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Cars Removed to Restore Upper Dee Banks 31 Old Vehicles Have Been Excavated from Dee River Bank Upstream of Braemar

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Cars Removed to Restore Upper Dee Banks 31 Old Vehicles Have Been Excavated from Dee River Bank Upstream of Braemar CatchUpDee Catchment Partnership news Autumn 2015 Cars removed to restore upper Dee banks 31 old vehicles have been excavated from Dee river bank upstream of Braemar Thirty one old cars, tonnes of gravels that are home to many concrete, boulders and railway species, including salmon and sleepers have been removed freshwater pearl mussel. from the banks of the Dee. With The new bank, rebuilt using its corrugated iron facing, this natural materials, is lower 60m structure was damaging and has a gently sloping face, the river and was an eyesore which will alllow the area to on the otherwise unspoiled flood more often. This will landscape, clearly visible from The ‘car bank’ was an eyesore and benefit natural floodplain pollution risk. the Linn of Dee road. habitats, which need to be The ‘car bank’ was built to wetted regularly. On the day repair the embankments that the works finished high between Mar Lodge Estate and flows nearly overtopped the Braemar that were built in the embankment and we look 1700s to protect deer calving forward to seeing this happen grounds from flooding. In 1937 more often in future. a flood broke through the Many of our partners worked embankment and this breach The vehicles were in remarkably good together to remove the waste: remained open for 50 years. condition. Aberdeenshire Council, the In 1984, the gap was filled with Cairngorms National Park the cars, as well as spruce trees, Authority, the James Hutton railway sleepers, fencing wire, Institute, the Dee District large quantities of concrete, Salmon Fishery Board, River and boulders. The structure was and Fishery Trusts Scotland, faced with corrugated iron so RSPB and Mar Lodge Estate that ice would be less likely to have all played key roles. The become pinned against it. waste was removed as part of The new bank has a more natural the EU LIFE Pearls in Peril project, The time had come to remove shape with a gently sloping face. which is working on rivers across the waste and return the site the UK to restore freshwater pearl to a more natural condition. mussel populations. The structure was breaking down and there was a risk that If you remember the vehicles waste would be released into going up to the site, have the river. The erosion around photographs, or even the structure was worsening, recognise your car, please get damaging river habitats by in touch as we would love to Coir matting will protect the bank releasing soil into the clean hear your story. from erosion until plants grow. Out and about with the Dee Catchment Outreach Officer As Outreach Officer for the River Dee, Joanna Dick covers the whole catchment, from the Cairngorms to Aberdeen harbour, working with land owners, farmers, ghillies, outdoor groups, householders and schools. Please get in touch if you want to learn more about the river and how you can help to look after it. Tel: 01339 880411or email: [email protected]. Cambus O’May visitor survey Update for resource boxes for Yellow fish update Thank you to 106 people who Deeside schools We are continuing to spread the completed a survey about their use Our schools resource boxes, gifted word about drain care through our of the Cambus O’May suspension to schools in 2005/06 by the 3-Dee Yellow Fish project. Last month bridge area and improvements Vision project, have been updated Skene (below) and Banchory Primary they would like to see. The to support outdoor learning in line Schools made Yellow Fish door results will be used to propose with the Curriculum for Excellence. hangers and later enjoyed a trip to improvements for the site. the River Dee as part of the River Dee The new box contains posters, Trust’s IntroDee programme. Rangers explore the Dee maps, and books from the original In September, I took 14 local boxes, with a new Teachers’ Countryside Rangers on a Folder, suggestions for indoor and tour of the Dee to see some of outdoor activities and a list of local the restoration works that are Ranger Services. You can see the underway in the catchment. box contents on our website (www. theriverdee.org/schools2.asp). First stop was the Coy fish pass, fitted to a weir near the entrance to Crathes Castle in 2008. The pass allows fish to migrate upstream and a counter takes an image of each fish that ascends. River Dee Marr Area community Trust biologist Jamie downloaded workshops the data from the counter onto a laptop, showing that seven salmon People often think that improving and trout had used the pass during Logie Coldstone, Banchory (above) the river only involves large-scale, the previous week. and Skene primaries were the first expensive projects like planting to receive the new box and will be trees, installing