Urswick Parish Council

Page Hosted On Behalf Of
Urswick Tarn Association

Urswick Tarn is owned by Urswick Parish Council which decided to lease it to a dedicated Association back in 1968. The tarn is managed by the Association under the terms of its lease and in accordance with its own constitution which is approved by the Parish Council. An important reference for the Association's committee in the management of the tarn is the Urswick Tarn Management Plan compiled by Cumbria Wildlife Trust and periodically update by them in discussion with the Association.

Of particular concern to the Association, its Trustees and the Parish Council is the extent that the reed bed has declined over the latter decades of the 20th Century due to infilling and reclamation of the Tarn edge. This has caused loss of reeds but also made it difficult for the reeds to re-establish on the steepened bank sides. Amphibians and birds have also suffered from the loss of shallows and bay area. The Management Plan emphasises that the importance of reeds for wildfowl cannot be overstressed. They provide areas to rest, preen, feed, shelter, nest and breed. Loss of habitat causes a drop in the breeding success and an increase in the mortality rate.

There has been a very significant decline in the population of coot on Urswick Tarn over the last half century. Their presence was so abundant, and had been so for such a long period of time that they are a part of Urswick folklore with Urswick people themselves being known throughout the district as Ossick Coots. In modern times one is hard pressed to count as many as thirty on the tarn - a fraction of what used to be. Whilst this is a very visible decline, other species, such as the more secretive water vole, have also suffered a dramatic fall in numbers; testimony to the views of the specialists as expressed in the Management Plan. Remediation of the root causes is possible and hoped for, but this would need to be executed under expert guidance to avoid adding to, rather than alleviating, the damage that is currently evident. Nature and man can coexist, and Urswick Tarn is a location where this should be the case, but a more considerate approach is needed than has been the case in many instances so evident at points around the tarn.

The above three photographs show the changes which have taken place at the north end of Urswick Tarn between the 1960s and 2007. The major loss of habitat and accompanying ecological opportunity is self evident.

The Association manages the fishing on the tarn via a permit system and similarly regulates the use of boats. Caring for the natural environment in and around the tarn is a time consuming, and at times challenging task for the small dedicated band of volunteers who regularly commit their time and energy. The result of this effort is a gem of aquatic ecology, of which the parish is justifiably proud, as well as being grateful to those who endeavour so hard to keep it so. Particularly encouraging is the active participation in the Association by young people from the village. More are encouraged to join in and thereby learn about and care for what will eventually be an important part of their rural inheritance.

Urswick Tarn is an exceptionally rare marl tarn and has become a location of importance for research into anthropogenic climate change. Exeter University are the lead academic institution involved in this work, which to date has confirmed the significance of the carbonate content in the sediment deposits of the tarn. More intensive field work is planned for the future and is currently in its preparatory stages.

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