Hello! I’m Rebecca, the new project assistant for All Hands On the Don. I’m really happy that I get to be a part of this project, and I’m looking forward to helping create spaces for people to gain green skills, make connections, and express care for nature.
Me cycling on part of the proposed extension to the Don Valley Way
As project assistant I’m going to be helping out in various ways, so you’ll see me on practical volunteer days, citizen science and outreach events, and behind some of the media and publicity for the project. Another important part of my role is figuring out what I’d want to specialise in, which is something that I’m also looking forward to discovering! I’m currently training for my Field Identification Skills Certificate in botany and am exploring different ecological identification skills.
Me and the DCRT Team testing out our Environmental Understanding Discussion Group resources. Want to trial this? Email info@dcrt.org.uk
I’m currently based in Sheffield and I’ve previously volunteered for several of my local environmental organisations, such as the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, the South Yorkshire Bat Group, and DCRT. I’ve also worked as a seasonal assistant ecologist for an environmental consultancy in Sheffield, and as a communications assistant for the South Yorkshire Climate Alliance.
A watercolour I created for the 2023 DCRT christmas cards.
When I’m not working, I often like to put my energy into my hobbies. And as it turns out, the Venn diagram of my hobbies and your grandma’s hobbies is, actually, just a circle. I greatly enjoy baking with friends, crocheting, going on walks, and reading in the garden. To really seal the deal, I too love driving in my Honda Jazz.
Cross-slope hedgerow planting in the Little Don catchment. Photo credit: Erika Phoenix.
In this blog we hear from DCRT Agricultural Officer, Jenny Palmer, on how hedgerows can be used in natural flood management…
If you’ve travelled around the countryside this winter, you may have noticed that farmers and volunteers have been busy planting new and restoring old field boundary hedgerows. Hedgerows are nature’s larders, corridors, and homes; they are an important part of our natural and cultural heritage and play a vital role in carbon storage and flood mitigation. It is estimated that since the 1950s up to 50 per cent of our hedgerows have been lost through removal or neglect. This winter, farmers and conservationists across the landscapes of the Dearne and Don Valleys have worked together to help reverse this trend.
At the moment, they don’t look like much but come spring they will bud and start to burst to life. The planting is made up of a mix of Hawthorn, Crab apple, Dog rose, Dogwood, Field maple, Hazel, Holly, Rowan and Bird Cherry. This rich diversity ensures an extended flowering season for pollinators and insects, good nesting habitat for birds like yellowhammer, linnets and dunnocks, and an abundance of berries in the winter for visiting and native birds. Hedgerows benefit lots of other wildlife too: bats commute and feed along them; and mammals and amphibians take shelter beneath them, supporting species further up the food chain.
Hedgerows are also considered a natural flood management measure, as they improve soil infiltration and slow the rate at which overland flow enters the drainage network and watercourses. This also results in water quality benefits for our streams and rivers by acting as a barrier to pollutants such as pesticides, fertilisers and sediment.
Hedgerows are good for farm businesses too, providing shelter and browsing material for livestock, which improves growth rates, productivity and animal welfare. On farms where arable crops are grown, hedges reduce windspeed, can stabilise soils, retain moisture and give a home to beneficial insects, which help with crop pollination and natural pest control.
Hedgerow planting at New Hall Farm, Barnsley.
In order that they thrive, and especially given more extreme weather events, the hedges take careful establishment and aftercare. By working in collaboration, the Dearne Valley Farmers cluster group has helped to link up farmers to grants, donations, advice, and conservation volunteers.
Jenny Palmer, DCRT agricultural officer said:
Around 70 per cent of the catchment’s land is farmed so farmers play a vital role in meeting government targets on biodiversity, carbon, clean air and water. The Dearne and Don Valley Farmers are committed to taking action to recover nature and achieve net zero on their farms. By working collaboratively and with the support of funders and the conservation sector, this winter they’ve worked together to create hedgerow habitats at the landscape-scale.
This season’s planting has been generously supported by the Woodland Trust – who supplied 39,000 hedge plants enabling 6.5 kilometres of hedgerow and tree planting across the Don and Dearne Valleys. The group has also been supported by the South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership and the River Stewardship Company’s Riverlution project, whose conservation volunteers have helped farmers with planting.
