Events & Activities Calendar
Sun, 05 MayEllesmere Port05 May 2024, 05:15 – 6:30Ellesmere Port, Poole Hall Ln, Ellesmere Port CH66 1SS, UK
Sun, 28 AprEllesmere Port28 Apr 2024, 22:00 – 29 Apr 2024, 00:00Ellesmere Port, Poole Hall Ln, Ellesmere Port CH66 1SS, UK
Sun, 24 MarEllesmere Port24 Mar 2024, 10:00 – 12:00Ellesmere Port, Poole Hall Ln, Ellesmere Port CH66 1SS, UK
Wed, 10 JanEllesmere Port10 Jan 2024, 10:00 – 12:00Ellesmere Port, Poole Hall Ln, Ellesmere Port CH66 1SS, UK
Ongoing
Volunteer Task Mornings
Tim Lloyd, the Park Ranger, holds regular volunteer task days usually on the every second and fourth Wednesday of the month These start at around 10:00am at the Ranger's Hut, and are usually attended by several members of the FoRV group.
The volunteers assist with general maintenance and conservation tasks such as removal of invasive plant species, clearing nest boxes, painting fences, constructing leaky dams and much more.
Dates for 2024 are as follows:
January 10th & 24th
February14th & 28th
March 13th & 27th
April 24th
May 8th & 22nd
June 12th
July 10th
August - no dates scheduled
September 11th & 25th
October 9th & 23rd
November 13th & 27th
December 11th
Past Events
Saturday 16th October &
Sunday 14th November 2021 @ 10:00am
Leaky Dam Building Sessions
What are leaky dams?
Leaky dams are a natural flood management technique, resembling small-scale versions of beaver dams. Made up of willow and other types of wood, they store excess water on the floodplain and slow the flow of water during times of heavy rainfall, reducing erosion and flash-flooding downstream. The technique also improves water quality by allowing time for sediment to settle and filter out pollutants before the flow enters the main watercourse.
Want to get involved?
Join us as we restore and create some new leaky dams around Rivacre Valley during our two planned sessions this Autumn. The sessions will be led by Paul Corner (Mersey Rivers Trust), welcoming anyone who would like to get stuck in with some local conservation work to come along and give it a go!
We are meeting at 10:00am outside the Ranger's hut on Rivacre Road. All equipment and lunch will be provided. If you have any questions then please email friendsofrivacrevalley@gmail.com.
Beaver building a dam: photo from BBC Science Focus Magazine
Beavers were hunted close to extinction in the 16th century, but are being slowly reintroduced in some areas. Find out more about beavers and natural flood management techniques here:
"River Guardians are volunteers for the Mersey Rivers Trust. They are vital to the work we do as the information they collect allows for ongoing monitoring of local watercourses to identify issues and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. The sampling will be a combination of chemical analysis using simple test kits and invertebrate 'kick' sampling.
You can find out more about our River Guardian program on our website."
Date TBC (depending on interest)
River Guardian Training with Mersey Rivers Trust
As part of Mersey Rivers' water quality improvement projects, they are looking to train some 'River Guardians' to monitor water quality in Rivacre Brook and Dibbinsdale Brook.
Volunteers will be required to attend a training session at Rivcare Valley and then sample a spot on the river roughly once a month.
Due to some people who were interested being unable to attend the first session, Rebecca & Paul have agreed to run another training day if enough people express their interest.
If you wish to attend the training or have any questions please email:
Rebecca Howard rebecca@merseyrivers.org or
Paul Corner paulc@merseyrivers.org
September - October 2021 (multiple dates)
Hedgelaying Sessions at Parkgate
In a joint initiative between the Friends of Park Fields, the Cheshire West and Chester Ranger Service and the Wirral Countryside Volunteers, there is an opportunity for anyone interested to try their hand at hedgelaying. Under the expert guidance of WCVs you can learn the basics of this traditional craft. There will be 6 sessions taking place over September and October 2021. See the link for how to take part: https://wcv.today/events.html
Sunday 19th September 2021 @ 12:30pm
Rivacre Valley Litter Pick
The Friends of Rivacre Valley and local litter picking group Ellesmere Port Wombles are teaming up to tackle the litter that has accumulated in the Nature Reserve since our last big pick. We are hoping to cover both sides of the Valley if we get enough people on board.
Meet at the Ranger's Hut on Rivacre Road at 12:30pm. All equipment will be provided.
Join the Wombles' Facebook group and RSVP here: https://facebook.com/events/s/rivacre-valley-group-litter-pi/4258804424167093/
