Our dedicated and passionate volunteers are key to achieving our mission. We need your help to monitor our rivers and deliver important habitat projects. Volunteering with us is a great way to get outdoors, meet new people, and connect with your local rivers and streams.
Interested in getting involved? All our volunteer activities are coordinated through our online system. Please register below and our volunteer coordinator will be in contact with you. If you need assistance with signing up, contact us at enquiries@riverthame.org
Click here to register as a volunteer & get started!
If you're an existing volunteer and want to connect with other RTCT volunteers, join our Facebook group. It's a great place to share photos, ask questions and start discussions with others interested in the River Thame.
Our conservation volunteers are vital to the Trust and carry out practical tasks that improve habitat and make the river a better place for both people and wildlife. Tasks can include:
No training or previous experience required!
Our conservation work parties are run on an ad-hoc basis, we do not run regular or weekly work party events. To stay up to date with upcoming opportunities, check the Opportunities tab on this website, sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Riverfly Monitoring is an essential way for us to monitor the quality of our rivers. Riverflies are very sensitive to pollution and other changes in the river and are good indicators of its general health.
The Anglers’ Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) is a citizen science project that enables trained volunteers, such as anglers and conservationists, to protect river water quality by monitoring eight pollution sensitive invertebrates and complement the work carried out by statutory agency staff across the UK.
A Riverfly Monitor samples a section of river on a monthly basis, in their own time, by undertaking a kick sample and then identifying the various riverflies caught.
This requires you to attend a full day training course. The course covers identification of riverflies and sampling methods.
We run about 2-3 training sessions per year. To see if we have any upcoming session check the Opportunities tab on this website. We also recommend you sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Join our Water Quality Monitoring Network and become a citizen scientist. Volunteers visit an assigned site on the 1st Saturday of each month, record observations and use test kits provided by RTCT to measure the levels of two widespread nutrient pollutants, nitrate and phosphate. Results are submitted online to our group database on FreshWater Watch.
Water quality monitoring requires a short training session. If you're interested in becoming a monthly water quality monitor, contact us at enquiries@riverthame.org.
If you have identification skills in any of the following groups, please include this information in your application.
We need your help to spread the word about the importance of healthy rivers across our catchments. Outreach activities could include:
We love receiving amazing images of the River Thame and our wildlife from volunteers. If you are a photographer and have images or footage that could be added to our media library for educational and promotional use, contact our Communication Lead, chelsea@riverthame.org
We’re seeking volunteers who can contribute expertise from a variety of vocational and professional backgrounds, including but not limited to:
River Thame Conservation Trust aims to work with local people in rural and urban parts of our catchment – volunteers, farmers and landowners – to improve biodiversity of the River Thame and its surrounding freshwaters and to improve public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the river catchment and its wildlife.
A river catchment with healthy fresh waters and wildlife, valued and enjoyed by local people, resilient for the future
