The beavers would be introduced into the area of the middle valley east of the Irish Bridge,. The propsoe release sites are at Moss Dub, in the mire east of the Gillerthwaite Fields and just down from the middle concrete road bridge.  We propose that this would be for a limited 3 to 5 year period of public engagement.  Subject to a review of learning from this period, our vision long term is that beavers would have freedom to roam the whole River Ehen catchment from under Great Gable west to the coast.

The beavers would have access to the whole of the valley east of Ennerdale Water. Assuming that the beavers might roam up to 50m from existing watercourses this gives them an area of around 200 hectares (495 acres). This is significantly larger than any previous beaver reintroductions in England to date which have been typically around 10 to 20 hectares (25 to 50 acres).

The ecology feasibility study identified three suitable sites for the release of beaver families and suggested that a pair of young beavers could also be released at the same time. The recommended sites are at: Moss Dub, Gillerthwaite Mire and a site west of the Middle Bridge, see Ennerdale Beaver Reintroduction Map.  The latter two would need a small amount of work to create some standing water for the beavers to settle into immediately after their release. The young pair could be released higher up the valley away from the family release sites.

We are considering reintroducing three beaver family groups. Beavers typically have one or two young (kits) per year. At the age of two the kits usually leave to find themselves a mate and their own territory. Each family group would comprise of a male and female adults along with their dependant young so group size can vary from two adults up to six animals if two lots of kits are also part of the group.  In addition, we are thinking about releasing a young pair of male and female two year old beavers. Our experts tell us that the valley is very capable of support this number of beavers for well over 10 years so the 3 to 5 year timescale should be fine.

Depending on feedback and licence outcomes, we are hoping for beavers to be introduced to the valley in Spring 2023.

The beavers will come from Scotland. We had thought about getting one family from Norway to improve genetic diversity. However recent research shows that the genetic diversity of beavers in Scotland is suitably wide to be sustainable and almost as diverse as the beavers in central Europe. Getting beavers from Scotland costs less and also significantly reduces the stress on the beavers from their time in quarantine and being transported. We won't be getting any from central Europe as they may carry a disease which is not present in the UK. Prior to their release, all beavers would undergo robust health screening.

We have given this question a lot of thought.  Advice from experts is  that the steep and rocky sides of Ennerdale would act as a natural barrier, as beavers seldom stray more than a few tens of metres from a watercourse so there is no chance of them crossing the high mountains that encircle the valley. We would need to install some additional structures including fencing to prevent the beavers leaving the valley and entering the lake. The main structure would be a water gate on the River Liza attached to the existing concrete pipe bridge just east of where it flows into Ennerdale Water. This would be linked to upgraded and new fencing either side.

A trial of the water gate control structure has been ongoing since early 2020. Its function is to contain beavers upstream whilst allowing the movement of gravel downstream (key for Arctic charr spawning) and the migration of Salmon and Charr upstream. Designs have been discussed in partnership with The Environment Agency and Natural England. To date all indications are that this gate will function as desired.

Please remember that both the gates and any fencing will be temporary and will be removed after five years once either the beavers are given free living status or if there is'nt majority support for this we will then pass them onto another project.

How would the Watergates Work?

The water gate has metal bars set at 10cm apart which experts tells us beaver wont be able to squeeze through. In addition there is a short overhang fence on the upstream side of the bridge to prevent beavers climbing out and bypassing the gates.

To let spawning fish through we propose to replace 3 of the gates with gates that have a wider gap between the metal vertical bars that will allow large spawning trout and salmon to migrate through them. These will only be swapped in

during the spawning season from late October to February. The rest of the year the gates will be using the 10cm spaced bars. Whilst this does increase the risk of a beaver escaping during the spawning season we believe this risk is low because; the smaller kits will have grown larger by October and the beavers will be higher up the river system than where these gates are . We will increase monitoring of the gate with cameras to check for any escaping beavers during this time.

The gate needs to be able to let gravel pass during storm events as its important that the Arctic Charr spawning ground down stream of the bridge receive fresh gravel each year. The gates are designed to lift in high rainfall storm events at the peak of the water flow. A flat metal sheet baffle attached to the underneath of the gate causes the gate to lift in high storm flows. No electronics are needed. Beavers are unlikely to be in the river during these high storm flows as they are not strong swimmers and will not want to put themselves at risk of drowning. The beavers will instead shelter in their lodge until the storm passes. When  the flow drops the gate swill close again.

You can see video and photos of the trial gates in high and low flow situations in our Photo Library on Flickr

What About Fencing?

On the south side of the River Liza we would upgrade existing fencing and walls heading south to Silvercove then west using the existing wall towards Side Wood. The boundary will then use the wall boundary on the east side of Side Wood heading up the steep slope. A short section of new fence would need to be erected east of Side Wood to connect to the field boundary wall.  The gate into Woundell Beck will be replaced with a similar but more reliably closing gate.

On the north side of the River Liza a new fence will run east on the steep bank below the forest road. This will then turn across the forest road and head north at an angle across the slope for a few hundred metres. A new gate will be installed across the forest road.

Existing fences will need to be replaced with a smaller mesh size net incorporating a 50cm overhang at the top to deter beavers from climbing over them. Wooden posts will need to be put on the outside of the fence to stop beavers gnawing at them or metal posts maybe used. A net apron on the ground will prevent beavers digging under the fence although with the rock soils in Ennerdale this is unlikely to happen and may not be needed along the full length. The fence will be slightly higher than an existing stock fence but still low enough to see over.

