Living Rivers Volunteer Opportunities
We need your help to protect our local rivers and maintain the best habitats for our river species such as Water Voles, Trout and Graylings. There are several opportunities available to volunteers on our rivers, you can help monitor Riverfly populations as a Riverfly monitor, join us at work parties clearing out invasive species or building habitats as a Living Rivers Practical Volunteer or train as a Water Vole Surveyor.
If you're interested in more then one opportunity, please note, you will have to apply multiple times.Â
Riverfly Monitor
Help record chalk river invertebrates (Riverflies) on a monthly basis, through kick sampling at a site local to you. We monitor around 30 sites on rivers across Hertfordshire, recording numbers of 8 groups of Riverflies. This gives us information about water quality and weather related impacts to monitor the health of our rivers. Training is required.
Course currently costs £30 per person and is run by an accredited trainer. We aim to run two training courses per year, in spring and autumn, for new monitors. After completing the 1 day course, you will have the option to adopt a Riverfly site. A monitoring kit is supplied on a long term loan. Age 16+ (under 18s must be supervised by parent/guardian or give written consent to take part in a project). More info about the Riverfly scheme can be found here.
Living Rivers Practical Volunteers
From time to time, we need volunteers to help deliver work along and in our chalk rivers, led by qualified staff. This is ad hoc and locations are project dependent (across Herts & Middlesex). Practical activities range from invasive species control (e.g. balsam bashing), creating ponds and wetland features, and delivering small-scale river restoration tasks. You will be added to a mailing list and contacted as and when projects are in need of volunteer support. All training and PPE will be provided in-situ at time of project. Age 16+ (under 18s must be supervised by parent/guardian or give written consent to take part in a project).
Water Vole Surveyor
*There are currently no Water Vole Surveyor opportunities. We will update this page when we start training new volunteers.*
To protect Water Vole habitats, volunteers survey the river for signs of Water Voles and report their findings to the Water Vole Recovery Project (WVCO). Volunteers can adopt any stretch of river or lake margin to survey and must dedicate half a day per year to surveying the site plus additional time to communicate findings to the WVCO. Initially, Water Vole ecology and training in surveying the signs (such as latrines and feeding signs) will be given. Refresher training can also be given if needed.