Wild Ennerdale to hold talk about reintroduction of beavers

Eighty-five people attended the first beaver reintroduction drop-in event, which was held in Ennerdale Bridge in October. An online talk was held last month, another one will be held on Thursday, from 7pm.

The project is being led by Wild Ennerdale, a partnership between the three landowners, the National Trust, Forestry England and United Utilities, which is supported by Natural England.

"The Eurasian beaver is a well-studied species capable of providing biodiversity and economic benefits through its natural activities and offers a unique opportunity for Ennerdale," said a spokesman.

"Our vision is to see free living beavers reintroduced to the length of the River Ehen, from mountains to sea.

"As a first step, we propose to host some beaver family groups in the (partially enclosed) upper valley, east of Ennerdale Water. This would start a three to five-year public engagement period during which we would engage with local landowners and communities to share and build up knowledge and experience with beavers living in the landscape.

"At the end of this period, we would hold a formal consultation to see if the local community supports the vision for beavers to have access to the full length of the River Ehen.

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For more details about the online talk, go to Wild Ennerdale's Facebook page.