We were very keen to be involved with the extensive hedgerow creation ambitions across the Don and Dearne Valley catchments. Hedgerows and hedgerow trees provide essential shelter, food, and nesting habitat for wildlife, as well as vital landscape scale connectivity. Hedgerows also benefit the economics and ecosystems on farms: they increase shelter and shade for livestock, provide wood fuel, fodder, and materials for use on the farm, improve soil conditions, and slow the flow of water. Hedgerows have been lost from our countryside due to agricultural intensification, so to see all these projects where farmers are wanting to reinstate them, is very encouraging.It was a great pleasure working with local partners to help deliver native hedgerow creation at scale.
Ann Hanson, Dearne Valley Farmers adviser said:
There is grant funding currently available via Countryside Stewardship (CS) Capital Grants, and formerly through Mid-Tier CS, to restore older hedges and plant new ones. Payments for hedge gapping up, laying, coppicing and planting new hedges are quite generous and grant funding towards new fencing to protect new and restored hedges is also available. Hedge restoration projects can be almost cost neutral using the CS funding streams, so there’s never been a better time to evaluate the condition of older hedges and consider planting some new ones as well. In addition to capital grants, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is enabling farmers to receive ongoing payments for hedgerow condition assessment, as well as good management of hedges and hedgerow trees. The value of hedges to wildlife should not be underestimated, along with their importance in protecting livestock from our ever-changing climate.
Mature hedgerow at Tyers Hall Farm, Barnsley.
Chris Harrap, Dearne Valley Farmers facilitator said:
We are big fans of hedgerows and have a long history of planting and laying – we now have over 25km of hedgerows across the farm. They provide real benefits, not only for the wildlife we share the land with, but for our farm business too. There has never been a better time to plant hedgerows – the grants more than cover the cost, there are often free plants and materials available too, and the act of undertaking hedgerow works can also open up funding for fencing and gates. In years to come, these hedges will be laid, giving us living fences. You could see the see the act of hedge planting as taking land out of production, but in reality, hedgerows make our farm more sheltered for grazing livestock, crop growing and gives us more resilience at a time of increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.
Chad and Lucy Stevens, Dearne Valley Farmers cluster members said:
Many hedges were ripped out here through the 1960s and 70s, and we are putting them back in – we will be putting in a total of 668 metres of new hedges this year. Our reasons for doing this are twofold. We are moving to a regenerative agriculture approach and bringing livestock to the farm. We hope over time the hedges will provide natural barriers to allow us to move more livestock with ease between fields. We have always been passionate about maintaining and enhancing wildlife on the farm and it goes hand in hand with a recent bird survey we had done through the cluster. We are keen to improve biodiversity on the farm and provide natural corridors to support their movement and better growth.
Riverlution volunteers support farmer Lucy Stevens with hedgerow planting at Horncastle Farm, Havercroft.
Chris Lucas, River Stewardship Company skills manager said:
We had a brilliant day visiting Horncastle Farm with some of the volunteers from the River Stewardship Skills Scheme. Lucy the farmer gave us a mini tour of the farm before starting the works, and some of the group got to hold lambs! The volunteers and Max, who is doing an apprenticeship at Riverlution, worked alongside Jenny from DCRT and Lucy the farmer to plant over 500 tree whips with canes and guards to create a hedge along the field edge.
In this blog we hear from DCRT Agricultural Officer, Jenny Palmer, on how farmers in the catchment are delivering natural flood management schemes…
The Yorkshire Water funded Dearne Valley Farmers cluster group project has enabled DCRT and our delivery partners to provide training on sustainable farming to members of the group. Resource (soil and water) protection and management are increasingly important aspects of farm management. Through the project’s programme of events, we’ve learnt about soil health, water quality/ quantity and natural flood management.
There is a direct link between soil health and water – healthier soil with a higher soil organic matter has a higher water holding capacity and increased infiltration rate. Evidence suggests that for every 1 per cent increase in organic matter results in as much as 25,000 gallons of available water per acre.
Soil structure also influences water movement. When soil becomes compacted by machinery and livestock, it leads to a reduction in porosity and a loss of structure, resulting in slower infiltration and higher runoff and risk of flooding.
A healthy and diverse soil biological community will give more effective and resilient regulation of soil function (AHDB, 2024).
