Volunteers Needed
Become a SmartRivers volunteer with us
Come and help us work towards an Ouseburn free of pollution and full of wildlife.
SmartRivers is a national citizen science project that analyses aquatic invertebrates to monitor the health of our rivers. Collecting this data can help us monitor the impact of our own restoration work, and to detect pressures facing the Ouseburn from pollution, water abstraction, habitat loss, and invasive species. This is a chance to have a positive impact on your local river by helping to identify what condition the Ouseburn is in, and what improvement efforts are needed and where to focus them.
What will I be doing as a SmartRivers volunteer?
You will help analyse, to species level, samples of aquatic invertebrates collected in the Ouseburn. Identification is undertaken inside using microscopes. No fieldwork is required making this opportunity accessible to all.
This is an ongoing role with regular ID sessions held year-round, but particularly over summer (following sampling in spring) and winter (following sampling in autumn). Each session runs from approximately 10am to 3pm, and we would like you to try to commit to attending at least 6 sessions a year.
Our ID sessions also have a friendly and fun atmosphere, where you can socialise with like-minded people and learn from your peers. Of course, tea, coffee and biscuits are provided!
Tyne Rivers Trust hosts the Ouseburn SmartRivers hub. You will need to travel to our ID sessions, held at Gosforth Nature Reserve’s Field Studies Room or the Ouseburn Trust Visitor Centre at 51 Lime Street.
How to get involved
Register as a Tyne Rivers Trust volunteer on our volunteering platform My Impact. Once registered, you will be able to sign up for SmartRivers ID sessions. You can access the My Impact registration page through this link https://www.tyneriverstrust.org/support-us/volunteering/.
This project is generously supported by The Reece Foundation
