ThamesWatch Returns
Rivers and water are two of the hottest world topics as climate change starts to impact.
Spurred by this, and the enthusiasm of last year’s participants, the third annual ThamesWatch event will be held in 2010. This year, the charity Buglife, The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, has joined the founders’ www.riverthames.co.uk and the RSPB.
Feedback from last year’s event suggested an interest in expanding the range of wildlife that people should look out for. So, along with spotting birds we also want children to look out for weird and wonderful bugs and animals, explore the variety of plants and trees and maybe even record the state of the river water.
ThamesWatch 2010 aims to encourage children to get active exploring the wildlife of the Thames and its tributaries. However, there is concern that the future of our waterways is far from certain.
Research from the RSPB’s partnership project, the Our Rivers Campaign, found that over use of fertilisers, demand for drinking water and poor town planning are putting our river wildlife in danger. The campaign’s urging the Government to adopt laws, giving our waterways greater protection.
The ThamesWatch website is being re-designed to make it more user friendly for teachers, children’s group leaders, parents and children alike, with a ‘registration zone’ to sign up to the project. It will also continue to offer identification sheets, step-by-step instructions and useful information on how to have a safe ThamesWatch experience.
The event is scheduled to take place over six weeks, from Monday 19 April to 30 May 2010, to run alongside the school summer term dates.
Stephen Worsfold, director of the River Thames Guide Ltd, which publishes www.riverthames.co.uk said: “Our rivers are the veins and arteries that keep our environment healthy but we largely ignore them. ThamesWatch aims to showcase, to the next generation, the exciting and the tranquil aspects of the world along our beautiful waterways.”
Vicky Kindemba Bug life’s Freshwater Officer said: “Rivers are full of amazing bugs for children to discover and explore. ThamesWatch will introduce them to this amazing watery world and learn to cherish it.”
The RSPB’s Tim Webb said: “Our waterways have improved and wildlife is returning, with otters and seals now regularly spotted in the Thames and its tributaries. A gentle riverside stroll can quite often be rewarded with a flash of turquoise from a patrolling kingfisher; memories that stay with you forever. That’s why it’s crucial the Government affords our rivers the greatest protection possible.”
Riverboat trips awaited three lucky groups drawn from the entries of last year’s event:
- Acacia class from Brackenbury Primary School, Hammersmith.
- The 8th Twickenham Scouts.
- St Stephen’s C of E Primary School, Isleworth.
The top three most common birds recorded last year were:
Mallard
Coot
Cormorant
Over 2000 children from primary schools, Brownie Packs, Rainbow Colonies, Beaver Colonies and Cub Scout Packs have taken part in ThamesWatch, run by the publishers The River Thames Guide Limited www.riverthames.co.uk in conjunction with RSPB. The project was first launched in June 2008 at RSPB’s Rainham Marshes nature reserve at Purfleet on the banks of the Thames.
Companies generously donating prizes included: London Duck Tours: London Waterbus; The Pirate Castle based in Camden; City Cruises and Thames River Services in Westminster; JGF Passenger Boats at Walton-on-Thames; Hobbs of Henley and Oxford’s Salters Steamers.
Earlier this year the RSPB, the WWF, the Angling Trust and the Association of Rivers Trusts joined forces to form the Our Rivers campaign: www.ourrivers.org.uk. Feedback from the campaign’s many supporters across the UK in the six months since it launched indicate that the three biggest threats to rivers are: Chemical and sediment pollution from agriculture, over abstraction by water companies, and run-off water from urban areas.
www.rspb.org.uk www.riverthames.co.uk www.buglife.org.uk
