Banter 25: Earthwatch Fresh Water, 26Jun24, Sam Frith
Sam takes us through the work of the Fresh Water project in the UK, and shows how that ties in with Earthwatch work worldwide. She shows sample collection and analysis, and invites all to join in
00:27:37 Jacky Lawrence, Napton PC Climate and Environment Working Party: Is the move to bamboo toilet paper away from wood pulp - an improvement or worse?
00:29:01 John Fagan: Great talk, thanks… gotta dash!
00:29:55 Wendy Thomson: I stopped using main brand household products about 13 years ago and use more natural ones setting up a cleaning business using my own brand WendyGoesGreen. Just a bit of a plug. Have my own brand washing powder as well. www.wendygoesgreen.co.uk
00:31:12 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: You mentioned that it was sometimes a struggle to keep people involved. We approached this in Hay on Wye by being very political. Here are the KPI’s we use:
00:31:24 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: The New KPI’s - Marketing and Motivation: Keep people interested Keep People Informed Keep people involved Keep People Inspired
00:31:48 John Payne: We live beside the Wye. Is there anyway we can monitor the river colour/ properties on a daily basis to inform and raise public awareness by posting on a group chat
00:32:13 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: Here is pour latest Use of this:
00:32:28 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: “THE HAY WARREN GETS PROTECTED BATHING STATUS
A section of the River Wye popular with wild-swimmers is to be granted official bathing water status in a Welsh government U-turn. CONGRATULATIONS to Friends of the Upper Wye, Friends of the Wye, Save the Wye, and all those taking-on the biggest industrial agricultural polluter on the Planet - Cargill/Avara.
00:32:41 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: SHAME ON those three sitting Conservative MPs, FAY JONES - JESSE NORMAN - BILL WIGGIN (The Blue Knight) - who on 20 October 2021:
FAILED to vote in a motion requiring water companies to dump less raw Sewerage into our Waterways;
FAILED to vote to improve Sewerage Systems
FAILED to vote to require a reduction in untreated Sewerage dumping in our Rivers.
00:32:53 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: These three Conservative MPs have sat back and allowed the proliferation of massively cruel and polluting Chicken Factories in Herefordshire and Powys -
where we “produce” 7 “crops” of 21 million chickens every 42 days in our beautiful farming countryside.
00:35:01 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: Replying to "Here is pour latest ..."
Here is the Latest Use of this!
00:37:01 Graham Stoddart-Stones: water@earthwatch.org.uk
00:44:35 John Payne: We are actively involved with making people aware of the activities of Noble Foods who have a large Feed mil in the Forest of Dean supplying the IPUs along the River Wye.
00:46:48 Jacky Lawrence, Napton PC Climate and Environment Working Party: Warwickshire ws third worst Great-UK-WaterBlitz-report_June-2024_DIGITAL-SPREADS-1.pdf (earthwatch.org.uk)
00:47:17 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: Reacted to "We are actively invo..." with 👍
00:49:31 John Payne: Replying to "We live beside the W…" Thanks, we went to Abergavenny XR group last night as they were starting the Dirty Waters initiative
00:49:41 tristram cary: Thank you Sam, that was very interesting. I need to leave now.
01:00:32 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: Replying to "We live beside the W..."
The Dirty Water Campaign began with a brilliant “Blue Plaque” campaign where every MP who failed to vote /or voted for pollution or didn’t do anything to stop pollution - had Blue Plaques printed up giving the date they voted ..
01:04:30 John Payne: Replying to "We live beside the W…" Angela Jones took it with her to the Restore Nature Now March in London last Saturday. She also brought it into the TV studio in Cardiff on Friday and enraged David TC Davies!
01:04:42 Kirsten Newble: Thank you so much Sam. Really informative.
01:05:07 mike E - Hay on Wye Resilience: Reacted to "Angela Jones took it..." with 👍
AI search text:
WEBVTT
1
00:01:55.940 --> 00:01:57.000
Sam Frith: Hello, Graham.
