As part of our commitment to environmental stewardship, we actively participate in the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (RMI)—a nationwide citizen science project designed to track invertebrate populations in streams and rivers across the UK.
Credit to Clydesider for the previous photo, if you want to check out an article we did for the Clydesider for this project click this link!
The RMI uses the same monitoring method nationwide, which means we can piece together a huge picture of what’s going on in rivers all over the UK. By gathering long-term, reliable data, we gain valuable insights into the overall health and water quality of our rivers. This work also complements what government agencies are doing, creating a powerful force for river health.
Monitoring takes place between April and October when water levels are low and fish spawning and smolting seasons are over.
To learn more and complete the FREE riverfly identification course, visit the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative website.
As contributors to the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative, we perform monthly surveys on our sample sites throughout the summer months. All this is made possible by a team of awesome volunteers, who love nature and want to make a difference for our rivers. You don’t need any experience or qualifications to get involved, we provide all the tools and equipment.
So far, we’ve focused on Millburn in Renton, a tributary of the River Leven. We collect samples using a method called kick sampling. This is where one person will disturb the riverbed with their feet to stir up the critters, who then get caught in our invertebrate-friendly net. We do a one-minute stone search to find any creatures that love clinging to rocks, and add those to the net.
After tipping the contents of our net into a tray with some river water, then comes the fun part—identifying and counting the key invertebrate species from our sample! Once all individuals of each species have been counted, we upload the data to the RMI national database, contributing to the big picture of river health. You can even check out the graph below to see what we’ve discovered at Millburn so far! We have identified and counted 936 individual riverflies this 2024 survey season.
Freshwater invertebrates are excellent indicators of river health! They are an integral part of a healthy river ecosystem, and there are many more than you might first realise. There are eight key species we count, and each species is especially sensitive to pollution, which makes them great natural “alarm bells” for water quality. If their numbers drop below a certain level (called a “trigger level”), we know something’s wrong.
By monitoring these populations, we help protect and preserve the delicate ecosystems of our rivers, ensuring cleaner, healthier waterways for generations to come!
People of any age can benefit and enjoy learning about these incredible critters, and this is a family-friendly activity. If you would like to get involved in this great project, join our volunteer mailing list! Again, no experience is necessary.
Check out our CALENDAR of events to get an idea as to when the next event is taking place.
