River Rede: the Power of Partnership Working
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RIVER REDE: THE POWER OF PArtNERSHIP WORKING Managing sediment on River Rede near Otterburn River Rede: Fencing moved back, shallower The Power of Partnership Working bank angle, high flow channel reconnected on Revitalising Redesdale Landscape Partnership is making great progress on the opposite bank catchment-wide effort to improve the River Rede for wildlife and people. Northumberland Wildlife Trust is a key delivery partner in the River Project, which is Rede near Smoutel funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Environment Agency. Ford was straightened Enthusiastic farmers and land managers are helping the partners to re-establish and over-deepened, natural river processes, capture sediment, create wetlands, plant trees and manage looking like a canal IMAGES: MARIA HARDY/REVITALISING REDESDALE HARDY/REVITALISING MARIA IMAGES: grazing. They are also rebuilding the historic bridleway at Smoutel Ford, allowing walkers Severely eroding and riders to enjoy trails between Monkridge Hill and Otterburn for the first time in river bank adding Brash Bundles at decades. large amounts of East Woodburn sediment to the capture sediment The River Rede’s Journey lost because so much stone and gravel was river from eroding gullies The River Rede rises in the wild, upland removed during the mid-1900s. Revitalising Building Smoutel Ford, bogs of Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Redesdale’s work will reintroduce about September 2019 Whitelee National Nature Reserve, at 1,400 tonnes of boulder and cobble sized Carter Fell on the English-Scottish border. stone to the river bed, to re-create the Ford High flow The River and its tributaries add to the and associated rocky riffle features. This deflectors push habitat diversity on the reserve. From here will reinvigorate the flow in this deeper water over the the Rede feeds Catcleugh Reservoir and section and so improve the habitat for fish, floodplain slowing flows 24 miles past forests and farmland river flies and mussels. the flow and to the River North Tyne, near Redesmouth This restored section of the Rede reducing sediment village. As the streams flow through the had suffered from a lack of gravels in the streams surrounding moors, the peat bogs regulate upstream to feed the riverbed, so as well Already you can see the water quality and flow, helping as reconnecting the bridleway, this action how much the river the river to support salmon, trout and will benefit river ecology beyond the 300m flow is changing freshwater pearl mussels. restored length. The Smoutel Ford project has been Log matrix of The Need for Action supported by the local landowners and larch with willow and seeded Water trough and The River’s flow and form has been received funding from Northumberland matting laid to new fence on changed in many ways over the past County Council. Already you can see how revegetate the the floodplain at century. It was straightened, gravel was much the river flow is changing, from slow riverbank Otterburn removed, and more intense forestry and and flat, to bumpy rapids and small pools. farming practices added soil to the river. The main work here will be completed in All this has impacted on the river wildlife, autumn 2019 with further introductions cut the eroding bank to form a shallower off down gullies from the surrounding areas that wash into the river. Revitalising Working together, the partners are able in particular the endangered freshwater of gravel downstream planned for 2020, to angle of slope, set the new fencing further moors brings soil to the River, impacting Redesdale has been putting in fencing and to achieve a much bigger outcome for the mussels. The mussels improve the water further improve the form and flow. back into the field, and secured seeded on fish spawning habitat. At Woodburn drinking troughs to get the hooves away Rede catchment. quality for other species by filtering water coir matting to help hold the soil in place. Hill Farm, East Woodburn, the contractor from the riverbanks, like this example at through their gills. They can live for 100 Reducing Fine Sediment and These changes will now allow the river pushed conifer brash bundles into eroding Old Town Farm near Otterburn. For more details, volunteering years, but sadly, there are few breeding Reconnecting Floodplain Wetland to move across the floodplain and keep gullies to reduce the loss of soil to the The contractor team, led by Groundwork opportunities and events, contact mussels left in the Rede to sustain the During high flow events, the River is grazing animals off the bank edges. streams and river. Low flows can trickle North East & Cumbria, have developed Maria Hardy, Programme Manager at population. severely eroding its banks in some areas, Revitalising Redesdale partner, Tyne through, but the higher flows are slowed the project with strong support from local [email protected], call Action was clearly needed, so in 2015 a taking chunks of soil with it. At Dunn’s Rivers Trust, has been working with while sediment is captured in the brash landowners. The project has been made 02080 261 193 or visit revitalisingredesdale. proactive partnership of Northumbrian Houses, Otterburn, Revitalising Redesdale volunteers to plant riverside trees in this and bank vegetation. They also built high possible with funding from The National org.uk organisations worked together to develop slowed the rate of change by cutting a high area, to stabilise the banks and create flow deflectors made of larch logs to push Lottery Heritage Fund, the Environment a catchment-wide initiative. Revitalising flow channel into an old meander on the dappled shade over the river. They will be water across the surrounding land, instead Agency and Northumberland County Redesdale was launched in 2018 with the opposite side, in order to take the pressure leading more volunteer tree planting tasks of it all flowing down the gullies, and dug Council, through an active partnership led River Improvement Project at the heart of off the eroding bank. This has helped the next year. ponds to catch sediment. by Northumberland Wildlife Trust and the programme. River to reconnect with its floodplain Natural England. Revitalising Redesdale and has created a small area of wetland Slowing Stream Flows Livestock Watering Partnership is very grateful for the Reinvigorating River Flows habitat. The lower reaches of the Rede are in In areas where livestock regularly access continuing support of the landowners and The River crossing at Smoutel Ford was The contractors, Haywood Contracting, generally better condition, but flashy run- the river or streams they create muddy managers and help from the partners. 30 Roebuck | Winter 2019 Roebuck | Winter 2019 31.