2
00:01:58.070 --> 00:02:00.019
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Howdy! How are you.
3
00:02:00.460 --> 00:02:01.630
Graham Stoddart-Stones: hey, Walt?
4
00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:02.390
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Of.
5
00:02:02.390 --> 00:02:04.099
Sam Frith: Like you are in a vehicle.
6
00:02:04.100 --> 00:02:07.579
Graham Stoddart-Stones: I'm in a taxi racing to
7
00:02:08.740 --> 00:02:09.990
tristram cary: Hello, Sam!
8
00:02:09.990 --> 00:02:11.100
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Around, eldest sister.
9
00:02:11.100 --> 00:02:11.580
Sam Frith: On!
10
00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:15.280
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Tristan, let me just make you the the co-host.
11
00:02:16.210 --> 00:02:18.559
Graham Stoddart-Stones: so that you have charged this.
12
00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:23.040
tristram cary: Yeah, I'm not sure I know what to do. Because is it recording.
13
00:02:23.380 --> 00:02:24.274
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Yes.
14
00:02:25.200 --> 00:02:28.130
Graham Stoddart-Stones: So if if you need to silence people, that's all.
15
00:02:28.130 --> 00:02:28.940
tristram cary: Yeah, okay.
16
00:02:31.220 --> 00:02:31.770
Graham Stoddart-Stones: All right, your.
17
00:02:31.770 --> 00:02:34.760
tristram cary: You're you're you're in a taxi, going to
18
00:02:35.460 --> 00:02:36.910
tristram cary: getting to the area.
19
00:02:37.160 --> 00:02:40.949
Graham Stoddart-Stones: I'm going to Al Wilson, but I'm going to hold the meeting from his dining room and.
20
00:02:40.950 --> 00:02:42.510
tristram cary: Alright, brilliant.
21
00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:46.375
Graham Stoddart-Stones: And
22
00:02:47.330 --> 00:02:51.650
Graham Stoddart-Stones: I'm also on an extremely flat battery, so I may disappear any second.
23
00:02:53.050 --> 00:02:55.240
Sam Frith: You like living life on the edge.
24
00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:55.780
tristram cary: Does.
25
00:02:58.424 --> 00:03:06.910
Graham Stoddart-Stones: I had to go over to the submarine museum this morning to pick up a coach, and inevitably the ferry was late. So now I'm late, and
26
00:03:06.980 --> 00:03:08.070
Graham Stoddart-Stones: who knows?
27
00:03:12.421 --> 00:03:15.220
tristram cary: Are you around? On the 12th of July? Graham.
28
00:03:15.380 --> 00:03:23.319
Graham Stoddart-Stones: I saw your note and can we chat about that this afternoon because I'm gonna be in hopefully somewhere in the Azores by then.
29
00:03:23.320 --> 00:03:25.140
tristram cary: Okay. So the answer is, No.
30
00:03:25.640 --> 00:03:30.440
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Well, actually, we will probably be alongside. So the answer is probably Yes.
31
00:03:30.700 --> 00:03:35.310
tristram cary: Cause. It's it's been suggested as a date for our first.st Simon led
32
00:03:35.380 --> 00:03:36.670
tristram cary: inside me. Sleep.
33
00:03:36.670 --> 00:03:44.559
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Well, I I think it absolutely better for me to be coming in from a tropical island in the middle of sunshine and gorgeousness, while you're all sitting in the July rain and snow.
34
00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:45.839
tristram cary: Yeah, yeah.
35
00:03:45.970 --> 00:03:52.427
tristram cary: And I. But I wanted to know you were happy for it to sort of take over one of your user group sessions, and and be run by Simon.
36
00:03:53.084 --> 00:03:55.690
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Very very very welcome, very welcome.
37
00:03:55.690 --> 00:03:56.740
tristram cary: I think that's very good
38
00:04:02.330 --> 00:04:03.570
tristram cary: morning, Stuart.
39
00:04:03.770 --> 00:04:05.000
Stuart Withington: Morning. Tristan
40
00:04:05.990 --> 00:04:07.749
Stuart Withington: is grave. Oh, no, grave is there.
