Penistone & District Leader+ ; Upper Don Improvement Project

Work is progressing well on the Upper Don Improvement Project, with the Steering Group and Project Consultant, David Calvert; now looking to establish a Trust in order to benefit the river system as a whole. This could result in the Upper Don Steering Group and the local stretch of the Upper Don River being a catalyst for system wide improvement. On a practical note; volunteers have recently erected over 600 metres of fencing on the banks of the Don and work on more fencing, including two stiles and a stock watering point; looks likely to begin soon. Fencing of the river corridor can bring benefits to both farming and the environment by excluding farm stock, as David Calvert explains:

“Fencing can help to greatly enhance the growth of natural vegetation, which stabilises bank erosion and in turn diversity of plant life. Thicker and lusher plant life along the water’s edge leads to more places for fish to hide from their predators; leading to a greater density of fish and a greater proportion of larger fish. As well as providing a corridor for wildlife movement along the river bank; vegetation provides a habitat for insect life, ground nesting birds and waterside mammals. More insect life means more food for fish and other insect predators, particularly birds. Enhanced plant life also helps control high water temperatures in hot weather (particularly at low summer flows) by providing shading. High water temperatures lead to reduced dissolved oxygen in the water to the detriment of fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Fencing also controls the “poaching” of banks by farm stock (“Poaching” is physical damage to banks which can lead to a widened river channel, shallower slower flowing water and the destruction of plant cover for all river life) and prevents stock from wading in the river and releasing fine silt from the river bed and banks. This silt can blanket the river bed downstream; impairing aquatic plant and invertebrate life and also clogging fish spawning gravels, leading to greatly reduced hatching success of fish eggs. Pollution of the river is also reduced by preventing stock from dropping dung in the river and creating a barrier to the run off from dung spreading, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.”