R. Chess Association

Normally aquatic invertebrates get my attention but this evening it was crickets & grasshoppers. Seen to be out in huge numbers on the water meadows on the River Chess. Reverting arable to grass might have helped. ⁦@RiverChess⁩ ⁦@Buzz_dont_tweet⁩ ⁦@ChilternsNL⁩

Great woodland walk today in the ⁦@RiverChess⁩ valley spotting these wildflowers taking advantage of a newly opened canopy, not just the light it’s also the warmth this fallen beech provides. ⁦@ChilternsNL⁩ ⁦@ChilternWoods⁩ So pleased to have a botanist with us.

Another unwanted and unbelievable milestone passed today - 3000 hours of continuous sewage have been discharged directly into the #RiverVer chalk stream since December 12th 2024. No rain or snowmelt - see you in court?

It's beyond disappointing that @DefraGovUK are shelving their unpublished chalk stream recovery pack. To find out more read Charles Rangeley Wilson's latest Blog: chalkstreams.org/2024/11/02/the…

There's no solution to eradicating this invader but anyone interacting with watercourses can slow the spread by practicing #CheckCleanDry Our network of riverfly monitors will continue to be vigilant for invasive non-native species. @Riverflies @theriverstrust @Thames_RvrsTrst

.. confirmed our identification. It's thought the shrimp has come from the Kennet and Avon Canal, with boat traffic travelling upstream. Demon shimp have been recorded in the past but just 50 metres above the Kennet's confluence with the Thames and the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The invasive non-native Demon shrimp (Dikerogammarus haemobaphes) has been confirmed on the River Dun. Our trained riverfly monitors at this site riverfly site reported this large shrimp in their sample. We got the specimen under a microscope and liaised with the @EnvAgency who..

@UnderwaterMedia @GaywoodRiver @Feargal_Sharkey @jaowallace @MarchforWater @WATERSHED_i @OSennitt @WestNorfolkRob @RussellB1ggs @joe_crowley @Springwoodcoun1 @ChrisGPackham @SteveBackshall @BBCNorfolk One of the sources of the @RiverChess. Flowing strong all year and picking up again.

We have reported this to @ThreeRiversDC they are taking action. When I visited the site this morning there was less flow but it was still a problem. This is a very popular walk and this will become worse as we progress into winter. @RiverChess @Chilternstreams @ChilternSociety

@EnvAgency @RiverChess @PJennings88 @Chilternstreams Just been sent these this morning from Scotsbridge playing fields Rickmansworth

As the dust settles on the ‘landmark’ case that ruled United Utilities can be held accountable for damage caused by sewage spills, lawyer Simon Tilling travels back to the Victorian era understand the decision - and the questions it leaves unanswered ⬇️ endsreport.com/article/189058…

The White-clawed Crayfish & Crucian Carp are both threatened. They are both thought to be medieval introductions to the UK. We put loads of £££ into conserving the Crayfish & protect it as "native". But the Crucian is disregarded & unfundable as it is "non-native". Discuss!

First light Bourn Brook Kingfisher. Ydy Bourn Brook clean up 2 Kingfisher. Bourn Brook Heron;

There are no active riverfly monitoring groups in my area. Can I set up my own group? Yes, course! We would love to hear from you if you are interested in setting a new group. Please contact us at info@riverflies.org for more information on how to get started!

Fed up with sharing your river with scary 💩 monsters? Want to join a radical new campaign? PLEASE help fund Black Samphire🎬 to tell the horror story of #sewage pollution @GreenJennyJones @TheJimMurray @RiverActionUK @Feargal_Sharkey @ChrisGPackham kickstarter.com/projects/silic…

Today we swam the 866m of the River Wissey at Borough Fen up from the below. What a sad difference 15 months make! Among the most fishless of swims. Just one large Brown Trout heading upstream, a couple of shoals of Minnows (fry under only tree) & a few Sticklebacks. #MySwim 1/4

“Young salmon numbers in River Frome fall to record low.” As a reminder the UK’s entire population of Atlantic salmon has been placed on the endangered species list. The salmon that live and spawn in our southern chalk streams. Itchen, Test, Avon, Frome are an even rarer sub species only ever be found in those very rivers. So here we are, ecocide, not in some far flung remote corner of the planet, but here, right now, in the 6th largest economy on earth, within a hours journey of our capital city, in our own backyard, species extinction. We’re a laughing stock as a nation. thetimes.com/article/ac0352…

Disastrous Resumption of Damaging Abstraction in the Upper @RiverChess Abstraction reductions in 2020 have now been reversed by the @EnvAgency, having secretly negotiated a costly & ill-conceived resumption of abstraction with @AffinityWater.

A wet day and the sewage starts to torrent into our rivers. @RiverChess one of many chalk streams suffering this morning. @thameswater @ChilternSociety @ChilternsNL @Chilternstreams @BucksCouncil @EnvAgency

Out filming with ⁦@BBCTomEdwards⁩ for BBC London News covering the ⁦⁦@thameswater⁩ fines for illegal sewage discharges. This section was filmed above and below the Chesham Sewage Treatment Works outfall on the ⁦@RiverChess⁩. ⁦@Chilternstreams⁩