The Rivers Trust has called for MPs to vote to end sewage pollution In partnership with Surfers Against Sewage and the #EndSewagePollution Coalition, the national Rivers Trust are asking politicians to stand up for rivers and bring an end to sewage pollution – and they are asking you to join them. We have shown our support as a partnership by writing our MP, now it’s your turn. The #EndSewagePollution Coalition is comprised of a number of environmental NGOs from across…

The Conserving Coniston & Crake project has produced a good practice guide for owners of septic tanks and why looking after them matters to our becks and lakes. The guide offers advice on how they should be maintained, when to empty them and what should or shouldn’t go into them. Whilst it has been written by the Coniston & Crake team, the information within is applicable to anyone anywhere with a septic tank. The guide has been produced with the…

As a partnership we’re still here – albeit virtually!! Like many we’re having to adapt; somethings will have to be put on hold until we can return to some sense of normality but in the meantime it gives us a chance to focus on some of those ‘background’ tasks to ensure our partnerships continues to go from strength to strength. We’ll be taking this opportunity to look back through some of our catchment plans, to undertake an opportunity mapping exercise…

A fantastic exhibition, by a wonderful local artist has made it’s home in Grange-over-Sands for the past month (last chance to see it tomorrow so get along quick). The exhibition is based around the theme of ‘single use planet?’ covering topics such as climate change, plastic pollution and our impacts on rivers and the environment. It encourages everyone to do their bit – small steps can make a big difference, and together we can initiate change. South Cumbria Rivers Trust, would…

The Catchment Based Approach (CaBA), is an initiative to drive collaborative water management across England. The latest (2018-2019) report showing the benefits and a summary of the environmental work achieved under this initiative has been published. The benefits arising include improvements to water quality, addressing flood risk and water scarcity and empowering local communities through citizen science. Furthermore, the report states that during the period of 2018 to 2019, for every £1 directly invested by Government, CaBA partnerships have raised £3.20…

On the 24th October the Environment Agency launched their Challenges and Choices consultation. This is the second consultation which will inform updates to the River Basin Management Plans from 2015. It is open until the 24th April 2020.  In this consultation the Environment Agency have described what they think are the biggest challenges affecting the water environment and have outlined ideas on how to address them. They are now asking for your views and what you think should be done.…

There is currently a public consultation on the draft Inshore and Offshore North West Marine Plans. Live or visit the coast? Then this is relevant to you. The consultation closes on the 6th April 2020. Further information can be found on the North West Coastal Forum website.  Or view their poster

……Back on Our Map BOOM, or to give it it’s full title, Back on Our Map is an exciting new project being led by the University of Cumbria. The project is looking to re-introduce a suite of locally threatened or extinct species into the area around Morecambe Bay. More information on the project can be found on their website.  We have been speaking to the BOOM project team to discuss opportunities with a focus on the re-introduction of aspen. Over…

Our Electrofishing (fish surveys) report from 2019 is now available. This covers the programme undertaken by South Cumbria Rivers Trust during the summer of 2019 and links with the data collected by the Environment Agency. Electrofishing is a technique used to assess juvenile salmonid (salmon and trout) populations, helping us to understand trends over time and make an assessment of habitat. Salmonids are key indicators of freshwater health and general catchment functioning and therefore this monitoring provides important data and…

2019 was once again a busy and varied year; we’ve been out delivering projects, working with local communities, monitoring our rivers and discussing exciting new ideas and plans for the future. However, now its time to turn our attention to 2020 and the years to come. Our partnership, Becks to Bay, operates under 7 agreed themes (as to the right), which are all supported by engagement. It is our aim to deliver improvements against these themes, however this is only…