St John’s Beck Habitat Improvements

31st January 2022 - General Catchment

A new and exciting project to improve habitats is getting under way in the St John’s Beck catchment, where we will be working with farmers and landowners over the next five years. The project is being funded by United Utilities and is supported by the Environment Agency and Natural England.

Lower St John’s Beck

St John’s Beck is a key tributary of the River Greta. It flows from Thirlmere through St John’s in the Vale, and meets the River Glenderamackin south-west of Threlkeld. St John’s Beck is a protected site and supports a number of important habitats and species, including Atlantic Salmon and Lamprey which are sadly experiencing a rapid global decline. The area is a working rural landscape, supporting many farming families and businesses who already play a significant role in conserving and improving the valley.

Similarly to many of our local rivers, areas of St John’s Beck suffer from historic physical modifications which have affected the ecology of the river. The changes have reduced in-river spawning areas, juvenile and adult fish habitat, and the abundance of food sources.

St John’s Beck

This project offers a fantastic opportunity for the Trust to work in partnership with farmers and landowners to carefully plan and deliver improvements that will benefit the natural environment while supporting local agriculture.

Work so far has involved meeting with local farmers and landowners and doing walkover surveys of the river catchment, to better understand the area and see where improvement projects will have the greatest benefit.

For more information, contact Project Officer Jonny on jonny@westcumbriariverstrust.org