Tay Western Catchments Project

What is the project?

A large scale catchment management initiative covering over 1000 miles of rivers and watercourses in the western catchments of the Tay river system, centred on Glen Lochay, Glen Lyon and the Dochart/ Fillan/ Cononish system. Managed by Scottish Native Woods in Aberfeldy, Highland Perthshire.

Scottish Native Woods are working in partnership with, among others, the local angling community, local landowners and the Tay Gillies Association.

Over the course of the past year, we have had useful feedback from Forestry Commission Scotland, SEPA, SNH, Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park Authority, Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board and others, including a number of interested individuals.

We have now successfully raised the £70,000 required to take this survey phase through to completion, slightly less than originally budgeted. The money raised came from the following sources:

Private individuals/ business donations 53% (including angling clubs and the Tay Ghillies Association)
Awards for All 14%
Private charitable trusts 10%
LEADER Programme 8%
European Objective 2 Funding 8%
Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park Authority 7%

The report write-up is slightly behind schedule, but we will be floating a number of ideas before the end of June.

To discuss the project please contact Victor Clements on 01887 829220 or email victor.clements@scottishnativewoods.org.uk or ghillie Jock Monteith on 07968 145033 or email jock@themonteith.com or Alex Stewart on 01567 820224 or email Alex Stewart

Leader

LEADER are supporting the current consultation period on our main recommendations which will be taking place through to this autumn. This will allow us to galvanize genuine local community support for our ideas, to make any necessary changes to our recommendations and to build local community capacity through training and support.
An increased capacity for delivering local projects will ensure a range of projects can be delivered and monitored on a sustainable basis into the future. Both the Rural Tayside and Forth Valley & Lomond Leader areas are supporting this project.

European Funding

EU Objective 2 funding helped support the development of this project, and the EU is a key funder of the LEADER Programme, above.

Reports

Download the Pilot Survey Report
WCP Full Interim Report.pdf
WCP Summary Interim Report.pdf

In addition to our 1000 mile riparian survey, Scottish Native Woods have commissioned a report on land use, geology and water quality of the western catchments area. This report has been compiled by the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (MLURI) and has been paid for by a generous donation from the Tay Ghillies Association.

You can read or download the reports here.
Western Tay Land Use Geology and Water Quality Rep.pdf

Western Catchments in the Context of Tayside.pdf

Western Catchments Projects Land Use Report.pdf
Glen Lyon Land Use Map.pdf
Glen Lochay Land Use Map.pdf
Glen Dochart Land Use Map.pdf

Western Catchments Projects Geology Report.pdf
Glen Lyon Geology Map.pdf
Glen Lochay Geology Map.pdf
Glen Dochart Geology Map.pdf

Western Catchments Projects Water Quality Report.pdf
Glen Lyon Water Quality Map.pdf
Glen Lochay Water Quality Map.pdf
Glen Dochart Water Quality Map.pdf

The following maps reflect the Water Framework Directive classification of water bodies within each of the three glens.
Glen Lyon WFD Classification Map.pdf
Glen Lochay WFD Classification Map.pdf
Glen Dochart WFD Classification Map.pdf

The Tay Western Catchments Project covers a particularly heavily designated area with a wide range of sites of national importance, some of which are extensive.
The following notes and accompanying maps explain where these sites are, why they are designated and how they relate to one another.
TWCP-Designated Sites Notes.pdf
Designated Sites Glen Dochart.pdf
Designated Sites Glen Lochay.pdf
Designated Sites Glen Lyon.pdf

How the survey progressed

To view photos and videos of our work, during the survey, you can link to:Tay Western Catchments Blog

Surveying involved walking all the tributaries marked on a 1:50,000 scale Landranger Ordnance Survey map. Some 60% of these are minor tributaries which are often overlooked from a fishing point of view. However, put together, they have an important cumulative effect on the river as a whole, and much of the wider biodiversity has been found associated with these smaller streams.

Where have we surveyed? See here Area Map.pdf

How many miles?

Surveyors can cover approx 3.5 miles each in a day, although exact distances vary depending on the terrain, and the weather can severely curtail what we can achieve in a day.

We have now finished the survey phase our project, finishing the 1000 miles at the symbolic 'source of the Tay' on Ben Lui. We believe that we have redefined the source of the biggest river system in Britain. Over the course of the winter, we will be analysing the data we have collected and will be producing a draft report of our findings in the spring.

Please contact 01887 829220 or email victor.clements@scottishnativewoods.org.uk

Journey to the source of the Tay

Climbing Ben Lui

In search of the source of the Tay

Ice on the rocks

Icicles on the rocks on Ben Lui

The Source of the Tay

Nelly, one of our surveyors, at the source of the Tay - a small lochan frozen over on this day.

Which rivers?

This is where the Lochay and the Dochart meet. These are two of the rivers we are looking at.

Publicity

The word on the street is.....
Maintaining a high profile will be important throughout the term of the project.

Training Day at Ben Lawers

It is extremely difficult to identify montane (mountain region) willows which is a species we particularly want to accurately record.
Here you see us with National Trust for Scotland rangers, David Marden and Andrew Warwick (out of shot), on a training session at their Ben Lawers site.
Identification still proves difficult!

