Conserving Coniston and Crake
A project improving water quality, habitat and biodiversity in the Coniston and Crake catchment: June 2017 - March 2021.
Introduction
Conserving Coniston and Crake, is a National Lottery Heritage Funded project run by South Cumbria Rivers Trust between 2017 and 2021. The project was initiated by local communities who were concerned for the failing health of Coniston Water, the River Crake and its becks. Declines in species such as Atlantic salmon, Arctic charr and the European eel had all been observed. The aim was to carry out practical conservation to protect, restore and enhance the becks, river and lake. Residents, schools and visitors were engaged through a variety of events, learning and art activities, as well as monitoring and volunteering.
The following summarises the reasons why the project started and helps you explore the project and the actions undertaken. The maps are all interactive and further information can be found by clicking on the various points.
Stone art by local sculptor, Danny Clahane, for the projects art trail.
Coniston & Crake
The landscape of Coniston Water, the River Crake, the becks, tarns and surrounding fells are integral to the heritage of the area. The landscape has long been the inspiration for artists, authors and poets. It has also been fundamental to the growth of historic local industry, through slate and copper mining and charcoal burning. To this day the landscape is still the foundation of economic and recreational activity in the area.
The Coniston and Crake catchment area also has great ecological value. It is home to species such as Arctic charr, Atlantic salmon and sea/brown trout, as well as a wide variety of birds, bats, butterflies and insects.
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The Need
Community concerns for declines in water quality, a loss of biodiversity and the feeling of disconnection.
Various factors had been noted to be deteriorating across the catchment and there was a need to do something. Siltation and excess nutrients had affected water quality and reduced spawning gravels, affecting already threatened populations of Atlantic salmon and sea trout. There has also be a loss of river margin and in-river habitat, further exacerbated by historic modifications and canalisation (confined and straightened channels).
Declining water quality, linked to increased inputs of phosphate and other nutrients from sources such as septic tanks and agricultural run-of, can lead to eutrophication (excessive weed growth and algal blooms) and declines in native habitat such as reedbeds. There has also been an incursion of invasive species such as New Zealand pygmy weed and American skunk cabbage.
The map opposite shows the Water Framework Directive (WFD) classifications (2016) for the catchment. This is a national obligation for all waterbodies.
Towards the end of the project the 2019 classifications were released. The ecological classification helps to show the picture of general trends. These can be viewed below:
The Project
The local community partnership, with support from South Cumbria Rivers Trust, developed the Conserving Coniston and Crake project. Applying for a Heritage Grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2015. They were successful, and the Conserving Coniston and Crake project began, with a development year in 2016 and a delivery phase between 2017 and 2021.
The following sections highlight some of the activities undertaken as part of the delivery phase.
Practical Conservation
The project has worked throughout the catchment over the 3 years, delivering many projects with multiple benefits. The map opposite gives an overview of these projects and the main drivers behind them.
Project Themes:
Click on each of the project dots to find out more about the individual projects.
Fencing Farmland & Restoring Rivers
Recently fenced section of river which has been planted with trees by volunteers.
Fencing off watercourses is a simple but effective way of improving river habitat. Both in river due to a reduction in sediment inputs and pollutants, and along the river banks through the creation of riverside habitat.
22.8km or 14 miles of fencing has been installed on the project, creating 14.89ha or 25 football pitches of river bank habitat.
Tree planting at Greenholme Beck
Newly fenced off areas are sometimes left to regenerate naturally, others are enhanced by the addition of tree planting. These are a mixture of native trees, including alder, oak, crab apple and aspen; providing extra shade, habitat and bank stabilisation. These corridors of habitat are important for birds, bees, butterflies and fish.
1101 trees have been planted by volunteers throughout the life of the project.
Buried Becks
Water Park re-connection, Coniston
This aspect to the project involved opening up becks which have been culverted or covered up in the past. Allowing these becks to once again see the light of day has multiple benefits, including for fish migration and spawning, increasing wildlife habitat, resilience to flooding and ensuring the maintenance of natural processes.
