South Cumbria Rivers Trust (SCRT) and Friends of the Lake District have been working together to co-ordinate a ‘fight the aliens’ project. In July huge numbers of volunteers came along to a ‘Fight the Aliens’ day to pull Himalayan Balsam, a vigorous fast growing invasive non-native species. This was supported by a number of landowners, farmers and partners including Lowther Estates, Rydal Estates, C&S Hodgson, Lake District National Park Authority and the National Trust; showing just what can be achieved…

Our new riverfly system for South Cumbria Rivers Trust and Becks to Bay is here! Head on over to South Cumbria Rivers Trust’s website to see the new results dashboard. Riverfly surveys are a vital part of monitoring the water quality of our catchments. Riverflies form part of the aquatic food chain and respond rapidly to changes in water quality. Therefore, by monitoring the abundance of a select number of riverfly groups we are able to identify if there has been…

Are you a lake user? Do you swim, boat, paddle or use Lake Windermere for recreational use? Lucy Stevens, is undertaking an MSc project for South Cumbria Rivers Trust and needs your help. As part of her ongoing research into Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS), local views and knowledge about bio-security, Lucy is asking for some assistance from users of Lake Windermere. Whether your an angler, swimmer or boat user, your assistance will provide insight into research into the introduction of…

Cumbria Strategic Floods Partnership is looking for a new Chairperson Do you understand how flooding affects people and communities? Are you interested in how flood risk is managed? Have you got the skills to gain the trust of a wide range of people? Maybe you could chair the Cumbria Strategic Flood Partnership….. Over 6,000 homes and businesses across Cumbria were flooded int he devastating floods of 2015. Those organisations responsible for reducing flood risk across the county and the communities…

It’s #WorldWormWeek! Running from 23rd – 31st March 2019, Dr Jackie Stroud of Rothamsted is inviting farmers to take part in a big farmland soil assessment as part of #WorldWormWeek. Earthworms are important for healthy soils, helping to improve soil structure, improve nutrient availability, improve drainage, aid organic matter decomposition and improve plant productivity. Healthy soils, means healthier catchments and better water quality – win win! To find out more about how you can get involved, read this article by…

European Eels have experienced huge declines in the past 20 years and are now classed as Critically Endangered. They have a fascinating life-cycle travelling between freshwater rivers, such as those here in South Cumbria, back out to sea covering huge distances to spawn and then back to our rivers as juveniles (or glass eels). It is thought that eels migrate to the Sargasso sea to spawn, however, we still don’t know where they actually spawn. Research led by the Environment Agency…

In 2017 a new Cumbria Strategic Flood Partnership was formed, bringing together the flood risk management authorities, including the Environment Agency, Cumbria County Council, District Councils and United Utilities, and a wide range of representatives from other organisations and community groups who have an interest or responsibility for flood risk management. The Cumbria Strategic Floods Partnership (CSFP) is recruiting for an independent chair. Recruitment starts on Monday 11th February and closes on Friday 1st march 2019. Interviews will be held…

Back to Basics with Becks to Bay Who are we? What do we do? How can you help? What’s a catchment partnership? These are some of the questions we know are being asked. We hope our website helps to answer some of these but if not every Wednesday from 4-4.30pm we will be answering your questions on twitter and facebook. Please use  #AskBtoB to join the conversations. We’d love to hear from you! All questions and answers will then be…

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) and Innovation for Agriculture are holding a free event on ‘Making the most of your soils’; an interactive workshop on soil health. There are two events covering our area: 20th Feb at Gilpin Bridge 21st Feb at Bootle For full details please see the relevant posters below Bootle: Enrich Your Soils Event Gilpin Bridge: Making the Most of Your Soils

As 2019 is now upon us we’re turning our attention to what we’d like to achieve in the year ahead. We’re excited by new plans and ideas; as a partnership of organisations we look at whole catchments from the fells to the sea to identify opportunities. Our vision is for: A healthy, sustainable and diverse catchment system, providing a wide range of benefits which are valued by all. Did you know 2019 is the ‘International Year of the Salmon’? We…