New channel connected! The new section of beck is now connected to the main beck, whilst still allowing water to flow along the old leat. The newly restored weir looks splendid. We were particularly amazed to see the gravels that have been exposed, once the water settled down. For more on this go to the activities section https://ccc.scrt.co.uk/river-restoration-bypassing-barriers-part-2/
Work has now begun on an exciting restoration project which will allow salmon to reach further upstream of a beck for better spawning conditions. It has taken a lot of planning and negotiation over many months to help the beck follow its natural course. Part 1 saw the new channel being dug out. Part 2 will see the new section being connected to the existing beck and then finally tree planting will be carried out this winter to further improve…
It’s amazing to think that we’ve already reached the end of the second year of the project and are now into the final year. So far we’ve put up (or agreed to) 13kms of fencing, creating enhanced buffer strips. Volunteers have contributed twice as many days to the project and we’ve engaged with more than 850 adults and children through working with our village schools and community groups, organising a variety of events and activities and having a stand at…
Lots of freshwater fun at Hoathwaite Campsite for the Family Activity Day. Jointly hosted with the National Trust we had dipping for freshwater minibeasts, learning about water quality & testing, pebble painting and badge making. To celebrate International Year of the Salmon we made willow fish and played the Salmon Run game. Read all about the day https://ccc.scrt.co.uk/family-activity-day/
We are looking for volunteers to help us on a variety of activities across the catchment over the next few months. Due to the nature of the work and being mostly weather dependent, dates can be advertised at short notice and be subject to last minute changes. We’re looking to build up a register of people that we can contact as required. You don’t have to volunteer for everything either. If you are interested in helping out from coppicing &…
The work around buffer strips is continuing with volunteers recently undergoing some training with Butterfly Conservation and the Becks to Bay Partnership to carry out basic wildlife surveys. The aim of buffer strips is to protect and enhance becks and riparian habitats but we want to check that they do this. We now have a small team of trained volunteers carrying out surveys at 5 sites across the catchment and results are already coming in! Geoff & Lorna Cooper took…
Come and join us for the first river dipping session of the year on Wednesday 10th April. We’ll be at the Green, Spark Bridge between 10.30am and 12noon with all the equipment you’ll need and some knowledgeable volunteers to help discover some amazing freshwater minibeasts. Bring wellies and dress for the weather, all children must be accompanied by an adult. No booking required. In the event of adverse weather, the event will be cancelled.
Fourteen new homes were made at the second Nest Box Workshop, bringing this year’s total to 38. Around half of these will be put up in the small pockets of woodlands along the River Crake, providing additional nest sites for a variety of birds including great tits, nuthatches, tree sparrow, pied and spotted flycatchers. We’ll be monitoring the nest boxes over the coming months to see if there are signs of occupancy. We’ll also be putting up a small number…
Another opportunity to make a nest box for the project! As the first workshop was so popular we’ve decided to run a second one on Saturday 2nd March at Greenodd Village Hall. Drop in between 10am and 11.30am.
February has turned out to be a very busy month indeed. We started with a walk to celebrate World Wetlands Day and look at some of the conservation work carried out at Doll Moss, the first groups for the Septic Tank Emptying Scheme have been established in three communities and 21 nest boxes for a variety of birds were made at the community nest box workshop. For further details see the latest blog https://ccc.scrt.co.uk/blog/fantastic-february/