AUTUMN 2018 ISSUE

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News in brief

A warm welcome to A fond farewell Jonny & Clair to Les We are delighted to welcome Jonny Kidd and One of our long-standing trustees, Leslie Clair Payne to our Webb, has stood down after a number of years team. supporting the trust to allow himself more Jonny steps in time to pursue other interests. We would to replace Rosie like to thank Leslie for Flimby as the Ellenwise all his hard work and Natural Flood Project Officer dedication to the trust Management Project delivering this during his time on the Over the summer we have been working on a partnership project board of trustees and partnership project to address the flood risk to sustainably wish him well for the in Flimby and have been visiting landowners to reduce sources of future. draw up natural flood management plans for phosphate, in order to improve waterbodies the catchments upstream of Flimby. We are and bathing waters. Prior to joining us Jonny pleased that there are a number of landowners undertook a PhD at Newcastle University Born survivors happy to allow a range of work on their land looking into the impacts of nutrient We are really pleased to including kested hedgerows, leaky barriers and fertilisation on grassland and arable ecosystem see juvenile mussels having water storage areas, which we hope to start properties. Jonny has a strong grounding in survived their first winter at delivering over the coming year. These features agriculture having grown up our top secret reintroduction will all contribute to ‘slowing the flow’ of on a Cumbrian dairy farm site. These juvenile mussels water downstream, improve and also enhance and has worked on a hill were released last summer the area for wildlife and have water quality farm in the North Pennines. after being reared in captivity benefits. Clair is our most by the Freshwater Biological recent recruit Association. Surviving the first who joins us to winter was always going to be their toughest Leaky dams deliver our new test. We shall continue to monitor the at Dovenby natural flood juveniles over the coming months as we learn This summer we management more about how these mussels are adapting to have taken measures project in the their new home. to reduce flood risk to Glendermackin catchment of the Derwent, Dovenby village whilst which will deliver multiple benefit projects improving water quality across the catchment to ‘slow the flow’ and habitat. A series of six leaky barriers of water running through the catchment upstream of the village will hold back water and improve water quality and biodiversity. during high flows, bankside fencing will slow Clair has previously worked as a ranger for runoff and improve water quality, and timber the National Trust in the South Lakes and barriers will slow surface runoff through the volunteered for The Conservation Volunteers village. We are grateful to Cumbria Community (TCV) in Leeds. She has a degree in Physical Foundation, Derwent River Corridors Group Geography from Newcastle University and is and the landowner for making this possible. keen to use her geomorphology background in this new and exciting role.

West Cumbria Rivers Trust @WestCumbriaRT Habitat improvement work on River Waver

Following on from the walkover surveys conducted on the Waver and Wampool catchments, work is well underway at one particular site, to try and improve the habitat and reduce diffuse water pollution. This spring over 1200m of riparian fencing was erected at a farm upstream of Waverton. The fencing will keep livestock out of the river, allow vegetation to grow and thus stabilise the banks and reduce the amount of erosion occurring and sediment entering the River. Watch this space for more news as this project unfolds.

Drought in Cumbria There have been a number of impacts to temperatures become lethal for salmon and gravels) at times of flood, causing greater our aquatic environments due to the dry trout. Drought is a natural occurrence, but flood impacts for people and properties. weather this summer. A number of our like flooding, it is exacerbated by human We are working with and encouraging watercourses dried up completely, causing activity in our catchments. Many of the landowners to think about restoring becks direct fish kills, but also water temperatures watercourses that have been more severely to a more resilient and natural state, which have been higher than average which causes impacted are those which are modified, has win win benefits for people and wildlife. fish to become stressed and impacts on they have usually been straightened and Trees also help keep rivers cool, so we their long term health. For example, in July, are ‘perched’ above the low point in the are encouraging landowners to plant and temperatures of the main rivers of the floodplains; not only are these modified manage trees to retain dappled shade Derwent were on average 19°C compared becks at greater risk of drying up in droughts, along watercourses which creates the ideal to around 14°C in a ‘usual’ year. At 22°C they also speed up the flow of water (and conditions for fish and other wildlife.

Weir’s it gone?!

In June and July, after years in the making, we removed the former was dry almost every single day of the construction phase, and that Ennerdale Mill Weir from the River Ehen at Egremont, opening up meant the low water levels assisted our progress. In fact, the day we the river to fish migration and improving the long-term prospects completed the project was the start of the recent wet weather. for freshwater mussels in the process. The weir has been crumbling for years - it was only a matter of time before it failed completely - We’ll be monitoring the site over the winter, and are really excited and was a barrier to both upstream and downstream migration of to watch the upcoming salmon migration this autumn. fish, including Atlantic Salmon. This barrier is now gone, so fish have a much easier time swimming upstream to lay eggs, this also benefits This project is part of the Cumbria River Restoration Strategy, part- mussels, who rely on the salmon as part of their life-cycle (during funded by the Environment Agency & Natural England, with special their larval stage, mussels live inside salmon gills). contributions from James Fisher Nuclear (the weir owner) and the European Maritime Fisheries Fund. After eight weeks, working with contractor Ebsford Environmental, we de-mobilised from site, leaving behind a much more natural river, healthier habitat for fish and other species, and no more risk of the weir collapsing. We were extremely lucky with the weather - it

