Water Crowfoot, River Mimram, Tewinbury (c) Tim Hill
It’s the Trust’s first Herts Rivers Week. What’s that? Why are we doing it? What’s happening? Read on and all will be explained!
What is Herts Rivers Week and when does it take place?
Herts Rivers Week is a celebration of our local chalk rivers and is taking place from 30 May to 8 June, with a full programme of events being held to spotlight these globally rare habitats.
Water Vole (c) Paul Thrush
Why is the Trust organising Herts Rivers Week?
There are only 260 chalk streams in the world, and our area is home to 10% of them – chalk rivers are the ‘jewel in Hertfordshire’s crown’. These river systems are incredibly rare habitats – and their unique qualities support some of our most vulnerable wildlife, including the critically endangered Water Vole, wild Brown Trout, and Kingfisher. We want to spread the word within the county that we are custodians of one of the world’s rarest habitats. So, for the first time, we have organised Herts Rivers Week as a focus point to get more people engaged in celebrating and appreciating their local rivers, through a series of events, which will be hosted by the Trust and its partner organisations.
We’ll also be encouraging the public to:
Brown Trout, River Ash (c) Henrietta Buxton
How can I get involved?
In addition to the three ways outlined above that you can support Herts Rivers Week, we have a variety of events taking place from 30 May to 8 June, that you can be a part of. From a fun day on your local river with family or friends, to stretching your legs on a riverside walk, and from joining an informative online talk, to learning to draw a Kingfisher, there’s bound to be something that’s of interest – check out what we’ve got going on below:
Friday 30 May
12:00pm - 1:00pm and 1:30pm - 2:30pm, Waterford Marsh, Waterford SG14 2QA
Find out about the wildlife that call our chalk streams home.
Dragonflies and Nature Ramble at King's Meads
1:00pm - 2.30pm, King's Meads, Ware, Hertfordshire
A family walk around the meads spotting dragonflies and other wildlife...
Saturday 31 May
12.00pm – 4.00pm, Sawbridgeworth
Find out all about the river.
Sunday 1 June
Batford Springs Volunteers Day
10.00am – 1.00pm, Batford Springs, Lower Luton Road, Harpenden AL5 5AQ
Join the Batford Springs Volunteers.
Tuesday 3 June
Living Rivers of Hertfordshire (Online Talk)
6.00pm – 7.30pm
Discover all about the Living Rivers of Hertfordshire....
Wednesday 4 June
Learn to draw Kingfishers – (Online)
2.00pm – 4.00pm
Learn how to observe and sketch the beautiful Kingfisher with artist, Martin Gibbons.
Thursday 5 June
Invasive Species – What are they and what can we do? (Online Talk)
1.00pm – 2.00pm
Learn about the invasive species that affect our waterways in Hertfordshire.
Saturday 7 June
River Wildlife Walk at Stocker’s Lake
10.00am – 12.15pm, Stocker’s Lake, Rickmansworth
Join the Trust for a walk to learn about river wildlife.
River Explorers at Buntingford
12.00pm - 3.00pm, Layston Court Gardens, Buntingford
Find out about the wildlife that lives beneath the surface of our rivers…
Sunday 8 June
Stream Dipping at Stanborough Park
10.15am – 11.30 am, 11.30am – 12.45pm, and 12.45pm – 2.00pm, Stanborough Park, Welwyn Garden City
Find out about the wildlife that call our rivers home…
Kingfisher (C) Jon Hawkins Surrey Hills Photography
What did you get up to?
We’d love to hear and see how you celebrated Herts Rivers week and what you are doing to help protect our local chalk rivers. Do share your stories and photos with us on socials or by emailing us at media@hmwt.org
