Schools invited to get involved in ​Horncastle Riverscape Enhancement project

East Mercia Rivers Trust’s (EMRT) ​Horncastle Riverscape Enhancement project, supported by Horncastle Town Council,East Linsdey District Council, and the Environment Agency, is aiming to improve the rivers that run through Horncastle and connect people to local cultural and natural heritage.

As part of the project, EMRT and partners are looking to engage with local schools in and around Horncastle to provide educational opportunities – all funded by the EMRT – that will encourage students to learn about rivers and nature and engage in practical activities that support nature conservation.

Project lead Paige Donnelly, the Resilient Rivers Partnerships Manger for EMRT, said: “The future of our chalk streams relies on reconnecting people to natural heritage. We encourage local groups, businesses, schools, landowners, and individuals who live in, work in, or visit Horncastle to get involved.”

One of these initiatives is the launch of the Mayfly in the Classroom, which is ideal for primary school aged children, and encourages youngsters to collect and care for nymphs they find in their local streams, watching their transformation into adults, and using the lifecycle of mayflies to teach children about biodiversity, ecology and the links between aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity.

The programme will also involve riverfly invertebrate sampling sessions for children aged four and older, which will involve a site visit to a local river to learn how to collect, count and identify key invertebrates that are indicators of water quality.

Another activity for school children will be the Water Vole Warriors, with both classroom and practical sessions focused on water voles, covering topics on species recovery, habitat restoration, and ecology, followed by practical session to enhance water vole habitat.

The Himalayan Balsam Bashing will also educate youngsters all about invasive, non-native species in UKs rivers, and will involve a classroom session followed by a practical session learning how to identify and remove the plant.

Children can also get involved with plant identification sessions, bird and bat identification and box making.

To find out more about getting involved with the Riverscape Enhancement Project, or to receive a copy of the full engagement programme, email [email protected]