BEFORE AFTER Adopt a Beck, Kirk beck & Black beck project update

There’s exciting stuff going on on the Nugen over the summer. other vegetation, while planting trees helps to funded Adopt-a-Beck project on Kirk/Black The data collected stabilise riverbanks and prevent erosion. Beck, a tributary of the River Ehen close to includes fish species, the coast. Our farm projects have been going size and number, The talk was seriously dirty at our “Making from strength to strength when it comes to and details about the Most of your Muck and Slurry” workshop improved livestock management, saving soils river habitat which in January! With over 17 farmers attending and reducing muck getting into our becks. is crucial to help we had a packed programme delivered by We’ve fenced off 860 metres of beck; created better understand fish the Agriculture & Horticulture Development interventions on farm tracks including laying populations while also Board (AHDB) and Catchment Sensitive a concrete cross drain and additional track helping us assess the Farming. Talks included: techniques for cost diverts to take dirty water away from the beck, health of the river and possible pressures. effective application, Nutrient Management and we’ve helped stabilise riverbanks with a Plans, Compliance with Regulations and further 30 metres of willow spiling and brash Our tree planting volunteers may have been Countryside Stewardship Grants. Big thanks bundles. small in number but they were HUGE on to Terry Dixon who hosted the event and of enthusiasm and course the local farmers who joined us to With hands- energy! Over last find out more and to share their knowledge on help from winter we planted and experience. our partners a further 300 Egremont mixed trees along If you’d like to find out more and get Anglers and the the riverbank. Tree involved in “Adopt a Beck, Kirk beck & Environment tube maintenance Black beck” project, Project Officer Karin Agency, we helps ensure would love to hear from you. Email: karin@ completed young saplings westcumbriariverstrust.org electrofishing at grow well and 14 sites on Kirk are not crowded and Black becks out by grass or

If you’d like to find out more about volunteering with us please see our website at: Volunteering www.westcumbriariverstrust.org/support-us/volunteer or contact: [email protected]

Our Education & Outreach Officer Rebecca talks rubbish

The packaging from pretty much every there. We run an annual litter pick on the There are lots of initiatives chocolate bar I have ever eaten, is still out River Derwent, just outside Keswick, which around Cumbria that you there somewhere on the planet. This fact involves kayakers as well as more traditional can get involved in to help was brought home to me by a photo of a terrestrial volunteers, and we hold regular reduce the impact of plastic Marathon bar wrapper with a Best Before riverside litter-picks elsewhere. In April this on the environment. Here date in the 80s, picked up on a beach-clean year, on a 200m stretch of the River Ehen in are a few: in Allonby earlier this year (For all those Egremont we collected 10 bags of rubbish • Plastic Free Cumbria have a website youngsters out there, Snickers used to be with 80 plastic bottles and around 30 plastic with a directory of green local called Marathons, oh it makes me feel so old!). coffee cup lids, in just two hours! We are businesses, and a Facebook page for also involved in beach cleans along the west discussion and ideas around reducing My hero David Attenborough has given a huge Cumbrian coast. waste boost to the movement of people already • Love My Beach organise and publicise thinking about plastic. How we can reduce We would love you to take action for your lots of litter picks on our coastline, and it, how we can stop it polluting our oceans, rivers too. Here are some things you could do: have resources for schools on their and how we increase knowledge about its • Join a community litter pick (keep an eye website effects on the environment. I have been much on our website for events in your area) • Surfers Against Sewage campaign more aware of single-use plastic in my own • Pick up litter you find when you are on plastics as well as organising beach daily life, and am even more likely to refuse or walking and dispose of it responsibly. litterpicks. They also have resources for challenge it, because of the feeling of solidarity Even if you pick up a few things each day, schools on their website this recent publicity has given me. it all helps • Cumbria Action for Sustainability have • If you know of a river or beach with lots of campaigns, events, and ideas on Rivers are obviously one of the main routes public access that has a particular sustainable living. for plastic reaching the sea, and West Cumbria problem then please let us know and we Rivers Trust, with the help of volunteers, are will try and organise a litter pick. doing their best to intercept it before it gets A year in numbers...

The working year from March 2017 to March 2018 was another fantastic one for the Trust. We employed three new members of staff to bring our team up to thirteen. We’ve been keeping busy working on over 30 different projects and this is what we’ve achieved:

and... 69 education sessions run, 2,635 teaching 59 15 over 1100 children about advice visits events run on volunteering rivers given to water friendly hours farmers farming

5,477 trees planted

4.0 km 4.5 km of riverside fencing redundant fencing 123 Ha erected removed of habitat created or improved

6 woody dams constructed to hold back flood water 22 1 barrier to fish fish rescues to move moving upstream 1140 removed 1,230 fish away from in-river metres bankside metres of river bank construction works trees coppiced protected from erosion

162 3.2 km 22 km 280km electrofishing of invasive species sites surveyed of river controlled of river cleared surveyed of litter

We couldn’t have done it on our own so a big thank you to all our volunteers, land owners and funders. Here’s hoping that next year is even better!

West Cumbria Rivers Trust 017687 75429 West Cumbria Rivers Trust 32 Lake Road, Keswick, [email protected] @WestCumbriaRT CA12 5DQ www.westcumbriariverstrust.org