Restoring Ratty Project Voles On! Robson Green
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NewsIssue 20 | Spring/Summer 2016letter Restoring Ratty project voles on! Robson Green officially opens Hexham Fish Pass Revitalising news for Redesdale www.tyneriverstrust.org 2 Tyne Rivers Trust | Newsletter Issue 20 | Spring/Summer 2016 3 Welcome Robson Green Officially Opens Well what a start to 2016! It’s has been an incredible six months for us with the official launch of Hexham Fish Pass opened by Northumberland fishing legend, Robson Hexham Fish Pass Green. Not to mention the appointment of our volunteer coordinator, Simone Price, which has seen our volunteering activities go from strength to strength. Robson Green officially Unfortunately, we also witnessed first-hand the combined impact of human use of the opened Hexham Fish Pass on Tuesday 22 landscape with heavy rainfall as December saw the Tyne experience its greatest flood March 2016 using his expert since 1771 with homes and businesses throughout the catchment badly affected. In fishing skills to cast a line to mark many places rivers have been affected by aggravated erosion and overland runoff the occasion. depositing a damaging silt burden in our rivers. For us it highlights the importance of The fish pass was completed last looking after our rivers. year but officially opened in March to coincide with the time of year when spring salmon begin to ‘run’ the river using the fish pass to Restoring Ratty project voles on make their way upstream. The fish pass is designed to make Kielder Castle is hosting it easier for salmon and sea trout our exhibition on the to migrate upstream to breed. local history of the water Tyne Rivers Trust has been the vole as part of our joint project driving force behind the project Robson Green, Hugo Remnant, Susan Mackirdy with Northumberland Wildlife Trust which has taken many years of and the Forestry Commission. hard work to come to fruition. The project is part of a longer term unsuccessful and the fish can He adds: “Since childhood the vision to see water voles thriving Susan Mackirdy, Director of Tyne injure themselves by landing on draw of the Tyne always gives me once again along the whole of the Rivers Trust says: “This opening the concrete. They also waste a sense of belonging and goes River Tyne and its catchment. marks many years of hard work their energy in failed leaps, and some way into defining who I and is testament to what can be are prone to disease while they am. Salmon tend not to reside in Graham Holyoak, River Projects achieved by several organisations wait for better flows, so they have ugly places so the fact that good Manager at the Trust has led working together. less energy for spawning when numbers are still journeying up the phase one of the project which set they do eventually get upstream.” Tyne is testament to its clarity and up volunteer teams to monitor and health.” create a suitable habitat, free from The new fish pass gives migrating Volunteers being trained in mink surveying mink, which is the water vole’s fish an alternative route by-passing The fish pass has been shortlisted main predator. the bridge footings to swim up two for the Institute of Civil Engineer’s Graham Holyoak says: “The Phase two of the Heritage Lottery low-gradient channels to continue Robert Stephenson Awards. To understand the history of this critical monitoring phase has funded project hopes to start in on their journey up the Tyne. iconic creature, which has been been really successful. It was June, after the bid for funding was Our thanks go to our partners absent from the Tyne for many all about paving the way for submitted in March. Phase 2 will Hexham Fish pass Robson Green said: “It’s an who helped deliver the project: years, many people from the successful re-introduction of the see water voles re-introduced into honour to mark the opening of Northumberland County Council, local community have shared water vole. Volunteers gathered Kielder and the project will be led There is a challenging leap for something which will help salmon the Environment Agency, Tyne their childhood memories. These over 1000 records with no sighting by Northumberland Wildlife Trust migrating salmon and sea trout at and sea trout on their annual Riparian Owners & Occupiers recorded memories have been of Mink, so we are confident that with support from ourselves and Hexham Bridge, too challenging migration and ultimately improve Association and the former Tyne used to create the oral exhibition the habitat is now ready for the the Forestry Commission. for many fish especially in what is the greatest salmon river & Wear Integrated Transport now on display at Kielder Castle. Restoring Ratty project to begin.” low water. A lot of leaps are in the country. Authority. www.tyneriverstrust.org www.tyneriverstrust.org 