Down by the Beck

Today our volunteers have been very busy indeed. Some headed off to the Moorland to start mowing the areas of wildflower meadow that the tractor was unable to reach when the rest was cut last week.

Everyone else headed down to Risedale Beck where a number of tasks were completed. The wooden steps from the beck up into the woodland have become rotten and slippery and these were repaired or replaced accordingly.

Meanwhile, another group rebuilt the dams that cross the beck in a couple of places. These dams divert the beck through a number of ponds, before the water re-joins the main watercourse. We use only natural materials (stones, packed with mud and sediment) to make the dams- after heavy rain and high waters these often get damaged so this is a task that has to be completed a few times each year.

The rest of the team spent the day walking up the beck, removing any overhanging branches from the beck. This gives visitors a better view along it and opens up the water course for birds such as Dippers that use it as a corridor.

We achieved a lot today- thank you very much to everyone who came to help out.