From the Director

WINTER 2016 ISSUE Photo by Val Corbett From the Director... Well it’s been another busy few months We also held a number of biosecurity lakes. Please see our website for more for everyone here at West Cumbria events and working with the big event details of how you can access our events Rivers Trust with the added excitement of organisers (such as Keswick Mountain and volunteer with the Trust. events and shows to attend! We attended Festival), we tried to educate those involved eight of the areas shows starting with in swimming in our lakes of the risks of Saving the best until last, we are also very Cockermouth in June and finishing with spreading invasive excited to announce that we have extended glorious weather at Wasdale show in pond weeds such our patch into the River Wampool and October. We had a number of activities to as crassula and River Waver Catchments in the north grasp people’s attention such as measuring pennywort – you of the county and the River Annas in the pearl mussel shells and calculating their age, never know what south. This is to fit with our Catchment making and catching fish (not real ones!) for might be lurking Partnerships Programme funded by the the little ones and our new badge making in your wetsuit! Environment Agency. We have even given machine was certainly a hit with over 350 each area a new name (see our lovely children making badges of their coloured in Also over Bobby Gorst with his picture and the new map!) and we are hoping to run some book he bought with his £10 book token. pictures of river wildlife. Whilst the children the summer great new projects in these catchments got stuck in to the activities, the staff got a we launched a over the next few years. chance to talk to competition for children from 5 – 16 years the adults about old to design pictures for our new van! The catchments in our care... all the things we The 10 winners all won £10 book tokens Solway Rivers do at the Trust and their pictures can be seen throughout Wa Silloth W mp Catchment ! av oo and many of the newsletter. Look out for our newly er l Wigton our newsletters decorated van as we drive around Cumbria! ! Aspatria were handed ! llen out for people Another new scheme launched in the iver E MARYPORT R ! A busy tent at the Loweswater Show to take home summer was ‘Offset Your Trek’ aimed at River Derwent Overwater COCKERMOUTH ! River Cocker and read. the 16 million tourists who visit the Lake WORKINGTON Marron Bassenthwaite ! Lake District each year to offset their KESWICK ! Glenderamackin Loweswater We also organised many carbon footprint from travelling to Derwent Crummock WHITEHAVEN Water ‘nights on the pull’ pulling up the Lakes by pledging £5 to plant ! Water Keekle n Buttermere Derwent TEXT Ehe 5 Thirlmere the invasive Himalayan Balsam WCRT05£ 5 trees. The picture here shows Ennerdale TO EGREMONT Water Life 70070 ! 5 that is invading our river TO plEdgE £ the beermats that can be found er Catchment fOR 5 TREEs TO ald bE planTEd C Wastwater banks. Many of the volunteers in most of the pubs in our patch! Irt Seascale ! e learnt how this weed can Tree planting events will be taking Mit Ravenglass Esk out compete our native plant place throughout the winter ! species and when it dies back in to plant all the trees pledged by the Copeland's Wild as nn the winter can leave vast areas of bare river scheme. Rivers Catchment A bank leading to increased bank side erosion. You can see people in action in the River Irt We are also launching monthly events at Our sincere best wishes to all those affected by project overleaf and we guarantee sunshine West Cumbria Rivers Trust for people to the flooding. There will be further information for our volunteers! get involved with their local rivers and post flood in our next newsletter. Jodie Mills Look out for our Director newly decorated van! West Cumbria Rivers Trust introduces its newest project Work began this summer on a new three mussels into the population, therefore the written, introductions to landowners have year project on the River Irt. This project population is declining and its structure is been made and a river habitat survey has is run in conjunction with other partners aging. If nothing is done to change this, it is been completed. Fish and mussel surveys in Devon, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. predicted the mussel will be lost from the have also been completed to track their The project, entitled ‘Restoring River Irt within the next abundances and locations. Over the coming Freshwater Mussel Rivers in Unfortunately there is 30 years. Issues affecting months the first of the habitat works will England’, is part-funded by Biffa the Irt will be addressed be developed and completed in conjunction Award and led by