Farmers in the cluster group are working to increase soil organic matter and improve soil structure by introducing regenerative agricultural principles and practices into their systems; this includes: livestock integration, minimising soil disturbance, protecting the soil surface, increased diversity and maintaining living roots. Last year, establishing legume and herb-rich leys was a particularly popular land management option. Mixed species herbal ley involves using diverse and deep-rooting species to enhance soil structure and increase water infiltration capacity. Through planting a greater diversity of plant and grass species, soil can be enhanced with greater amounts of carbon, soil organic matter and a reduced bulk density (compaction), leading to greater water storage potential and a reduction in overall overland water flow (Atkins, 2021).
A trailed grassland aerator, that will be made available to cluster members as part of the new machinery sharing scheme.
Soil compaction can also be remediated mechanically through the use of agricultural equipment such as grassland aerators and sward lifters. The Yorkshire Flood and Coastal Committee has provided funding to the Dearne Valley Farmers cluster group, to launch and run a five-year pilot grassland aerator machinery sharing scheme. The project is provisionally scheduled to commence in Spring 2024 and will include soil health monitoring. In its inaugural year, four farmers have joined the scheme and plan to aerate over 200 hectares of grassland in the catchment.
This blog is written by Community Engagement Officer, Sally Hyslop who coordinates DCRT’s Riverfly Monitoring Initiative volunteers.
Citizen scientists across the UK help to monitor pollution in our rivers in diverse and exciting ways. Some volunteers check water quality, testing for chemical signs such as increased pH or high phosphates, nitrates or ammonia. Others wade up and down rivers looking for the smells and sights of sewage pollution, checking if sewage outfalls are discharging incorrectly and hunting out misconnected drains. Scientists also utilise another method which involves surveying the species living in freshwater, some of which are useful ‘indicator species’. Monitoring changes in these creatures’ abundance can provide evidence for decreased water quality and potential pollution events.
The Riverfly Monitoring Initiative, known as ARMI, is a nationwide project from the Riverfly Partnership, whereby volunteers sample and survey a small section of their local river each month. Surveyors are trained to ‘kick-sample’ the river, disturbing the bottom of the riverbed with their feet to dislodge freshwater invertebrates from the sediment and into their nets. This methodical approach allows volunteers to discover how the community of freshwater invertebrates, also known as riverflies, in their local stream changes throughout the year.
Volunteers kick-sampling the riverbed in Chesterfield
Volunteers are trained to identify 8 different types of freshwater invertebrate, which are often the larval stage of flying insects. These include nymphs from 4 different families of mayfly, cased and case-less caddisfly larvae, stonefly larvae and freshwater shrimp. Volunteers may find many other different types of freshwater invertebrates, such as leeches, midge larvae, snails and aquatic worms, – but it is the 8 designated groups that they are specifically looking for. These groups have been chosen for their relative abundance throughout the year, their presence in different rivers and habitats across the UK and, perhaps most importantly, their sensitivity to severe pollution events. These riverflies struggle to thrive in the low diffused oxygen conditions, the high concentrations of heavy-metals or the thick sediment assosicated with pollution events.
Volunteers in Sheffield sort through the invertebrates and record numbers
By counting up the representatives of each group, volunteers collect and build-up data on how their site changes each month, allowing them to spot long-term trends and possible problems. When there is a sudden drop in the abundance of invertebrates, the data may indicate a potential pollution incident. At this point, volunteer groups can alert the statutory body and present the evidence they have collected. This leads to an investigation of the site for pollution. By working together at different sites along the same stretch of river, volunteers can also check how far pollution may have spread, where along the river it may have started and how quickly the river takes to recover.
A pollution incident in Chesterfield in 2023, investigated by the EA
Through the Riverfly Partnership citizen science scheme, volunteers across the country have created a networked alarm system for the health and condition of our streams.
DCRT deliver training for groups wishing to start a Riverfly Monitoring Initiative scheme and coordinate 3 different groups across the Don Catchment – you can find out more about training here.
This week’s blog is brought to you by Community Engagement Officer, Sally Hyslop, with tips on how to start spotting and identifying fungi…
The fungal lifestyle has evolved many times, and with well over 15,000 species in the UK alone, fungi are notoriously tricky to identify. There are of course a few easy species, with distinct features we can all learn to spot, such as the classic fairy toadstool, Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) or the wonderful Poorman’s beefsteak (Fistulina Hepatica) which looks just like a rare rump steak… sprouting out of a tree! This blog is a little insight into how to start identifying some of the more common groups of fungi and what to look out for.
So if you’ve spotted any fantastic fungi on your river walks this Autumn, and wish to learn how to identify them… read on.
