Last week NWRT Fisheries Officer Antony Smith attended the annual conference of the River Restoration Centre (RRC) hosted this year in the historic seaside town of Llandudno.

The pupils at Ysgol Bro Hedd Wyn have been hard at work learning about Fresh Water Pearl Mussels and their life-cycle. In this session they have been creating storyboards ahead of the creation of their real storybook and the plans are looking great!

We are excited to announce that we are collaborating with artist Sean Harris to raise awareness for wildlife beneath the water.

Sean is an artist and animator with an impressive portfolio of inspiring and educational work. He uses unique method’s to tell the story of endangered and extinct species. Taking inspiration from the natural world, Sean creates captivating and interactive displays.

Last week a fantastic group of volunteers headed out on the Menai Strait for a SUP clean up in collaboration with Journey With Sian.

Sewage spill data has been released for 2023. We have analysed the data provided by The Rivers Trust Sewage Map. Our catchment has some of the highest statistics for the whole of Wales. Llanbrynmair CSO on the Afon Dyfi has the highest record of spills in the country with spills totalling a shocking duration of 8 months and 10 days.

This weekend Antony attended the Institute of Fisheries Management (IFM) electric fishing course and is now certified to lead surveys.

Llanbrynmair wins worst in Wales award for spills thanks to Dwr Cymru.

As part of Prosiect Torgoch we are starting a program of intensive water quality monitoring in the upstream catchment of Llyn Cwellyn to further understand nutrient inputs to the lake.

We’re on the lookout for individuals across North Wales to become River Ambassadors. River Ambassadors are volunteers with a love of wildlife and water, keen to learn new things and share them with their local community.

Prosiect Torgoch is planning to establish an annual citizen-led snorkel survey to monitor the trends in the non-native perch population at Llyn Padarn. These surveys will aim to gather data to inform future management strategies and safeguard the lake's biodiversity.

This April we have two exciting volunteering events in collaboration with Sian Sykes from Journey with Sian. Taking place on April 11th and April 18th we will be conducting river clean ups by stand up paddle board along the Menai Strait.

In March 2024, North Wales Rivers Trust delivered two riparian woodland schemes on the Afon Braint in Southwest Anglesey. The Afon Braint holds special significance as a habitat for both brown and sea trout (Salmo trutta), both designated as UK Priority Species (formally UK BAP).

Over the weekend Community team members, Oisin and Poppy completed their Open Water Life Guarding qualification alongside two North Wales Rivers Trust volunteers Sifa and Bleddyn. This is a great step towards the delivery of safe Snorkel Survey sessions as part of Prosiect Torgoch.

River Champions award offers businesses ways to implement river friendly-practices, save money, energy and become a River Champion leader in the community.

As part of our Fresh Water Pearl Mussel Project we have been working with Ysgol Bro Hedd Wyn, a local primary school to engage the pupils in the project and to help us raise awareness for this endangered species that lives right on their doorstep!

Yesterday, we hosted the first community volunteer day for our new project on the Afon Cegin. Our volunteers made a real impact, removing all sorts of rubbish, from single-use plastics to full rolls of carpet from the riverside.

If you missed our live webnair last week, you can watch our recorded session here. Get involved in the project, discover the science behind the pilot and the potential power of wetlands to help combat nutrient overload in Ynys Mon lakes and rivers.

Yesterday we were joined by members of the Cenmaes community to plant trees. The sun was shining and a rewarding day was had by all!

On Monday we were on-site at Llyn Cwellyn to collect the sediment core sample for the palaeoecological study.

Earlier this week we attended the 2024 Bionet Conference. It was great to hear from a diverse range of speakers and organisations about the innovative work being carried out to help tackle the issues facing our waterways.