South Cumbria Rivers Trust (SCRT), a member of the Becks to Bay partnership, undertake fish surveys across South Cumbria during the summer months. SCRT work in partnership with the Environment Agency, who also undertake fish surveys to ensure resources and coverage are maximised. Data is then shared and used as evidence to drive forward actions within the Catchment Plans. The 2018 Electrofishing Report, alongside previous reports, can be found here. 

The Environment Agency has initiated the first consultation on the draft River Basin Management Plan (RBMP’s) which will be issued in 2021. The RBMP’s provide a framework for protecting and enhancing the water environment. The current North West RBMP was published in February 2016 and must be reviewed and updated by 2021. Starting from this year there will be three consultations which will help the Environment Agency shape the updated plans. This year the ‘working together’ consultation offers the opportunity…

Volunteers at Friends of the Lake District’s mass-volunteering Duddon Fell Care Day event last Thursday 8th November made a significant difference to looking after this special part of the Lake District. Ruth Kirk, organiser of the event said, “It was truly rewarding to see so many happy, tired, smiling, mud-streaked faces at the end of day sharing tales over a brew and a slice of cake (or three!). “Our Fell Care Days bring together people of all ages and abilities…

The North West Flood Hub is now live The flood hub is a one stop shop to help householders, businesses, communities and landowners across the North West become more flood resilient. The website has been funded by the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) and developed by Newground and other partner agencies. Please follow the link to check out the brand new website here: https://thefloodhub.co.uk

The Environment Agency held a drop-in session in September to share plans regarding the Flood Risk Management Scheme for Kendal. The information presented at this session is now available on the Cumbria Strategic Floods Partnership website in the latest news section. Follow the website for all the latest news regarding flood risk reduction projects and resilience, across Cumbria.

The Environment Agency are holding community ‘drop-in’ sessions in Kendal, Burneside and Staveley on future flood risk management. Kendal on Wednesday 26 September 2018 at Kendal Town Hall Staveley and Ings on Wednesday 17 October 2018 at Staveley Village Hall Burneside on Friday 19 October 2018 at Burneside Cricket Club You are welcome to call in anytime between 3.30pm and 7pm The Drop-ins follow on from previously held public events where the Environment Agency shared the ‘long list’ of flood…

South Cumbria Rivers Trust have been working in partnership with the University of Cumbria as part of their MSc in Ecosystem Services Evaluation. Alongside the University we are part funding an MSc project to help with vital research in our area, looking at the potential pathways for the introduction of Invasive Non-Native Species. It’s a fantastic opportunity to further research and support the work of the Cumbria Freshwater Invasive Non Native Species (CFINNs) Initiative, in a spectacular location. Full information…

Each summer we have a jam packed monitoring programme, comprising a series of fish surveys, riverfly (invertebrate)surveys and some water quality monitoring. However, this year the dry weather condition we experienced in May – July have put a hold on some of this work. Fish surveys in particular have been put on hold, with only a small number being scheduled in for September. This is because river levels were too low earlier in the summer and high water temperatures meant…

South Cumbria Rivers Trust and Becks to Bay in conjunction with Dalton Football Club are running a family fun activity day. Join us on Saturday 21st July at the Railway Meadow in Dalton-in-Furness (LA15 8DP). A fantastic opportunity for all the family to get up close with some of the creatures which live within your local becks, have some fun with arts and crafts and learn about how you can support you local beck. This free event is running alongside a community…

Many thanks to all our volunteers who came along at the weekend for a days riverfly training. It was great to see lots of new faces. It was equally great to see some returning faces at our riverfly refresher on Monday – and we had such a beautiful evening for it too. Riverfly surveys use a small group of invertebrates as an indicator of water quality. Therefore, citizen science allows us to get widespread coverage across South Cumbria to identify…