Think of them like an apple on a tree! Fungi are often thought of as a whole organism, but really, they are only the fruiting part of a much larger organism hidden underground or within rotting wood. The majority of fungi is made up of networks of thin branch like threads, called mycelium which work to decompose and break down material. Like a fruit, the fungi are there to start the next generation but, instead of seeds they spread spores. Fungi fall into two main groups – spore-shooters (Ascomycetes) or spore-droppers (Basidiomycetes). We’ll be looking at some of the spore droppers in today’s blog and we’ll be particuarly focusing on some of the easy-to identify groups of mushrooms and toadstools.
Identifying Mushrooms and Toadstools First off let’s chat about the classic mushroom and toadstools we see popping out of the leaf-litter this time of year, often in wonderful ‘fairy rings’ around old tree stumps! Some of these have bright caps in wonderful colours, so are easy to spot hiding on the woodland floor. When looking at toadstools you need to prise up the whole mushroom (be careful to wash your hands after touching fungi, as some are poisonous!). Looking at the whole mushroom is essential as for some groups identification features will be hidden at the base. Take a good look at all the different features of the fungi – these will help you work out where this mushroom belongs on the mushroom tree of life!
Some features to look out for… 1) The shape of the stem, called the stipe What shape is the stipe? Does it have a ‘skirt’ around it? Does it has an egg-cup like bulb at the bottom? 2) How is the top of the mushroom attached to the stem? Cut the mushroom in half to see – Are the gills attached to the stem or free? Do they travel down the stem or meet the stem at the top? 3) Look at the underside of the cap Is it full of small holes, a textured pattern or does it have gills? 4) What habitat have you found this mushroom in? Did you find it in pine, mixed or deciduous woodland? What was it growing on – leaf litter, a living tree, rotton wood? 5) The Spore Print For fungi with gills – cut off the stipe, pop the cap on some paper, then leave it overnight. A beautiful spore print pattern will emerge on the paper! What colour are the spores – Pink, white, olive, brown?
Mushrooms and Toadstools are sometimes referred to as Agarics. These are the mushrooms that drop spores out of their gills. We will also meet the Boletes, in today’s blog, which instead drop spores out of long tubes!
Brittle-gills, Russula Often brightly coloured caps with pure white stipes. Look at the underside of the cap for perfectly formed, neat gills which stretch from the inner stem, right to the edge of the cap, with no intermediate or short gills in between! Touch the perfect gills and see if they break easily… if so, you have a species of Brittle-gill.
Credit: Ivan Teeage, “Common Yellow Russula”, Encyclopedia of Life, cc-by-nc-sa
Milk-cap, Lactarius Similar looking to the brittle gills, with bright stipes and colourful caps. Their gills however are a little messier, with many short, intermediate gills in between longer ones. And if you break them with your finger and wait a short moment, little droplets of ‘milk’ will start to emerge.
Amanita Toadstools with an egg cup on the base and/or a frilly skirt around the stipe, should be a warning to you. These features indicate a group of mushrooms called the Amanitas, which include some of the deadliest mushrooms around… such as the Death Cap (Amanita Phalloides) – deadly poiosonous.
Waxcaps, Hygrocybe Bright colours, pointy-hats and slimy, waxy textures indicate waxcaps which spring up in fields and pastures. These beautiful mushrooms include the beautifully shaped, pink ballerina waxcap (Hygrocybe calyprtriformis), the honey waxcap (Hygrocybe reidii), which smells of sweet honey, and the brilliant parrot waxcap (Hygrocybe psittacina) which changes colour from green to yellow to red!
Ink-caps, Coprinus and Coprinopsis A black or brown, cap under patches of white, woolly veil make ink-caps distinctive. As they age, they deliquesce, disintegrating into a dark black, inky mass.
Boletes, Boletus Large, bulbous mushrooms where gills are not horizontal but instead run down the cap vertically, like long tubes. What we see from the underside is a sponge like appearance of little holes. Some bolete species have dramatic reactions to the air when cut… slice one in half and it may suddenly turn blue!
Don Catchment Rivers Trust have partnered with Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency, andEuropean Open Rivers Programme – a grant-giving organisation dedicated to restoring endangered European rivers – to restore fish passage in the Upper River Don at Stocksbridge weir in Deepcar, Sheffield.
