News

New Group joins TRT River Watch Network

06 September 2010

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TRT is delighted to welcome another River Watch group, Stephenson House RWG, to its network of engaged and enthusiastic 'River Watchers' throughout the catchment. Stephenson House RWG will work, especially with 16-18yr olds, towards managing and improving the Stanley and Clinty Burns in the urban east of the Tyne catchment. The group has already had its first planning meeting to agree a programme for the autumn and has completed two activities. On the first, a river clean, the group found the usual plethora of food wrappers, remains of plastic bags and plastic bottles. Plastic can take around 700 years to degrade in the environment but if recycled it can be turned into useful items such as park benches, signposts or even fleece jackets. The group even managed to drag the drum of a washing machine and a car tyre out of the Dene. These have been directly recycled and turned into a plant pot which has been planted up with strawberries. Let's hope we get a good crop!

As a recent survey for invasive plants along the groups section of the burns revealed no Himalayan balsam Stephenson House RWG offered to carry out an end of season 'Balsam Bash' on the main Tyne nearby. Where necessary, seed heads were carefully cut off and will be dried before composting to avoid further spread of the invasive plants. The group will keep a vigilant eye out for other invasive plant species and intend to complete habitat improvement works by removing some overhanging branches to allow more light to the burns and encourage a greater diversity of river bank plant species in. The group has a busy autumn planned and Ceri Gibson, River Watch Project Officer is looking forward to working with them to realise useful improvements both in the burns and the children!