LIFE R4ever Kent: Summer Snapshot
It’s been a busy summer for the LIFE R4ever Kent project, with milestones, mussels, and a few misfiring lifejackets.
We kicked off with the first release of juvenile freshwater pearl mussels into the River Kent — a major step in restoring this endangered species. Each mussel was tagged and trained in a flume system to prepare for life in the wild. The release included the 5000th tagged mussel from our partners at the Freshwater Biological Association — a proud moment for the team.
Alongside this, we’ve been expanding our eDNA sampling, searching for white-clawed crayfish and freshwater pearl mussel DNA across catchments. This helps us identify refuge and ark sites, and track species distribution. Our replication work in other catchments with West Cumbria Rivers Trust and Eden Rivers Trust has been a highlight, even if Kendal Calling traffic threw us off course!
We’ve also wrapped up a year-long phosphate study using DGT passive samplers. The data will help us understand water quality trends, compare sampling methods, and guide future restoration efforts.
On the invasive species front, we’re tackling Giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, and more — backed by the Don’t Pack a Pest campaign to boost biosecurity across Cumbria worked on by partners South Cumbria Rivers Trust.
Finally, we’ve hosted land manager events, and even made it onto BBC Radio to spread the mussel message. It’s been a season of science, collaboration, and a few soggy surprises — all in the name of nature recovery.
LIFE R4ever Kent