A total of 340m of becks have been opened up via the project.
Bypassing Barriers
Re-connection of Greenholme Beck to its paleo-channel. ©Aerial Artwork.
Over time, many of our rivers and becks have been straightened or modified. This has degraded the habitat and a rivers ability to naturally manage itself. By returning a river to its more natural form, and bypassing man-made barriers, fish can once again migrate to their spawning grounds and rivers can be more resilient to flood and drought conditions.
Greenholme Beck was reconnected to its paleochannel, bypassing a historic weir. Trees have been planted alongside the new channel and fish surveys have recorded salmon (a migratory species) upstream of the barrier, post removal.
Stone carvings, designed by a local artist and carved by a local stone carver have now been installed at this site as part of the project. This is part of a wider network at different project sites around the catchment, helping to link together the vital work and the species and people which benefit from these actions.
Below is a short video of the reconnection of Greenholme Beck.
Bypassing Barriers - Greenholme Beck
Birds, Bats and Biodiversity
The project has created habitat throughout the catchment to support local wildlife. River corridors have been improved with the installation of bird and bat boxes. Specialist boxes for dippers and grey wagtails were put up in locations along the River Crake, as these species are in decline.
Water shrews are Britain's largest shrew, and as they are never very abundant it is difficult to assess how under threat they are. However, they are vulnerable to riverbank modifications and pollutants in the water which then affect freshwater invertebrates which water shrews feed on. As part of the project, surveys were carried out to determine whether they were present in the catchment. A few were found in the buffer strips!
Engaging the Community
Volunteers helping with tree planting
None of this could be achieved without the help of volunteers and support of the local community.
Volunteers have given over 470 days to the project.
Supporting local events, practical conservation tasks and monitoring. Wider communities have also been engaged via art workshops, litter picks and local publications.
19 events attracting over 600 adults and children were organised, from river dipping to bat walks.
These helped raise awareness of the amazing freshwater habitats and wildlife which are found in the catchment, and how we can all help to protect them. The annual Hoathwaite Family Day showcased the best of our freshwater invertebrates and helped people learn about good water quality, fish migration, minibeasts and moths through different crafts and activities.
The project team had a stand a local shows and events, as well as giving talks and presentations to groups about how the work is important to help protect becks, improve habitats and support aquatic species such as salmon, eels and freshwater invertebrates.
Through out the project the team engaged over 2,200 people via 37 talks, shows and events.
The following images showcase some of the engagement work; take a look for yourself....
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Monitoring
Monitoring is essential to help assess project success (or failures), identify trends over time and build a database of evidence upon which future projects can be designed and delivered. It is also an important way to engage people with the issues facing their local area and what they can do to make a difference.
Map Legend:
14 sites are regularly monitored by riverfly volunteers, assessing water quality using macroinvertebrates as indicators. You can view their results here .
Water quality sampling was undertaken at 18 sites around the catchment, using a YSI multi-parameter probe. This was further supported by phosphate monitoring at 10 sites.
Fish surveys are also undertaken annually by South Cumbria Rivers Trust, including at project sites within the Coniston catchment. Full results can be viewed on their website. The regular sites surveyed can be seen below:
Legacy:
The project may have finished but our work in the area hasn't. The Conserving Coniston and Crake community partnership continue to be an active group, protecting and enhancing the becks and rivers of the area. Funding has also been secured for a 'Cool Rivers' project to further enhance tree cover along river banks, helping to stabilise and mitigate the effects of rising temperatures.
Interested in being involved?
If you are interested in being involved in further work in the catchment, please get in touch with South Cumbria Rivers Trust. The Trust will continue to undertake monitoring activities with the help of volunteers throughout the catchment. They will also continue to seek funding and work with local partners to deliver further improvements.
Project Publications:
This project has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Images copyright of South Cumbria Rivers Trust.
