FRIENDS OF WARMINSTERS RIVERS

As the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, continues to develop its built-up area's and continues to grow, both with the increase of civilian and military populations, its local waterways, water meadows and rivers are becoming increasingly under extreme pressure from the continuing rapid expansion and urban development.
So with this in mind a number of concerned local residents of the town, and with approval from the town council it was decided that a group was needed to protect the local rivers etc, and to monitor the condition of the wildlife, invertebrates and the water quality of the rivers at regular intervals, So the subject rivers were chosen for monitoring with assistance from the Wildlife Trust (WWT), the rivers chosen are the River Wylye, The River Were, The River Shear, and the River Cannimore as these were identified as being most likely at risk.
We in the group think that the local rivers should be conserved as a clean, healthy nature rich, free flowing system of waterways, that provides a protective natural habitat for a diversity of flora and fauna and as far as reasonably possible a compatible natural corridor that is assessable to local people, which will connect them to the local rivers etc, and the wildlife within them with as little environmental impact as possible.
We will also be monitoring the water quality of the subject rivers at regular intervals throughout the year to see what changes have occurred because of the development of the town. This will be carried out by the training of monitors by the local wildlife trust, The Non-native Species Secretariat (U.K.)and the Riverfly Partnership, We in this part of the West Country of the United Kingdom have the world's largest area of chalk stream / river networks, and they all deserve protection and monitoring.
This is a long term project and is part of a nationwide scheme set up by The Wildlife Trusts (U.K.) projects team, The Environment Agency, The Riverfly Partnership, The Anglers Trust, The Grayling Society, Anglers River Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, The Natural History Museum (London), The Freshwater Biological Association plus Citizen Science programs and organisations up and down the United Kingdom.
Records are taken and recorded for use by others on I Record for invertebrate Records and Epicollect five (5)for the water quality readings.