One question that’s been brought up this year is ‘shouldn’t you leave Himalayan Balsam (HB) once it’s gone to seed?’ With anything in life, the answer isn’t a straightforward yes or no. Once HB has started to form its mature seed pods it should be treated more carefully. So, here is our handy information pack about the methods we use, when and why to pull HB in seed, the risks and how to reduce them. Our Method: How to conduct…
Himalayan Balsam: an invasive species Himalayan balsam (HB) is seen to be a beautiful plant, by some. The Victorians certainly took a shine to it and brought it to England, to put in their gardens. Little did they know the damage this plant would cause in the years following. Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an annual, meaning that each plant will grow each year, set seed and then die off. The problem is in the number of seeds it produces…
Hello there, I’m Ruby. Over the past few days, I’ve tagged along with the team here at SCRT as part of my work experience. Firstly, I want to say thank you, often work experience can involve making tea and sorting out the cupboard. But that is miles away from what I have been up to. From e-fishing to marking up trees for leaky dams, I have glimpsed the breadth of the work done here at SCRT. One thing I found…
Eels in the Classroom This two-year project, supported by BAE Systems and United Utilities has now come to an end, well, nearly….. Fitting alongside some practical delivery work in the Barrow and Furness area to improve fish migration, the project was set up to give four schools an amazing opportunity to learn about a critically endangered species, the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and about our rivers too. We took advice from other river trusts and the Sustainable Eel Group (SEG)…
Hi, my name is Sammy. I’m a recent graduate of animal conservation science. Having studied for three years, plus a placement year, at the University of Cumbria, I have been recently employed by South Cumbria Rivers Trust as an invasive non-native species coordinator. This means I will work with various people to get rid of invasive species that aren’t from the UK that are causing huge negative impacts to our local species, ecosystem and wildlife. The areas I’m working in…
With the help of volunteers, SCRT has carried out a series of coppicing events to increase light to reedbeds around Windermere. The CaST project is focused on restoring and maintaining reedbeds around Windermere. Reedbeds have declined 90% despite being important, not only for providing valuable habitat for birds, mammals, invertebrates and more but they also act as natural filters, removing nutrients and re-oxygenating water. Succession on the inland edge of existing reedbeds can lead to high tree cover and over…
In 2019, SCRT installed three floating islands in Elterwater as part of our ongoing Elterwater remediation project. Elterwater is a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI), formed from three connected basins (inner, middle and outer basin) and fed by Great Langdale Beck and Little Langdale Beck. Situated just outside the small village of Elterwater in the Langdale Valley, Elterwater has been badly affected by historical pollution. SCRT have been working to improve the water quality of Elterwater for a number…
I’ve joined South Cumbria Rivers Trust as a Project Officer for the EU LIFE 4ever Kent project. I have experience in hydro-ecology and geomorphology as I previously worked as a hydro-ecologist. As part of this I’ve previously worked on fish pass designs, fish habitat surveys and fluvial geomorphological walkovers. As a new project officer, I will primarily be working on the EU LIFE4ever Kent project which sets out to restore and revitalise the River Kent Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)…
Two Months Blog I am now two months into my role as a Project Officer and have loved learning new aspects of my job, as well as developing my own projects! Since last month I have started learning more about Crayfish, something I am really interested in. Cumbria is home the UK’s only native species of crayfish, the White-Clawed Crayfish. This species is at risk due to factors such as pollution, sedimentation, and the spread of the crayfish plague by…
One Month I have officially been a project officer for a month! Over the last couple of weeks, I have been busy completing walkover surveys to identify possible new projects. These took place in both the Poaka and Winster catchments, which gave me a chance to explore both places a bit more. It also gave me a great opportunity to put some of what I had learnt in the first two weeks to use, not only spotting issues but also…