anyone aged 12-16 is now just £5. Pat O'Reilly, writing in Reel Life, says: "Every sport depends for its survival on recruitment of youngsters.

"Anglers are also convinced that the very existence of rivers, lakes and canals as wildlife havens rests in the hands of those who visit such places regularly.

"The eyes of more than a million anglers are crucial in spotting the first signs of pollution and other forms of environmental crime and making sure that Environmental Agency staff are alerted early enough.

"Not only that... many angling organisations are now working to restore and protect waterside habitats that had previously been damaged, ensuring that angling makes a positive contribution to wildlife and scenic beauty that everyone can enjoy."

Although a pollution disaster can happen overnight, there are indeed reasons for celebration. A major survey has shown that the chemical quality of rivers and canals has improved greatly since 1990 - the year after water privatisation. And the biggest areas of improvement have been in the industrial areas of the Midlands and northern England.

The Worcestershire Stour is among a number of rivers that had stretches that were once polluted, lifeless eyesores. But rivers such as the Stour now provide a valuable resource for the community around them.

Plant, insect, fish and bird life has recovered, improving the quality of life for all those living nearby, not just for anglers. It is with justifiable pride that the agency can announce that the Stour now boasts major improvements for nearly 20 miles of its length.

The Environment Agency is a rare example of a large organisation that is not overwhelmed by miles of red tape, talking shops and institutionalised committee-induced inactivity.

And all this serves as encouragement for those who have a special place in their hearts for the Worcestershire Severn, that natural corridor which refreshes the hearts of the county's villages, town's and cities.

So. Saturday, June 16, is but days away, and those who would frequent quiet pools and dreamy backwaters are contemplating a return to the peace and tranquility of lazy summer afternoons spent down by the riverside.

There will be rods to wipe down, reels and keepnets to check. Floatboxes will need sorting out and any equipment losses incurred during last year's campaigns will require urgent attention.

Then, with that Environment Agency licence safely stored in your wallet, it will at last be possible to wave farewell to nearest and dearest with a clear conscience and set off for the great outdoors.

All right, perhaps I gild the proverbial lily a little. For, in my case, I will probably travel no further than that well-worn patch between the canal and the bouncy bridge near Diglis Dock. We're not really talking Ranulph Fiennes here.

But it doesn't matter. For thanks to the natural world, and with a little bit of help from the Environment Agency, I will soon be enjoying a certain restorative treatment known as gone fishin'... a day down by the River Severn. Tight lines, everyone.