The Environment Agency confirmed that it has revoked Affinity Water’s licence to abstract water from Chesham Pumping station earlier this month, ending months of uncertainty over the future of the site. Affinity Water voluntarily turned off their pumps at the site in 2020 to improve flows in the River Chess following years of campaigning...
SmartRivers on the Hamble brook This year we conducted the first SmartRivers surveys of the Hamble, to both assess the current health of the brook and as part of baseline monitoring for planned restoration schemes. SmartRivers is a citizen science monitoring method run by Wild Fish, it involves kick-sampling to collect aquatic invertebrates with the sample sent off for laboratory...
The Chilterns National Landscape is seeking a garden designer to create a new, eco-friendly design for Chesham station garden. The award-winning garden, now managed by Chesham in Bloom volunteers, has opportunity to educate others in environmentally friendly and water conscious gardening while preserving the beloved features that make it such a special part of the...
We’re delighted that our Hamble Brook river restoration project is now featured as a case study by the Big Chalk Partership. The partnership is forging vital connections between nature recovery projects across the chalk and limestone landscapes of southern England. The Big Chalk Partnership brings together more than 150 organisations, each of which is developing and...
I’m delighted to introduce the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project Annual Report for 2024/25, which sets out not just the highlights of the last year but also presents a review of the Project’s achievements over the last five years. One of the highlights of the past year has to be the long-anticipated restoration of the Chess...
Citizen scientists are contributing to our knowledge of Chilterns chalk streams and monitoring the changes that are taking place. Citizen science is the involvement of the public in scientific research – from community-driven surveys to global investigations. It relies on an army of volunteers of all ages and abilities. So, whether you have skills and...
Working with the landowner and using funding from Thames Waters’ Smarter Water Catchment programme, 800m of fencing and gates have been installed at Mill Farm Meadow, Chenies. This will allow controlled grazing to take place on 3½ hectares of wet meadow and help manage the vegetation growth in the bypass channel that runs alongside. This...
We’re proud to have collaborated with the Chilterns Conservation Board on the launch of the Chilterns Chalk Streams Planning Guidance – the first of its kind in England. This important new resource aims to improve the way chalk streams are considered in planning and development decisions, helping to protect and restore these rare and precious...
Chalk streams and their landscapes are a characteristic and attractive feature of the Chilterns National Landscape. The Chilterns chalk streams are, however, amongst the most threatened of all chalk streams in the world. Currently, none of the Chilterns’ chalk streams are in good ecological condition but they still support an abundance of wildlife and are...
We can finally announce the publication of a comprehensive report on citizen science activity conducted on the River Chess from 2021 to 2025. The report presents result from a collaborative effort between researchers, environmentalists, conservationists and dedicated citizen scientists and it helps us understand the the current health of the River Chess. These results will...
