Welcome to the Spring 2022 Newsletter!
News, events and more from the Westcountry Rivers Trust citizen science investigation.
#WestcountryCSI
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News
As most of you are aware we now have a dedicated online Westcountry CSI manual. This is not just for the newbies to Westcountry CSI but can also be used as a reference document if you have any questions. With that in mind, please do let us know if you would like any additions or changes to the document, we are always eager to hear feedback!
Surveys have been flying in during this first quarter of 2022 so well done all. We have had 883 so far and every month is consistent which is what we are aiming for with the monthly surveys.
We have also welcomed 77 new sign ups to Westcountry CSI so if this is your first newsletter, thank you for signing up, we hope you find the newsletter informing and interesting!
We love spring down by the river and it has been wonderful to view some of your brilliant pictures as we emerge from a long winter.
 
Thank you to Lisa and Rebecca for the beautiful December pictures of the Dart and the Luckett Stream.
As most of you know, Simon has now gone down to 3 days a week here at Westcountry Rivers Trust as he has taken on an exciting new post with the national The Rivers Trust. As a result, you won't be hearing as much from him as usual. However, he is still about and through his new role will be looking into national citizen science programs of which Westcountry CSI will feature!
We wish him well in his new role and look forward to future national citizen science growth.
Westcountry CSI has featured a couple of times in the news on 19th January. You can check out Simon on Spotlight from 4min 30sec in and one of our volunteers, Roger spoke on BBC Radio Cornwall.
Although we are losing some of Simon's time, we have gained two new faces that will be spending some of their time helping with the ever growing CSI. We welcomed Oakley and Sam to the Evidence and Engagement team in February and they are already getting stuck in, producing the 2021 scorecards. Check out their bios below.
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Hi, I’m Oakley and I’ve been working for Westcountry Rivers Trust for 2 months as a Junior Evidence and Engagement Officer. I have a background in ecology and conservation with particular interests in mapmaking and coding. I also love working outside and you can normally find me rambling on Dartmoor in my spare time.
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Hi, I’m Sam and I started working at WRT in February as a Junior Evidence and Engagement Officer. My master’s and undergraduate degrees were in Marine Biology and Oceanography and I am particularly interested in microplastic pollution and water quality monitoring. Outside of work I love to spend my spare time exploring, swimming and surfing around the beautiful coast of Cornwall.
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Have you joined our Facebook page yet? It is a great place to share thoughts, stories and pictures about your local river. You may even discover who else samples in your catchment.
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CSI Profile.....
Kate Morley testimonial
“Taking part in the WRT CSI project has been incredible. I originally signed up thinking it would be interesting to see what state our parish’s watercourses are in… but crikey it has been so much more. Now I reflect that it has given me the opportunity to REALLY observe a local patch through the different seasons, to immerse myself in nature and spend some time to listen to the water babbling, trickling or stopping…
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and to understand the critical role our watercourses play in connectivity for nature. But it has also allowed me to feel a glimmer of hope and ownership of being part of a group of people who are keen to make a small difference and this fights my eco anxiety. Thank you WRT for creating such a brilliant citizen science project.”
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We would love to hear from you if you would like to share your CSI story, please let us know at csi@wrt.org.uk.
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Wildlife Watch...Brown/Sea Trout
Brown Trout are a very adaptable fish species, being able to live in varied conditions and habitats as well as changing their colouring to suit their environments. They are a predatory fish, feeding on aquatic invertebrates and small fish. For this reason, they are a good indicator of a healthy r ecosystem, although they are more tolerant of pollution than salmon.
It was recently discovered that the Sea Trout are the same species as the Brown Trout just with the addition of migrating to sea to feed, grow larger and hence be able to produce more eggs when spawning back in the freshwater environment.
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Want to learn more about Salmonid fish? Check out our webinar delivered by Giles Rickard, one of our fisheries experts at the Trust.
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Are you interested in reducing your single use plastic around he home? Try this fun plastic free bingo to help you with some ideas. Every piece counts!
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Have you tried our Westcountry CSI quiz?
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Did you know that there is a whole page on the Westcountry Rivers Trust website produced by our education manager, Shona dedicated to fun river themed activities for kids (and adults!)?
Make your own Water Cycle.
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Best practice for....Reporting pollution
It can be difficult to know when to report pollution and who to. The Environment Agency are the first port of call for any pollution in our rivers. Ring 0800 807060 if you see anything untoward.
It is important to know that Westcountry Rivers Trust are not an enforcement agency so please do not use the Westcountry CSI scheme as a way of reporting incidents as we may not pick it up in time. However, we want to hear about them through your surveys and if you have an incident number, please note it down on the survey.
Simon has produced an excellent summary for reporting pollution. Find the document on our Westcountry CSI manual under 'resources'.
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The Axe Vale Rivers Association hosted a Westcountry CSI training session in March. It was great to have so many enthusiastic volunteers in attendance. The East Devon area is certainly getting a boost!
WRT also hosted two training events in Falmouth, also in March, one of them alongside Friends of the Fal.
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Winter Heliotrope
This non-native plant is now naturalised in the UK. However, it forms dense mats blocking other species from coming through. It flowers in winter so you may have noticed it whilst out and about on your river surveys in the past few months.
Pictures and information from GB non-native species.
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Make sure you go and check out the Westcountry Rivers Trust Youtube Channel for lots of great videos, webinars and vlogs.
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THANK YOU
As ever we really appreciate the time and effort that is put into Westcountry CSI by all of you. Keep up the great work and keep on spreading the word about our water environments!
Sign up to our Westcountry Rivers Trust newsletter to hear more from the wider trust.
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