the Freshwater no evidence of recruitment by fencing off rivers from with the farms and angling clubs. Biological Association. of young mussels into the livestock, planting trees, managing existing trees, If you are interested in volunteering our new The small remaining population of population reducing soil erosion, volunteer work parties run every second freshwater pearl mussels in the River Irt is tackling invasive species and running Wednesday each month in conjunction with the under great pressure from a range of issues voluntary events, to involve and educate the National Trust, please contact Chris West such as increased local community the River Irt project officer: soil and e: [email protected] nutrient inputs. The project has t: 017687 44347 Unfortunately got off to a good Supported by: there is no start and thus far evidence of a steering group recruitment has been set up, a of young project plan has been Two Irt mussels, probably Volunteers get stuck in pulling over 100 years old Himalayan Balsam on the river Irt School children using the bathoscope to see mussels on the river Ehen Our Education Projects – now in full swing... How long can a freshwater pearl mussel An indoor session comprises a live? That is one of the things you would presentation, activities and a work learn in a Pearls in the Classroom (PiC) booklet. Those able to get out to the river, session, as well as much accompanied by a specially licenced mussel much more about mussels expert, get to see the mussels underwater and their habitat. (In case using a GoPro camera and a bathyscope you were wondering the (the orange bucket thing in the photo!). answer is well over 100 years!!) Sessions are completely free, so if your school is interested please don’t hesitate to get in PiC is an educational touch. e: [email protected] A School pupil using the program designed to teach t: 017687 44347 GoPro camera to film the mussels, images are kids about one of our immediately seen on the tablet on the bankside most critically endangered animals, whose last stronghold in England is right here in West Cumbria. Mason Wilson Competition Luis Salas Winners Ethan Harrison River Derwent Habitat Improvement Project thanks United Utilities and partners Gravels provided for spawning fish Following a successful application for entering our watercourses and has a Without spawning to lay their eggs in. £20,000 to United Utilities Catchment significant effect on water quality. The gravels, fish can’t lay Wise Fund, WCRT in partnership with partners generosity in both time and monies their eggs and reproduce. With the channel the Environment Agency, the Rivers increased the final spend by a further now restored it is expected salmon, trout, Corridor Group, Keswick Anglers, £23,000. stone loach, minnows and brook lamprey Woodland Trust, Lake will benefit from our assistance. District National Park With the full co-operation of the and key landowners landowners, seven projects have Fortunately very little damage was caused to pulled together been completed over the last 12 these projects in the recent floods. in order to tackle months. The techniques used to help habitat improvement Woody debris to provide protection our river included the erection of from erosion and a habitat for fish. projects on the River 1000m of stock proof fencing and Derwent. Excessive planting of several hundred trees bank erosion, poor in-river fish habitat along the river banks in the newly created and lack of spawning gravels in a key buffer strip. tributary between Derwent Water Competition and Bassenthwaite Lake Site of Special In addition, trees leaning into the river have Winners Scientific Interest been felled to prevent them falling in and (SSSI) were creating significant bankside erosion. Small identified as trees and large branches have been secured the main issues at key locations by stainless steel wire to the affecting water living stumps to provide protective wooded Fencing to stop animals eroding the debris and an ideal habitat providing cover Brenna Creighton banks and trees planted to provide bank quality and stability, ‘slow the flow’ of water and depressed fish from predators for the young fish! provide a wildlife corridor. populations. James Barnfather Locally stored river gravels have been The collective aim of the project is to help used to restore sections of Lair Beck, reduce the decline in Atlantic Salmon and approximately 120m in a 500m stretch. Lair reduce the nutrient and sediment load, Beck, after decades of dredging, was devoid which increases the amount of phosphates of gravels in the middle and lower reaches. Clemency Clark Volunteers get stuck in with our summer electrofishing programme – John Harrison tells all.

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