We will also have to add an overhang net to the back of walls along the boundary. Unlike fences most people wont notice this addition as the paths are on the opposite side of the wall to where the overhand fence will be and will be lower than the wall.

Yes there will need to be around 500 to 600m of additional fencing mostly on the north side of the river. Please remember that both the gates and any fencing will be temporary and will be removed after five years once either the beavers are given free living status or if there is'nt majority support for this once we have passed the beavers onto another project.

On the south side of the River Liza we would upgrade existing fencing and walls heading south to Silvercove then west using the existing wall towards Side Wood. The boundary will then use the wall boundary on the east side of Side Wood heading up the steep slope. A short section of new fence would need to be erected east of Side Wood to connect to the field boundary wall.  The gate into Woundell Beck will be replaced with a similar but more reliably closing gate.

On the north side of the River Liza a new fence will run east on the steep bank below the forest road. This will then turn across the forest road and head north at an angle across the slope for a few hundred metres. A new gate will be installed across the forest road.

Existing fences will need to be replaced with a smaller mesh size net incorporating a 50cm overhang at the top to deter beavers from climbing over them. Wooden posts will need to be put on the outside of the fence to stop beavers gnawing at them or metal posts maybe used. A net apron on the ground will prevent beavers digging under the fence although with the rock soils in Ennerdale this is unlikely to happen and may not be needed along the full length. The fence will be slightly higher than an existing stock fence but still low enough to see over.

We will also have to add an overhang net to the back of walls along the boundary. Unlike fences most people wont notice this addition as the paths are on the opposite side of the wall to where the overhand fence will be and will be lower than the wall.

As part of a reintroduction, we would employ a dedicated Project Officer who will be trained and licenced to be able to trap, handle and move beavers. If a beaver were to escape from the enclosed area, they would likely set up new territory in Ennerdale Water which is good habitat. The Project Officer would organise the capture of the beaver which would then be released back into the eastern valley and a review of the infrastructure undertaken.

Beavers are a charismatic species and most active at dusk and dawn. Public access to the area where the beavers are proposed to be released would continue and we propose to provide hides and selfled guides for people to find and watch the beavers themselves. Over time and dependent on how beavers adapt to Ennerdale, we hope to expand engagement opportunities for people with eco-tourism in mind, facilitated by extra staff or contractors.

To investigate how beavers may affect the historic sites, we have carried out a mapping exercise comparing the location of all the archaeology features with a 50m buffer around all the watercourses to indicate the impact that beavers may have. This map shows that all of the features (apart from the River Liza cairns) are above or far enough away from the where beavers might have an impact. This is not surprising if you think that the people who built these features may well have lived alongside a valley bottom shaped by beavers in the past. An archaeology management plan is in place and this will continue should beavers be present.

In addition to the mapping work, we would continue to monitor the beavers activity and step in where necessary to protect any features from damage using flow devices to control the height of beaver dams and fencing to keep beavers out.

For more information on management of historic features please visit our Managing Archelogy web page.

For Nature: The role of beavers as ecosystem engineers is well documented. Although Wild Ennerdale has been operating for nearly 20 years, the riparian and valley bottom habitats within the valley have potential for significant further restoration. We expect beavers to bring significant increased species diversity and abundance through their dynamic wetland creation. Our proposal for a large-scale release of beavers at Ennerdale is an exciting change in direction for beaver reintroductions in England, which have to date been on a smaller, more localised scale. Key outputs for this project would include, but not be limited to, monitoring of changes in biodiversity, behavioural studies, and identifying changes in habitat in relation to  different land uses within the valley.

For People: The beavers would be introduced into an Open Access landscape, with people recreating daily along multiple rights of way and waymarked trails. People are likely, in time, to see beavers and their impacts in a free roaming way which is currently not possible on other upland release sites in England. A beaver’s ability to slow the flow of water in storm events will be a demonstrator for flood risk communities in North Cumbria as to how this natural architect can contribute to flood mitigation measures.

Wild Ennerdale has a well-established and recognised approach to including volunteering into its natural process led management. The beaver reintroduction would add further to this offer and provide a new opportunity to include local people in the being part of the valley’s evolving story.

For the Economy: Located in West Cumbria, this project has significant potential to deliver direct economic and employment benefits linking into other regeneration initiatives. There is no-doubt that successfully established beavers will attract tourists to Wild Ennerdale who will need visitor infrastructure in place..

YHA Ennerdale and Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre would be in a prime location to explore ecotourism opportunities within the footprint of existing development. Other local accommodation providers could also benefit and there is currently a gap at the more bespoke luxury end for overnight stays.

The demand for UK-based wildlife watching experiences is increasing, with sites such as the Knepp Estate in West Sussex demonstrating the potential of a nature-based economy. We anticipate that guided beaver watches could join a suite of bookable, low impact wildlife watching experiences at Ennerdale.

All ecotourism development would take place within the guidance of the Wild Ennerdale Stewardship Plan’s principles of management to maintain and protect the valley’s special sense of wildness and tranquillity.

No we won't be charging people to see the beavers, access to the forest and valley is free. Forestry England are planning to make Bowness Knott car park a pay for car park however the parking fee will be low and there will be a low cost Annual Membership option which will provide unlimited parking.

No, none of the Wild Ennerdale Partners have plans to build a visitor centre. Our approach to managing the buildings in the valley is small scale and light touch.