Our congratulations to Sarah Cooney, one of our wonderful Watercress and Winterbournes scheme volunteers, on receiving the 2023 Vitacress Conservation Trust Award. This accolade is awarded annually to an organisation or individual that has done outstanding work to improve river habitats. Vitacress Conservation Trust itself is concerned with river health, and has a strong focus on chalk streams.
Sarah first became involved in chalk stream conservation in 2014. She has a stretch of the beautiful Bourne Rivulet running through her garden in Stoke, and joined the St Mary Bourne Flood & Emergency Group after a major flood event. She then joined the Bourne Rivulet Initiative, and volunteered with Natural Flood Management efforts in the area.
When the Watercress and Winterbournes scheme began its development phase in 2018, Sarah became a Chalk Stream Champion - a role to which she remains hugely dedicated. She now undertakes regular riverfly monitoring in the Bourne Rivulet and Upper Test, using both the ARMI and SmartRivers methods to gather crucial data on the health of these streams.
In addition to her monitoring activities, Sarah is also a passionate advocate for our chalk streams and the ways in which we can care for these precious habitats. She uses her scientific background to share her knowledge with others - whether exploring riverfly data with stakeholders, or spurring local residents to take action. We are delighted that her hard work has been recognised.
Sarah said of her achievement, “Riverfly monitoring has been a big part of my life now for almost five years; the journey has been amazing and I have learned so much along the way. It is the support and encouragement of Kathryn Boler and Maggie Shelton (from the Watercress and Winterbournes team), and also the expert guidance of our tutors Richard Osmond and Matt Owen-Farmer, that has made it possible for me to get involved in the first place."
"There are many riverfly volunteers out there month-on-month, in all weathers, poring over trays and looking down microscopes – and that sense of belonging to a broader team creates a motivating and inspirational volunteering experience. I would also like to mention Cyril Bennett, whose beautiful photographs of the invertebrates that we monitor are so helpful and engaging. So thank you all for recognising how important the work is that we do in terms of monitoring the health of our precious chalk streams. Thank you again – this really means a lot to me”.