Let's keep in touch...
1. Make sure you're on our mailing list
Every few months, we send an email digest of what’s ‘Beane’ happening in and around the river.
To receive this occasional update from the RBRA, please add your name and email address in the box below. If you want to join us for our other activities, tick the appropriate option(s) below too and we’ll get back to you.
2. Follow us on Facebook
We run an active page on Facebook which we’d love for you to join.
Please follow us on Facebook to keep up with the very latest news concerning the river Beane and the activity happening in and around it.
Here’s a preview of some recent posts from our page:
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River Beane Restoration Association
The RBRA is a not-for-profit group working in partnership with Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, Environment Agency, Affinity Water, county and local councils, local landowners and volunteers to improve the River Beane for the benefit of all
Our volunteers have been out over the past couple of days carrying out this month's Riverfly samples. Some good results have come in, including the first sightings (at least, since 2015) of Mayfly in the Stevenage Brook. ![]()
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We monitor the river every month by kick-sampling the gravel bed and counting the invertebrate life, which gives an indication of the river's condition. ![]()
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(The video shows Mayfly larvae from my sample on the River BeaWoodhall Estateall Estate today – where you'll spot some very tiny ones in there)
Although a lot of recent media focus has been on sewage pollution affecting our rivers, this from the Dorset Wildlife Trust via BBC news shows that actually, agricultural activity and pet flea treatments (many of which contain neonicotinoids – the bee-killing pesticides that are banned in agriculture) might be the bigger problem. ![]()
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Our own RBRA volunteers have been carrying out Riverfly sampling on the Beane for many years. You can see the data from this here: riverflydata.org/?where=t-riverbeanearmigroup . Recently we've been testing for the levels of nitrate and phosphate pollution, and looking for signs of other run-off too as part of the CaSCTo project: castco.org/case-study/beane-demo/![]()
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If you have a dog that's been flea treated, you might consider keeping it out of rivers for 30 days after it's been applied…
Citizen science tackles Dorset’s invisible river pollution
www.bbc.co.uk
Hundreds of volunteers for two citizen science projects monitor pollution in Dorset's rivers.
EDIT: This issue has now been fixed 🙂![]()
We are aware our website may* be unavailable at the moment… we’re in the process of moving things across to a shiny new site. ![]()
(I say ‘may’ because it depends how you type the address 🙂)
Great to see the recently restored sections of the Beane ‘doing their stuff’ in the rain today…
facebook.com
Before the vote tomorrow (Thursday 13 Nov), still time to contact your local MP and ask them to vote in support of wildlife…📣 MPs vote tomorrow on Amendment 130.![]()
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The Planning & Infrastructure Bill could be disastrous for wildlife if key protections are lost — but there’s still time to make a difference.![]()
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🌿 Amendment 130 would safeguard vital habitats and species. We need MPs to back it when they vote tomorrow.![]()
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💌 Email your MP today and stand up for nature: action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/180301/action/1![]()
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#DefendNature #ProtectWildlife #UKWildlife
Thanks to our friends at the Beane Marshes group for sharing this, which shows our citizen science volunteers at work and highlights the organisations that supported the project 🙂
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.
As well as the CaSTCo Impact Report (see earlier post), the work of our #citizenscience volunteers (several of whom appear in the video the case study) is highlighted in this online case study from the CaSTCo website… ![]()
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Thank you to all our RBRA volunteers for their input into this valuable, national project. In total, over the four year programme, over 4.9 MILLION data points were collected by volunteers across the eight demonstration catchments!
Collaborating on chalk streams in the Beane – CastCo
castco.org
The River Beane Demo highlights how a collaboration of diverse groups can address the specific challenges of a chalk stream.
As one of eight CaSTCo (Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative) demonstrator catchments, working alongside the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, Affinity Water and the Environment Agency, we've helped test and shape new approaches to collaborative river monitoring. The CaSTCo Impact Report captures our shared impact and shows how local action is driving national change.![]()
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In the Beane demonstrator catchment, we united our local wildlife trust, utilities, 'citizen science' volunteers, and academic researchers to protect some of England’s rare chalk streams. RBRA volunteers helped identify freshwater leaks and contamination sources, while joint analysis with the Environment Agency revealed broader ecosystem pressures. This is just a taste of the innovative and collaborative work we developed through CaSTCo.![]()
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You can read more about the positive impacts of the CaSTCo project, including a River Beane Case study here:
castco.org
Contents of this report Section 1: Working together CaSTCo’s strength came from the network that surrounded and supported it. Collaboration flourished through shared research, national…
We’re proud to have been part of the CaSTCo (Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative) project, helping advance collaborative river monitoring across England and Wales.![]()
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Together, we’ve proven that community data can drive real decisions for river recovery, and this is just the start!![]()
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Read the full Impact Report: castco.org/impact-report![]()
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Its companion document, the CaSTCo Roadmap, is a comprehensive view of where we could be in the next ten years, with investment: castco.org/roadmap![]()
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#CaSTCo #OfwatInnovationFund
Our trained 'vole-nteers' were out and about in the Beane Valley last week charting the continuing spread of water voles since their reintroduction to the river in 2022. You can hear more about this success story, and other interesting talks about voles and invasive species management in the wider River Lea catchment (which the Beane is part of)Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trustlife Trust's event on the evening of Wednesday 12 November. Free to attend, but donations welcome.
www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk
Join us for this informative and engaging conference…