Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is launching the first Herts Rivers Week, taking place from 30 May to 8 June, with a full programme of events being held to spotlight Hertfordshire’s globally rare chalk rivers - ‘the jewels in our county’s crown’.

There are only 260 chalk streams in the world, and Hertfordshire and Middlesex is home to 10% of this global resource. These unique river systems are incredibly rare, and support some of our most vulnerable species, including the critically endangered Water Vole, wild Brown Trout, and Kingfisher, yet within the county it is not widely known that we are custodians of one of the world’s rarest habitats. The Trust want to see this change and have organised Herts Rivers Week as an opportunity 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. It will also encourage the public to:

1. Save Water – with simple tips and ideas to implement at home
2. Call for protection – by learning how to stand up for our local rivers
3. Create a pond – encouraging the creation of new wetland habitats in the county, as well as asking the public to register both new and existing ponds through the Trust’s ‘Pledge a Pond’ campaign

Kate Sheard, Wilder Communities Officer says,

“The first Herts Rivers Week presents a really exciting opportunity to hone in on the fact that we have this globally rare habitat on our doorsteps. We need to stop being so modest – these chalk river habitats are as rare as tropical rainforests!  We can all play a part in protecting them too - our water consumption has an impact on flow and water quality, and in turn that impacts on some of our most-loved wildlife species. For example, simply by using a beaker of water to rinse when we clean our teeth can save the equivalent of another 63 beakers if we leave the tap running. If we all did that, that could make a real difference for the health of our rivers and struggling wildlife.”

“We’ve got a fantastic programme of events to cater for all tastes throughout the week, from learning to draw a Kingfisher, to riverside walks and the chance to learn more about some of the species that call these habitats home. Plus, we’ll be launching our Chalk Stream Challenge for youth and uniformed groups at Panshanger Park. Do check out what we’ve got going on and get involved!”

Sarah Perry, River Catchment Coordinator at Herts and Middlesex Trust says,

“Chalk rivers have historically faced significant challenges from human development and they face the well-documented problems of pollution, over-abstraction and the growing impacts of climate change, with drought and flooding episodes becoming more frequent. But, despite this, we are all in a position to make a difference. Herts Rivers Week is a step forward - a celebration of what we have and where hope for these rare habitats and all the wildlife they support prevails. I’m optimistic that we will see individuals and communities coming together and realising they can be the change that they want to see for our rivers.”

“Undoubtedly, we also need to see the Government commit to better protection for rivers generally, but particularly our chalk rivers, given just how rare they are on a global scale. Why not contact your local MP to stress the importance of our chalk rivers and push for stronger measures to look after them?”

The new initiative of Herts Rivers Week has been made possible due to funding from the Government's Species Survival Fund with support from the Environment Agency, CaSTCo and Affinity Water.

To find out more about Herts Rivers Week and the programme of events visit hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/herts-rivers-week and to pledge a pond go to hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/pledge-pond-for-wildlife 

Sign the ‘Don’t abandon the Chalk Stream Recovery pack’ petition to call for greater protection at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/711368