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May Newsletter 2021

Hi everyone

The month of May is upon us, though this year without all the usual celebrations that mark the traditional arrival of spring. We can however look out for nature’s own seasonal markers as the migrant birds like the cuckoo return to our shores, though unfortunately not the nightingale, which I’m reminded in my copy of Hertfordshire Breeding Birds, was common in our catchment until relatively recently.

A New Chalk Aquifer Alliance Talk
The next in the CAA’s series of talks is this Wednesday evening, focusing this week on an examination of power and accountability in the water industry from a seasoned river campaigner.

It’s topicality and suggestions as to how we can make a difference make this a not to be missed evening with particular relevance for us as we look to investigate water quality further in the catchment.

Power, Accountability and Saving our Rivers - Theo Thomas, London Waterkeeper
The regulator says the number of prosecutions for river pollution has dropped to a 5 year low. Water companies are owned by overseas investors and pension funds.

Theo Thomas, London Waterkeeper, will explore how we can make ourselves heard and change the current power imbalance. Theo founded London Waterkeeper to be an independent voice for the Capital’s rivers. He was a BBC news journalist in the East Midlands before combining his passion for the environment with social justice.

Theo worked for Thames21 for 12 years leading its work on water quality, citizen science and sustainable drainage. He has a vision for a swimmable River Thames which would see thousands of people benefit from improved physical and mental health.

Free, all welcome. Register in advance below and joining instructions will be sent to you

Petition for Better Water Quality

Following the recent Panorama programme that investigated water quality, a petition was launched on the Government Petitions website, asking the Government to ‘Ban Water Companies discharging raw sewage into water courses.

The petition now stands at over 30,000 which is sufficient to require a government response. To date that is outstanding, though the government petition site has been updated to reference the current work of the Environmental Audit Committee, which you can read at the base of the petitions page.

If 100,000 signatures are gathered, a parliamentary debate is typically scheduled. If you and your members can lend your support (if you/they haven’t already!) then please consider it.

New volunteer roles
Thank-you to all the volunteers who have stepped up to help with our rivers. Last week, five new Friends of the Rib & Quin volunteers underwent riverfly monitor training, both on Zoom and in the Mimram at Welwyn. They will shortly be equipped with monitoring equipment and establishing monitoring points up and down the rivers.

We are also grateful to those who have volunteered as River Wardens and will be ‘adopting’ various points and stretches along the rivers. At the earliest opportunity we will have an online meeting to explain the role, though if you will bare with me a little longer there are a couple of details I want to check with colleagues over on the River Ver. Below is a little further information on these and the other roles and ways supporters can help us, so if you think you could help with any of the following, please let us know via email here.

• Wildlife Recorder - If you are a smartphone user, install the iNaturalist app from Apple App Store or Google Play and start recording what you find. It’s as simple as that. The app and community can help you with identifications and sightings are automatically included in our project if they are records from our catchment.
  

• Riverfly Monitor - We can arrange full training in this scheme when it is available via The Riverfly Partnership, which will return as COVID restrictions ease. Our ambition is to have a string of monitors along our rivers, so if this is something that interests you, let us know and we will keep you informed.
  

• River Warden - If there is a stretch of river that you visit regularly through the week and are able to keep an eye on, we’d love to hear from you. We are currently working with other river groups to develop a specification and list of simple activities involved in this role, so let us know if you have a stretch in mind and we will be in touch shortly.
  

• Riverwork gang - Balsam bashing this summer is top of the priority list with two sites already identified. We also hope to include winter and project specific work on bank-side improvements in the future.

• Educational Link - We are keen to have strong and close relationships with our local schools and colleges and develop materials that link with the curriculum at various age points. We are hoping there are local teachers or educational specialists who could assist us and help formulate this programme.
  

• Administrators and Researchers - As our work develops it will need more organisation and undoubtedly the more we know about our catchment the better we will be able to represent it. If you could help with some of the research and admin, do let us know.

The River Quin from Barkway to Braughing

Through the winter months and early spring of 2021, Peter Sinclair took on the herculean task of surveying the River Quin, from its source down to where it joins the Rib south of Braughing. On our website now are his reports from the field, which make for a fascinating read.

Friends of the Rib & Quin Fundraising
There are a couple of ways that supporters can help raise funds for the group currently.

FORQ are participants in the East Herts District Council Lottery, with 50% of all ticket sales we generate coming to the group - further details can be found here.

We also have some rather fetching FORQ T shirts, with a couple of additional designs and colours added for 2021. Do take a look and see if anything takes your fancy. All items are ethically sourced and printed on the Isle of Wight.

Thanks as always for your support.
Best wishes

Mark