Volunteering
Volunteers are important to the Trust as they are the vital manpower we need to help deliver out habitat projects. They also make a much more rounded project by taking an active role in protecting local rivers and streams – this helps to ensure that the river is looked after in the long term. Volunteers are the eyes and ears of our catchment. They help to monitor the water quality and report on pollution incidents, as well as helping us keep track on the whereabouts of endangered species like otters and water voles. We also monitor invasive species like Himalayan balsam and American mink around the catchment, something which couldn’t be done to any great scale without our volunteers. We can’t be everywhere at once, but with a dedicated team of volunteers on the ground, we can get pretty close!
For a volunteer, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience and a great opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors and meet like minded people, as well as gaining experience and learning new skills. If you would like to give our river environment the helping hand that it so desperately needs in places, the main areas we need help are:
Fish surveys – The Trust undertook 200 fish surveys in 2008. We have now expanded this to over 300 thanks to our volunteers’ involvement. It’s a great way to get involved in the long term monitoring of the catchment’s fish stocks from salmon to bullheads, and it’s a real eye-opener to what is in those small streams people don’t give a second glance to. The surveys are done from Monday to Friday, June to October, and full training and equipment is provided (participating volunteers must be physically fit and in good health).
Invertebrate Monitoring – The most important thing to a river’s wildlife is the quality of its water. In order to monitor this, the Trust has a volunteer invertebrate monitoring scheme. This scheme started small but we have now joined forces with the Riverfly Partnership and currently have over 50 volunteers, but we still need more. It is a little more committed, a day’s training needs to be undertaken and then monthly monitoring of a designated site is required (taking 1 hour a month). The results are sent back to the Trust for analysis. This is important work as it can flag up pollution incidents. If found to be serious, the Trust would pass the information on to the Environment Agency and it could lead to prosecution of the offenders. Full training and equipment is provided.
Tree Planting – Trees along riverbanks are important for a number of reasons. They make excellent habitat for wildlife and overhanging branches give shade and cover to fish, invertebrates and otters. Trees also help to mitigate the effects of climate change, so there are benefits all round. The Trust plant trees from November through to March when the weather conditions ensure that as many trees as possible survive and grow. Planting trees requires real teamwork, and it’s a great feeling when you see your effot transform into established woodland over the years.
Fencing – Livestock can have a serious effect on the health of a river, especially the smaller tributaries. By trampling the banks they generate increased erosion, allowing high levels of sediment to enter the water. They also prevent vegetation from growing, so the riverside habitat is less diverse and there are fewer overhanging plants for fish to use as cover. Livestock in rivers input faecal matter directly into the water and they can also trample and destroy fish eggs during spawning seasons. With the banks fenced off, the riverside flora can flourish and the river is more pretected from diffuse pollution. Fencing requires a lot of physical effort and hard work, but it generates a real sense of acheivement.
Invasive species – The Trust is working in partnership with the Environment Agency to control invasive species in the catchment. These species are a significant threat to native wildlife and cause environmental and economic damage. The success of this project relies greatly on volunteers recording their whereabouts and helping us control their spread. You can report your observations on our website www.lancashireinvasives.org where you will also find information to help you identify the species. We need volunteers to get even more involved in hands-on work like pulling Himalayan balsam too. We may even be able to provide certified training for volunteers to assist with the chemical control of weeds like Japanese knotweed.
If you would like to volunteer for any of the above, send an email to admin@ribbletrust.com to put your name on the mailing list and you will receive notifications of upcoming volunteer events. If you haven’t got time to volunteer but would still like to contribute why not become a member? For further details visit our membership page.