News
Natural Flood Management Methods Featured on BBC’s Countryfile
The series of methods including leaky dams, tree planting and Sphagnum moss were featured on Sunday’s Countryfile as part of a pilot project in Crompton Moor, Oldham aiming to show how effective natural methods can be for preventing flooding. The project is a partnership between Natural Course, City of Trees,…
Project update: Integrated Ecological Network Tool
Our Natural Course partner Natural England have provided us a quick update on how things are progressing with the development of the Integrated Ecological Network Tool, which aims to highlight habitat restoration and creation opportunities in Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Lancashire. Background Historic habitat loss and degradation means that…
Natural Course reaches a milestone in delivery
The LIFE Integrated Project Natural Course reached a significant milestone in July, celebrating the end of the second phase of delivery, marking the midpoint of the 10 year project. This coincided with the submission of the Phase 2 report to the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) of…
Butterfly and Moth surveys to monitor the effectiveness of buffer strips
This summer, South Cumbria Rivers Trust (SCRT) trained 4 volunteers, 4 National Trust volunteers and staff and 2 members of SCRT staff to take part in series of trial butterfly and moth surveys, to help monitor the impact of buffer strips around rivers in the Coniston and Crake catchment. If…
Removal of Failing Dam Weir Commences in Egremont
Work starts today (6 July) to remove Ennerdale Mill Dam Weir on the River Ehen at Egremont after evidence found it is failing. Removal will allow upstream and downstream migration of fish, including Atlantic salmon, for the first time in more than 250 years. Once up and running, the weir…
Brown trout found in restored River Medlock
An award-winning scheme which restored a stretch of the River Medlock has been further boosted after juvenile brown trout were found in the watercourse. Previously known as the Red River, the Medlock underwent a £250,000 transformation at Clayton Vale which re-naturalised the waterway to encourage habitats for wildlife. Juvenile brown…
Could otters be returning to Greater Manchester?
Recent sightings of otters are suggesting that the heavily industrialised rivers in Greater Manchester are showing signs of significant improvement, encouraging them to come back to the region. Greater Manchester has struggled to re-establish the otter due to higher than average habitat loss, pollution, and human population density leading to…
Historic weir bypass opens to help fish reach habitat for first time in over 170 years
Ribble Rivers Trust have celebrated the completion of their river improvement project on the River Hyndburn which will allow migrating salmon, trout and eels to bypass a historic weir allowing them to reach habitat inaccessible since the middle of the 1800s. Located on the River Hyndburn, between Clayton-Le-Moors and Great…
Hyndburn Brook improvements set to bring Salmon to Accrington
Ribble Rivers Trust launch an exciting river improvement scheme on the River Hyndburn between Clayton-Le-Moors and Great Harwood, to help migrating salmon, trout and eels bypass the historic Oakenshaw weir, thanks to support from the EU LIFE funded Natural Course project and other Ribble Life Together partners. Bypassing the weir…
What can wet woodlands do for our urban environment?
In June 2016, as part of the Natural Course project, City of Trees created a wet woodland in the heart of Salford to help improve the failing water quality of the Worsley Brook. A year on and the wet woodland is now thriving with greenery and wildlife is returning to…