Good Riparian Habitat

There is some good riparian habitat on the Lochay like this. Banks are fairly stable with a good cover of trees, but not too many, and the watercourse is fairly free of sediment. It is not just problems we are recording but all that we find - good and bad.

Fishy problems

A simple blockage will impede fish movement and make good habitat redundant. These are easily cleared.

Double click on any of these images to see a larger version.

Riverbank problems

Cattle trampling damage destabilises banks and creates siltation which harms spawning and parr habitat.

Tyndrum Dam

This dam is obviously full to the neck with silt and subsequent inputs will just go straight over the top into the river. We will investigate a bit more of the history behind this and seek solutions.

Work necessary

There are two obvious problems here. The banks are badly eroded and there is very little water in the river. Work will be needed to rectify these issues.

Invasive plant species

It is important that the small areas present on the river system of Japanese Knotweed and other invasive species such as Himalayan Balsam are eradicated before they can spread.

Curious Creatures

The Water Vole is the most endangered mammal in Britain. This one peeked out at us from it's burrow while we were having lunch.

Upland Water Vole habitat

This is classic Water Vole habitat. Lush vegetation and slow moving water provide the ideal food sources for this rodent made famous as 'Ratty' in Wind in the Willows.

Tracks

We know there are otters and mink on the Fillan. These otter tracks were found at Loch Lubhair. Otters are a welcome part of the eco-system. Mink, on the other hand, will take fish during the winter months and we might speculate that exhausted kelts might well be very vulnerable to them. Mink can also devastate water fowl and other bird-life and are the main reason for decline in our water-vole population, the most endangered mammal in Britain today. Mink control will be one of our key recommendations.

Upland Riparian Woodland

Many of these upland woods are actually in reasonably good condition.

Where the water goes

Much of the water from the top half of Glen Lochay is abstracted and taken via this pipeline to Glen Lyon.

Some of the natives

Red Deer in Glen Lochay

Killin

Killin sits at the west end of Loch Tay

Upper Glen Lochay

Upper Glen Lochay

Up in the hills

The smaller burns need surveyed too.

Dochart

Loch Dochart is the smaller of two lochs on the Dochart, Loch Iubhair being the other.
It is very shallow as a result of sedimentation over the years. Although this has affected the fishing interest it has allowed reeds and other marginal plants to grow and is now an important area for breeding birds.

Loch Iubhair

Loch Iubhair is by far the bigger of the two lochs on the Dochart, lying to the east of Loch Dochart. It is a popular area for picnics and for fishing by boat. This view is looking west towards Crianlarich.

Kirkton Glen

These small native woodland remnants have a disproportionate biodiversity value in this kind of open landscape. As a pioneer species rowan trees can survive better than other species in this type of situation.

The River Fillan

This is the River Fillan looking west towards Tyndrum.

Ben More

Ben More dominates the area around Crianlarich and is the biggest hill in the Dochart valley. It is also very, very steep! Some of the tributaries we will be looking at next year arise near its summit. Can't wait!

The River Fillan is in the foreground.

Protection Orders

The local freshwater fishing interests are safe-guarded by the Tay Protection Order which is policed by the local angling clubs and the Tay Liaison Committee. Affordable fishing permits are available from many local outlets.

Landowners receive extra local bailiffing input from angling club members in return for making their waters available for use. It is a good system.

The Hervie Burn

Many smaller tributaries feed the bigger rivers and also contribute valuable fish habitat to the overall system. Fish in these smaller tributaries can often escape the harmful effects of big floods on the main river.

Although relatively short, the Hervie burn is an example of good riparian habitat.

No Buffer Zone

These spruce trees have been planted too close to this small watercourse that is actually quite capable of producing fish if the habitat round about were more sympathetic. Planting this close to such watercourses is very bad practice.

No Vegetation

A high percentage of the Dochart catchment is under commercial forestry, mostly Sitka Spruce like this which shades out all the light and leaves the ground devoid of all vegetation.

No vegetation, no insects - no insects, no fish!

The drainage ditches between every row of trees can contribute sediment to neighbouring watercourses which can become badly silted and very compacted.

There are ways of mitigating these problems but both good and bad practices have veen noted in the Dochart catchment. Some 120-150 miles of tributaries on the Dochart system are overplanted like this.

Too many trees!

Clearfelling operations allows the opportunity to provide a more sympathetic type of woodland next to watercourses. Unfortunately, someone has got carried away here planting 100% broadleaf cover at 2m x 2m spacing right up to the burn again.

Not only is this expensive but by the time these trees grow, and some birch and willows have regenerated beside them, this will again be a very dark corridor that the burns flows through.

Watercourses need dappled shade.

A 20-30% cover of trees in the 20m either side of the burn would be sufficient to create a good riparian zone.

Planting fewer trees means less expense and higher profits which should encourage continuous management which might free up more tributaries like this one.

Previously this would have been planted with Sitka Spruce with very little, if any, of a buffer zone through which light may penetrate to the forest floor.

Happy Dippers

Dippers are a sign of good water quality. This one is on the main stem of the River Fillan.

However, we have seen dippers up at over 2,500 ft in the mountains.

We are keeping a record of all interesting wildlife that we see.