There has been evidence of a weir in this vicinity since approximately the 1890s to provide waterpower to Wharncliffe Fire Clay Works which was involved in the brick making process. Only part of the weir has been removed, and a section has been retained for its heritage-value as well as providing erosion protection at this bend in the river.
The design and removal of the weir was conducted by Fishtek Consulting – a specialised fisheries consultant, who partnered with CR Civils. With the barrier removed, fish are once again be able to move freely through this stretch of river. This allows species such as brown trout, grayling and bullhead to forage, find shelter, disperse, migrate and breed more effectively, resulting in a greater abundance and more resilient populations. A more diverse gene pool also helps future generations adapt to environmental change, which is an important consideration when combatting the effects of climate breakdown on the riverine environment – such as an increase prevalence of disease and exposure to extreme temperature.
When the weir was constructed, it created sluggish canal-like habitat upstream (as pictured in ‘before’ photos), which is not what would naturally be found in a swift flowing river like the Upper Don. By removing a section of the weir, natural flows have once again been restored to a 200m section of river immediately upstream of the weir. This will also clear away fine sediment leaving gravels, spawning habitat and diverse riffle and pool habitats – essential for upland fish species to fully complete their lifecycle.
Before and immediately after
Once other fish passage projects go ahead to deal with two other barriers further downstream at Oughtibridge similarly been addressed, then migrating Atlantic salmon and sea trout will, in theory, be able to swim up the River Don as far as Tin Mill weir, located 1 km upstream. at the Don Catchment Rivers Trust is also looking at options to enable fish to pass Tin Mill weir.
This project is supported by the Great Yorkshire Rivers (GYR) partnership. GYR is a developing collaborative approach between Yorkshire Water Services Limited, The Rivers Trust, and the Environment Agency to help those who are addressing the impact of artificial barriers on fish populations in the Yorkshire Area. This developing collaborative approach seeks to help support the delivery of projects which provide greatest benefit for river life and local communities.
Timelapse showing the removal of Stocksbridge weir
Matt Duffy (Fishery Habitat Officer at DCRT), project manager said “it’s great to see the weir removed. The immediate difference this has made to the overall river habitat along this reach is obvious and a more diverse river has emerged”.
Dr Ben Gillespie (Technical Specialist, Fish Passage and River Restoration, Yorkshire Water) said “building on the success of past fish passage projects seeing the return of Atlantic salmon to the River Don, we’re glad to able to support DCRT to further see the recovery of the Don”
Katie Burnham (Fisheries Technical Officer, Environment Agency) said “Weirs, such as this one at Stocksbridge, are a legacy of our industrial heritage but they can block the natural free movement of fish, resulting in a loss of ecological diversity. Off the back of the hard work our partners have done in getting salmon to return to Sheffield, we are delighted to be supporting DCRT with projects now focused on tackling some of the remaining barriers in the Upper Don.”
Folklore and myth have long been associated with nature and wildlife. Read on to find out Spooky Tales, Sinister Ingredients and Horrifying Spells linked to river-dwelling plants, fungi and animals.
Frogs, Toads and Newts “Eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog…” were the famous ingredients used by the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It’s been suggested that this sinister concoction was simply made of the medicinal plants used by herbal healers. ‘Eye of newt’ is thought of as an ancient term for mustard seeds and, ‘tongue of dog’ as the wildflower, Hounds-tongue.
Brambles Folklore across Britain warns us not to eat blackberries after a certain date, ranging from Michaelmas day to the 11th of October, when it is said that the devil “puts his paw” upon them. In Yorkshire, it is said that the Devil ruins them by spitting on them!
Fungi Folklore has many tales of Witches’ Butter, the yellow jelly fungi pictured. In Eastern Europe, witches’ butter found fruiting on your door frame was a sign of a spell cast upon your home. There are many other wonderful, creepy fungi to find – see if you can find the zombie-like Devil’s fingers and Dead-man’s fingers, emerging from the ground this Halloween!
Creepy Crawlies The Devil’s Coach Horse, has long been associated with myth and superstition. Part of the Rove Beetle family, it has shortened outer wing cases, which means unlike other beetles it can move its abdomen freely – when attacked it raises it in the air, much like a scorpion! In folklore, it is thought to be magical and can curse a person by pointing its tail in their direction.
Bats Britain has 18 breeding bat species, fortunately, all are insectivores, so you are safe from the vampires tonight! Despite their association with Halloween, by the end of October, most bats have gone to their hibernation roosts and won’t be seen till the Spring.
