The River Misbourne, is a Chalk Stream in the Chilterns National Landscape with a known issue of an invasive non-native water loving plant called Floating Pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides). It has round leaves, with a frilly edge, and a notch where the leaf stalk joins the leaf, and long trailing stems. It grows very quickly (up...
If you pick up a rock in the river, it will often feel ‘slimy’ – this coating is actually a living community of fungi, algae and bacteria known as a biofilm. Biofilms are understudied parts of chalk river ecosystems, but recent research by Erin Doyle at Cranfield University is helping to shine the light on...
Last month we hosted our first River Chess ‘bioblitz’ – a one day survey of animals and plants living in and around the River Chess – now it is time to reveal what we found! The BioBlitz was run on the 18th July within the Chorleywood House Estate Local Nature Reserve. With the help of...
Help us track chalk stream flow regimes Chalk streams have unique hydrogeology – they are fed from springs bubbling up from the chalk aquifers. This means as groundwater levels fall, they can dry up, with many chalk streams having ‘winterbourne’ sections which dry up as part of a natural cycle. However, flow regimes have been altered in many ways including climate change, over-abstraction and physical modification. In...
We have been continuing our investigation into Phosphate levels in the River Chess using citizen science data, keep reading to find out the latest results!
We work closely with Queen Mary University of London on the Chess Smarter Water Catchment project, including managing our continuous water quality monitoring network ‘ChessWatch’, and supporting many student dissertations and research projects. At our latest River Chess Citizen Science Evening we were joined by Laboratory Technician Megan Dougherty and recent graduates Chiara Buquicchio and...
We are offering an exciting opportunity to join the committed and friendly team at the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project, working to conserve a globally rare habitat in one of the country’s finest and most accessible protected landscapes. Could you be our new Rivers Officer?
A major new project to help restore one of the Chilterns’ treasured chalk streams is now getting under way. Mending the Misbourne is a five-year programme led by the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project, working with local partners to improve the health of the River Misbourne and help more people connect with this special place. The...
A new citizen science survey on the River Chess has uncovered encouraging signs for brown trout, with 191 redds (spawning nests) recorded during winter 2025/26. Led by the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project in partnership with the Environment Agency and the River Chess Association, the pilot recruited 15 trained volunteers who carried out 76 surveys between...
We are delighted to have supported in the creation of Winterbourne Management Guidance. Winterbournes are distinctive chalk stream habitats that flow seasonally, supporting a mosaic of Chalk Streams specialist wildlife adapted to natural cycles of wetting and drying. Despite their ecological value, winterbournes have often been overlooked in river management, leaving them vulnerable to sediment build-up, inappropriate vegetation management, and...
