News

Over the coming weeks we will be delivering a natural flood management project at Reston Scar above Staveley. Natural flood management projects ‘mimic’ natural processes to help slow the flow of water. In addition they often increase resilience to drought conditions and help increase local biodiversity. The aim of the project at Reston Scar is to ‘test and trial’ new techniques to reduce flood risk for rural communities. We will be installing several leaky timber structures and undertaking drainage works…

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is effecting individuals and businesses alike. Self distancing is the new ‘norm’ and we have put provisions in place for staff to work from home, where possible, and cancelled all non-essential activities, including; meetings and engagement activities to do our bit to stop the spread of the virus. Yes we may have a more virtual presence but it doesn’t mean our staff aren’t working hard behind the scenes to keep the charity going and continue our…

Elterwater Paleo Channel Re-connection We are working to re-connect Great Langdale Beck via its paleo-channel into the middle basin of Elterwater. Elterwater is a three-basin system which has historic water quality issues. During summer 2020 we have funding under the Water Environment Grant to undertake this project. Historic maps, shown in Figure 1, indicate the original, natural course of Great Langdale Beck into middle basin. During the early 1900’s these channels were diverted into a straightened channel, which now bypasses…

On the 24th October the Environment Agency launched their Challenges and Choices consultation. This is the second consultation which will inform updates to the River Basin Management Plans from 2015, open until the 24th April 2020. In this consultation the Environment Agency have described what they think are the biggest challenges affecting the water environment and have outlined ideas on how to address them. They are now asking for your views and what you think should be done. The final plans,…

Over the last couple of months, we have been organising freshwater biosecurity workshops throughout the midlands region. Under the Animal and Plant Health Agencies (APHA) banner, RAPID life is a three-year EU Life funded project, aiming to deliver measures that will reduce the impact and spread of IAS (Invasive Alien Species) in freshwater aquatic, riparian and coastal environments across England; you also may know them as Invasive Non-Native species (INNS). The country has been split in to 5 regions and SCRT…

Our Conserving Coniston and Crake team have a nest box event coming up! You will be able to make your own nest box for your garden as well as one for the Conserving Coniston and Crake project. See below for more information. Nest Box Workshop

The habitat improvement project at The Wood Farm on the River Winster is now complete. Approximately 480m of the River Winster is now fenced, protecting the watercourse from livestock poaching, sedimentation and nutrient enrichment. The project included 700m of stockproof line wire fencing along the river and native tree planting to create natural river bank areas. Native tree planting in the newly created riparian zone will provide an important riparian habitat in areas previously devoid of bankside vegetation. By limiting…

Our Electrofishing report 2019 is now available! This report includes information about our Electroishing sites, species found, area specifics and more. We use this technique to assess juvenile salmonid (salmon and trout) populations and it helps us understand trends over time. It also helps to gather some basic habitat information as well as being an important engagement tool for those interested in learning more about their local becks. Salmonids are also key indicators of freshwater health and general catchment functioning. So lots…

The habitat improvement project at Low Foxfield, on Spannel Beck in South Cumbria is now complete. Approximately 475 metres of Spannel Beck, a tributary of the River Winster is now protected from livestock poaching, sedimentation and nutrient enrichment. The project included 950 metres of fencing alongside the watercourse and native species tree planting to create natural river bank areas. We are currently looking to plant trees in the newly created riparian zone, which will help to slow the flow of…

We have installed 3 islands on the outer basin of Elterwater (close to Windermere) to a. provide nesting habitat for species such as Great Crested Grebe and b. to create floating vegetated habitat to aid in nutrient assimilation. They have just been planted with vegetation native to the hydrosere of Elterwater in preparation for the grebes during nesting season. We hope they will also help to soak up nutrient and phosphate compounds from the water. These islands will be monitored…