This summer DCRT embarked on a mission to answer the question “are Atlantic salmon successfully breeding in the Don catchment”. We know that adult salmon are making their way up in to the head waters where we hope they would be able to find suitable habitat but we didn’t have any evidence to say whether they were successfully breeding.
We identified a number of sites where we had either had seen adult salmon or where we think the habitat would be suitable for them to spawn in. Most of these sites were in or upstream of Sheffield city centre.
To survey for fish one of the best methods is via electrofishing. This involves putting an electrical current in to the water which attracts and holds near-by fish in a position where they are able to be caught with a hand net.
With a group made up of DCRT staff/trustees and volunteers from the Upper Don Fly Fishers and Yorkshire Water, we surveyed various sites but we were unfortunately unable to find any salmon fry/parr.
Although we didn’t find any, it was a useful exercise to know that they were absent and can help us form theories as to why this may have been –
The Don’s burgeoning salmon populations are still in low densities and will be more difficult to find. We had a dry autumn last year which may have not brought many salmon into the catchment and generally Atlantic salmon populations are in decline.
Salmon need high quality habitat (water quality and silt-free gravels) therefore the habitat available isn’t quite suitable yet and needs improving, or we need to improve passage further into the Upper Don where habitats are less impacted.
However, it was an important exercise to improve our electrofishing experience and we were able to still find other fish. Here’s some of our results:
In terms of the biggest fish found, we found a 42cm trout and 30cm grayling.
Another interesting find was a minnow with a fish louse (aka Argulus) attached and a young trout with a possible parasite/deformity, photos attached. See the EA’s response…
“It’s not uncommon to see Argulus on minnow, usually as an occasional infection comprising ones or twos. There has been an increase of Argulus infections in some rivers this year. One Argulus on a minnow isn’t unusual, but due to the size of these fish, they tend not to tolerate many parasites.
minnow with argulus (fish louse)
The distended trout is a little less common and without dissection is very hard to confirm. Parasite infection is a possibility, but also I wonder if there is an element of deformity too. The head of the fish seems to be slightly unusual shape and the dorsal region is compressed with potential for spinal deformity. As such, I think the appearance of a distended body could be linked to this and may not be an infection.
That said, there are parasites that can cause abdominal distention and there are two possibilities that spring to mind. The tapeworm Ligula is one but isn’t common in trout. Another is a nematode called Eustrongylides that forms cysts within the body cavity and cycles through cormorants. Without opening the fish up, its hard to tell, but neither infection (or deformity) are of immediate disease risk, so unless it’s a prevalent finding or significant problem, there probably isn’t a need to investigate further.”
distended trout parr – possible infection or diformity
Finally, although it’s not very scientific as we weren’t following designed protocols, we kept a tally of the fish species on each of our runs which you can see below.
Location
Species
Count
Salmon Pastures
Bullhead
100+
Trout
1
Stone Loach
less than 10
Jessops Riverside
Grayling
1
Gudgeon
1
Bullhead
more than 10
Oughtibridge
Trout
24
Bullhead
24
Grayling
6
Stone Loach
6
Niagara
Trout
25
Bullhead
8
Minnow
9
Stone Loach
14
Newhall Road
Trout
1
Stone Loach
10
Bullhead
22
Minnow
1
Stevenson Road
Trout
6
Stone Loach
6
Bullhead
119
Minnow
43
Grayling
1
Blonk Street
Trout
21
Grayling
4
Bullhead
110
Minnow
4
Stone Loach
6
Club Mill Road/Sandbed Weir
Trout
17
Grayling
3
Bullhead
25
Minnow
15
Stone Loach
20
Stickleback
1
We hope to see more adult salmon coming into the catchment this year and will think about whether we would like to repeat this exercise again next year.
DCRT staff, volunteers and staff from Riverlution have helped to deliver this project. Photo by Jonathan Davey
This summer Don Catchment Rivers Trust (DCRT) will embark on the ‘Wilder Salmon Pastures’ project to enhance habitat in the River Don at Salmon Pastures for its fishy namesake and other river species*1. Once abundant in the Don Catchment, with salmon runs now more commonly associated with remote Alaskan rivers, Atlantic salmon (scientific name – Salmo salar) became locally extinct when our rivers became grossly polluted and impounded by weirs.
