Rising waters | Rooted solutions
Turning points and muddy boots: Ousewem’s spring delivery update
As projects pick up pace, our sites don’t just hold water and slow flows. They show what’s possible when local knowledge, technical support and natural processes come together.
Spring brought steady progress for Ousewem’s delivery team. As projects pick up pace, we are learning by doing – planting trees, digging scrapes and shaping how nature-based flood management takes root in North Yorkshire.
These sites don’t just hold water and slow flows. They show what’s possible when local knowledge, technical support and natural processes come together.
At the same time, conversations about modelling, monitoring and green finance are moving forward, helping us connect local action with wider ambition.
Since January, our delivery team, led by the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, has been working closely with farmers, estates and community groups to turn plans into action, against a backdrop of evolving policy and weather extremes. These past 5 months have been about more than implementing interventions... they’ve been about building capacity, trust and readiness for more to come.
Delivery that demonstrates
In January, our second pilot project was completed at the Cragg and Carr. Working with Marden AES Ltd and volunteers, the team delivered:
- 12 wetland scrapes (shallow temporary ponds)
- 15 leaky barriers and willow and shrub planting
- 650m of cross-slope hedges
With the support and collaboration of landowner Nick Prince, these impactful measures will build flood resilience, enhance wildlife habitats, and support farming livelihoods - all at no cost to participants.
The site was soon used to showcase the benefits of natural flood management (NFM) as part of a Heart of the Dales landscape recovery project visit. We remain grateful to landowners who continue to help us demonstrate what works, and why.
Modelling for decision-making
Building confidence and capacity around community modelling has been a key theme too. In early spring, JBA trained our team to use the HEC-RAS models, and joined the team at Sustainable Swaledale’s March meeting to share our modelling work. These open, technical conversations are vital for building shared understandings across sectors.
Monitoring beyond measurement
The team has begun flow monitoring at Hunton ahead of a planned wetland delivery later this summer. Unseasonably low flows, the lowest on the Swale since 1980, have made baseline data collection challenging. This reinforces a key message from April’s NFM Community of Practice event: monitoring isn’t just about measuring impact. It shapes how we plan, invest and manage land
We were also proud to see Emma’s first project completed in Wensleydale. A member of our delivery team and Project Officer for Natural England, Emma oversaw delivery of 5 new scrapes that now hold water and provide habitat for snipe and other wading birds. New fencing, water gates and a drinking trough now help the landowner manage this valuable floodplain meadow more sensitively.
One of the landowners we have worked with on the project, Andrew Fagg, who farms in the Hawes and Appersett area, said:
The Ousewem delivery team have been like angels. I am very thankful to them for helping my small new farm business. The work they have done will make the land capable of holding more water, and will hopefully make the mire even better for snipe and other waders. The restored boundaries, buffer strip and new water trough will help me manage the cattle, enabling me to keep them off the wettest areas of the land during times of high rainfall.
We’re continuing to explore how Ousewem can help shape investment-ready NFM. Whether through estate-scale conversations or upland partnerships, we’re listening carefully to landowners and community groups to understand the risks and opportunities of this emerging sector.
In May, we began developing NFM projects with Heggs Castle Renaturing Project and other farmers in the Arkle Beck catchment. Conversations focused on how small upland landowners could access green finance... over a coffee and excellent pastries at a local bakery.
We've also started scoping out ideas with the Swinton Estate on a spring walk through bluebell-filled woods in the Swinney catchment.
Connection through conversation
Alongside fieldwork, we’ve been investing time in sharing what we’re learning. Highlights include:
- presenting at the WYFLIP event on bridging the gap between delivery and green finance
- a well-attended pie and peas night in Reeth, co-hosted with Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s (YDNPA) Farm Conservation Advisers to explore how NFM can complement their land management
- ongoing conversations with local flood groups and community networks to co-develop opportunities and build trust
Our team is working beyond just planning.We’re on the ground, learning by doing and showing what nature-based flood management can deliver for landscapes and communities across North Yorkshire.
As ever, the energy, curiosity and practical effort behind these updates belongs to the delivery team, our partners, landowners and community groups.Below is a snapshot of their recent highlights:
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