fish passes on dams The ghillie at Invery/Tilquillie, using them to learn about the River or reducing pollution sources, but Karl Revel, gave a talk outside his Dee this term. we can all do small things around fishing hut about the role of a our homes to help. ghillie and how this has changed If your school has the original over the years. boxes, we can replace them with I ran two workshops at Marr Area the revamped version. Please get Community Meetings on the in touch to arrange delivery. theme of ‘What you can do to help the Dee’, covering drain and septic Autumn jobs tank care, water use, garden waste, Clear out garden chemicals: access to the river, and responsible Dispose of these at Banchory, recreation. Inverurie or Altens recycling If your group would like to learn centres. Any toxic substance will more about the Dee please get in be taken if less than 20 litres (per touch to arrange a talk. container). For advice about larger amounts call 03456 08 12 07. Clear your gutters and drains: While at Potarch the group enjoyed avoid flooding around your home close up views of the river using by clearing dead leaves from gutters glass bottomed buckets that give a and drains. clear view of the riverbed and small aquatic life. Prepare your septic tank for winter: avoid dealing with blocked Thank you to the Scottish drains this winter by having your Countryside Rangers Association tank emptied and make sure your for a great day enjoyed by all. system is in good working order. Croy removal total rises to twenty eight In brief Twenty eight croys have been The boulders have been re- 2015 invasive plant control removed from the Dee to restore distributed in the river bed to Giant hogweed, Japanese habitat for freshwater pearl mussel reduce erosion, provide habitat and knotweed and Himalayan and salmon. Last year six croys were sheltered areas called ‘lies’ for adult balsam have been tackled removed at Aboyne with a further salmon, with the additional benefit along 26 km of riverbank 24 removed at Banchory and Slui/ of allowing gravel salmon spawning between Drumoak and Commonty this summer. beds to recover. The largest boulder Aberdeen. Spraying is removed was 37 tonnes, and this complete, with balsam The croys were constructed in the had to be carefully rolled across the strimming underway at Bridge 1990s from large boulders taken river to its new location. of Dee. Although weakened, from the riverbed. This was once a the plants will regrow and so common practice in Scottish rivers, The work was done as part of the the work will be repeated next undertaken to create pools and so EU LIFE Pearls in Peril project (PIP), year. increase salmon catches. This was co-ordinated by Scottish Natural unsuccessful, and the croys instead Heritage and working in partnership Polhollick bridge reopened damaged habitat for freshwater with the Dee District Salmon Fishery Following this summer’s pearl mussels, salmon and trout. Board and the River Dee Trust. restoration works, Polhollick bridge was reopened on 12 October by Provost Hamish Vernal. A group walked from Ballater to the bridge, where a short ceremony celebrated its reopening. The group continued over the bridge to complete the Seven Bridges Walk, which is now open. River of Fish auction BEFORE: two large croys divert the flow AFTER: all bolders redistributed 230 ceramic salmon made by local schools and community Report non-native invasive plants to NESBReC groups toured Deeside this summer and were auctioned Invasive plants are spreading in off to raise funds for the River the north east, and are a serious Dee Trust and Banchory Sports problem in some areas. The picture Village. is changing all the time so it is vital to keep an up to date record Monitoring the benefits of of where the plants are. Sightings river restoration should be reported to the North We have completed surveys East Scotland Biological Records at Mar Lodge Estate and the Himalayan balsam Centre (NESBReC) at www.nesbrec. Logie Burn to monitor how org.uk. who add them to a freely our restoration works improve accessible mapped database. conditions for vegetation and The plants that cause the most river life. The surveys will be problems are Himlayan balsam, repeated in two years’ time. Japanese knotweed and giant ‘Water man of India’ visits hogweed, with skunk cabbage Aberdeen becoming an increasing problem. Rajendra Singh, winner of On the Dee these plants are present Japanese knotweed the 2015 Stockholm Water from Ballater to Aberdeen, mainly Prize for bringing water to along the riverbanks. 1000s of villages in a barren Landowners must not let these region of India, visited plants spread beyond their land. Aberdeen in August as part of See www.snh.gov.uk/protecting- a collaboration with the James scotlands-nature/nonnative- Heritage Scottish Natural Hutton Institute to develop species/ for pictures, advice about ways to reduce soil and water control and information about your runoff from farmland.
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