In 2020, DCRT unlocked the final barrier below Sheffield at Masborough weir (central Rotherham) meaning, in theory, migrating species should be able to make their way from feeding grounds in the northern Atlantic Ocean to their natural breeding grounds in the river valleys of South Yorkshire, including in the rivers of Sheffield.
The in-channel habitat improvements that the Don Catchment Rivers Trust will make at Salmon Pastures will include the introduction and installation of natural woody material (essentially coppiced bankside trees) which provide cover for juvenile fish from predators, giving them a chance to hide and survive until adulthood and therefore improving fish stocks. They also provide a multitude of other river ecosystem benefits*2.
Structures such as this are missing from rivers, as they are often removed during river management. Although this is an important aspect of managing flood risk, this practise has become so thorough that only limited amounts of woody debris of a small size that poses no threat to flooding enter the river channel. Therefore, many reaches of river do not have adequate habitat to allow fish and other river species to flourish.
It is hoped that this project will be replicated in other parts of the catchment, helping our precious, bourgeoning population of juvenile salmon as well as many other fish species living in our waters.
This project is funded by the Environment Agency’s (EA) Fishery Improvement Programme (FIP) raised by the rod licence fee which fund projects that improve angling facilities and fishery stocks. Since FIP was established in 2015, over 1000 projects have been successfully completed, with a total of nearly £7 million reinvested from fishing licence sales alone. This is one of several projects that has been delivered through FIP in 2023.
Matt Duffy (Fishery Habitat Officer at DCRT) said “it’s extremely exciting to be able to deliver this project aimed at bringing important habitat improvements to this special part of the river Don, celebrating the return of the iconic Atlantic salmon.”
Katie Burnham (Fisheries Technical Specialist at the EA) said “We are happy to support our partners with habitat improvement works, especially on our heavily modified water courses where natural habitat can be lacking. This woody debris will provide both direct and indirect benefits for local and migratory fish populations as well as benefiting the wider ecology.”
Salmon Pastures, pre-improvements. Photo by Jonathan Davey
Today, Don Catchment Rivers Trust (DCRT) has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £695,000, plus £292,000 in match funding for an exciting heritage project, All Hands on the Don, along the River Don around Doncaster. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on the wonderful history and heritage of the river and its local community.
Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will have lots of opportunities for people to learn about their local river, with an emphasis on wellbeing, community participation and natural heritage. From school sessions to volunteering, citizen science to an arts programme, apprenticeships and angling – the project will shine a light on what a special place the River Don is.
The River Don has an unusual history, being re-routed in the 17th century to allow for the draining of Hatfield Chase. It was once one of the most polluted rivers in the country. But, now that fish are populating the river again, All Hands on the Don will improve habitats at two ‘Ings’ sites, providing much needed refuge for fish and wetland birds. Also, the popular Don Valley Way will be extended for 11 miles from Doncaster to Thorne, with local communities contributing their knowledge to information boards along the way.
Rachel Walker, Operations Director at DCRT said:
“The team at Don Catchment Rivers Trust are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players. We want to thank all the people and organisations that have helped to develop this project, and we can’t wait to start working with you to deliver all the exciting activities we planned together!”
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said:
“We are delighted to support Don Catchment Rivers Trust with this project that will encourage a thriving, wildlife-rich river landscape and connect local people with the natural heritage of South Yorkshire. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, it is great to think that this rich heritage will be safeguarded for years to come, and communities will be able to explore the wonderful nature right on their doorsteps.”
All Hands on the Don will be funded and supported by a range of partners, including:
Garfield Weston Foundation
“The Trustees of the Garfield Weston Foundation are delighted to support the ‘All Hands on the Don’ project which we hope improves biodiversity, natural habitats and community engagement in the area.” Philippa Charles, Director. Garfield Weston Foundation.
Environment Agency
“The Environment Agency is delighted to be supporting Don Catchment Rivers Trust in delivering the All Hands on the Don project, which will help to improve floodplain habitat, increase biodiversity, and also help to reduce diffuse pollution” Lee Thorney, Project Manager, Environment Agency
Yorkshire Water
“Yorkshire Water are delighted to be able to support the All Hands on the Don Project. We share the ambition of unlocking the potential of the Lower River Don as an accessible nature-rich green-blue corridor and of driving biodiversity gains and community benefits along this important feature of the South Yorkshire landscape”, Dr Ben Aston, Principal Ecologist, Yorkshire Water
doncatchment.wordpress.com 
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