4 Tyne Rivers Trust | Newsletter Issue 20 | Spring/Summer 2016 5 Simone Price joined us this year in Our Volunteers! the Heritage Lottery funded role of volunteer coordinator. She joins us from Durham Wildlife Trust where she worked with volunteers on the Low Barns nature reserve. Her job is to recruit volunteers and coordinate and plan volunteer activities. Simone has already made her mark, doubling the number of regular volunteers and organising 10 tree planting days in three months. She also spent two days working with 15 volunteers to remove debris left from the December floods and restore the footpath at Watersmeet, Hexham. Simone says: Our volunteers tackle practical tasks from removing 2016 Volunteering invasive species to restoring riverbanks – it’s the perfect excuse to spend time outdoors and learn dates for your a new skill. As a Trust we couldn’t function without them.” diary To find out more about volunteering contact Simone 17 June: Riverfly monitoring – learn how on: 01434 636902 / s.price@ to carry out this recognised river health tyneriverstrust.org indicator to keep an eye on water quality for us. Equipment will be provided. Tree planting at Whitfield Northumberland Here’s someSimone of Price, Volunteer coordinator June – August: Balsam bashing and the activities our invasive species control – spend a day volunteers have We’ve been working to - volunteers tell us it’s getting to grips with non-native species been up to so far improve the River Tyne the perfect excuse to such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese this year and its catchment since spend time outdoors knotweed which can cause riverbank 2004. In that time we’ve reduced and learn a new skill. erosion and flooding. the number of barriers to fish migrating upstream, improved So far in 2016, Sep – October: Hexham Fish Pass huge amounts of river habitat and our volunteers monitoring – help the Environment Agency improved the quality of water so have planted over Left: Planting 250 trees at to set up and run acoustic monitoring at the Tarset Castle that aquatic life can thrive. 4,000 trees to stop pass or take part in a visual count recording riverbanks from the numbers of fish swimming up the pass Our volunteers are an essential eroding, keep rivers part of this, they help us to tackle cool and help reduce October: Tree planting - experience the practical tasks that keep the risk of flooding, fantastic scenery and a true sense of the river in good health. From and we’ve got lots achievement working as part of a team to removing invasive species to more volunteering plant up to 500 trees in a day to help keep Right: A team of 15 volunteers cleared debris restoring riverbanks and planting days coming up in rivers cool and prevent river bank erosion. from the December floods trees to reduce the risk of flooding the next few months. at Watersmeet, Hexham www.tyneriverstrust.org www.tyneriverstrust.org 6 Tyne Rivers Trust | Newsletter Issue 20 | Spring/Summer 2016 7 Forest project runs its course Revitalising news for Redesdale Bellshiel in Redesdale Immortalised in the Officer, Lydia Speakman. The Whilst the valley is still a crossing Border Ballads, home development phase will include point for thousands of visitors, a Forest streams digger to the famed Border creating a river improvement plan declining resident population and Reivers and a key military site to protect the Freshwater Pearl- associated economic problems since Roman times, Redesdale is mussel as part of a wider suite of threaten Redesdale’s heritage. Our successful Forest foresters to improve water quality. to stabilise banks, keep the set to be revitalised over the next plans for the area, which will then Streams project is On a practical level this involved water cool and increase food five years. be submitted to HLF as a bid for The project aims to reconnect celebrating its fifthintroducing a range of ‘slow the sources for fish funding to deliver the work. people with the landscape’s anniversary as it prepares to flow’ measures: We’re pleased to have been an heritage. Those who currently just come to a close. Funded by • Blocking 24 hectares of forest integral part of the team which has If the Delivery bid is successful, pass through will be encouraged the Environment Agency and • Disconnecting drainage – this drains to slow the flow of water successfully bid for £1.8 million nearly 1,600ha of land will be to become visitors with an the Forestry Commission it has meant that dirty water no longer and make the ground wetter on Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) restored; plans will be put in awareness and engagement focused on working with foresters flows directly into the burn, it unproductive land. investment to reinvigorate the place with farmers to reduce silt programme to tell the frontier story.