41
00:04:08.006 --> 00:04:11.079
tristram cary: Graham's there in a car, living life on the edge sounds very.
42
00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:16.790
Graham Stoddart-Stones: James about to depart to go and say hello to his host, so I'll catch you guys up later.
43
00:04:16.790 --> 00:04:17.260
tristram cary: Okay.
44
00:04:17.269 --> 00:04:19.219
Stuart Withington: Okay? Bye.
45
00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:20.889
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Bye, Sam, good luck.
46
00:04:20.899 --> 00:04:22.579
Sam Frith: Bye. Thank you.
47
00:04:26.130 --> 00:04:28.219
tristram cary: So, Sam, how long have you been doing Earthwatch.
48
00:04:28.850 --> 00:04:32.739
Sam Frith: So officially. I've been Earth watching for 3 months.
49
00:04:32.820 --> 00:04:37.240
Sam Frith: but I've been citizen sciencing since September 22.
50
00:04:37.700 --> 00:04:39.069
tristram cary: Oh, great, brilliant!
51
00:04:39.160 --> 00:04:50.860
tristram cary: Because, as as luck would have it, or yesterday I had a meeting with a council who's trying to in in Somerset, and they're trying to make a baseline of their ecological sort of status. And and what.
52
00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:51.205
Sam Frith: Hike!
53
00:04:51.840 --> 00:05:04.289
tristram cary: And we were we were talking about. You know. How on earth do you do that? And and where do you get the advice from and all that stuff. And we mentioned he's been using citizens to go out and try to spot pyramid orchids and things.
54
00:05:04.790 --> 00:05:05.590
Sam Frith: Aye, but.
55
00:05:05.856 --> 00:05:09.580
tristram cary: So it's so what? So that's very timely what you're going to talk about.
56
00:05:10.210 --> 00:05:22.259
Sam Frith: Good, good. Well, hopefully, I can inspire. Obviously, I'm water based. But I mean goodness and science is so important for every subject, you know, like whether it's counting flowers, butterflies?
57
00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:25.039
Sam Frith: Anything really.
58
00:05:25.960 --> 00:05:26.400
tristram cary: Isn't.
59
00:05:26.796 --> 00:05:28.380
Stuart Withington: They refer bio blitz.
60
00:05:30.220 --> 00:05:30.809
tristram cary: Sorry, Stuart.
61
00:05:30.810 --> 00:05:31.750
Sam Frith: Say against Stuart.
62
00:05:31.940 --> 00:05:34.559
Stuart Withington: Is this the same as a bio blitz.
63
00:05:36.320 --> 00:05:45.600
Sam Frith: So we call them water blitzes. So we we provide them with a scientific kit, which I'll explain. And yeah, they go out and collect data. And then we can analyze that.
64
00:05:46.950 --> 00:05:51.659
Stuart Withington: There, there! There is a bioplit network, isn't there? Across the country.
65
00:05:52.890 --> 00:05:54.100
Sam Frith: Oh, I don't know.
66
00:05:54.410 --> 00:05:57.119
tristram cary: I've never even heard of Bible, I'm ashamed to say.
67
00:05:57.390 --> 00:06:05.149
Stuart Withington: i i i think that there, there's a national sort of coordinating network, and maybe contact them. They'll give you out crib sheets
68
00:06:05.250 --> 00:06:08.550
Stuart Withington: on how to set about doing it.
69
00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:11.140
Jacky Lawrence, Napton PC Climate and Environment Working Party: By a blitz in the local churchyard.
70
00:06:13.950 --> 00:06:17.025
Jacky Lawrence, Napton PC Climate and Environment Working Party: And we did water. Blitz.
71
00:06:18.320 --> 00:06:19.699
Stuart Withington: Swimming, isn't it?
72
00:06:25.990 --> 00:06:28.810
tristram cary: The time still of minutes ago, I think.
73
00:06:32.180 --> 00:06:44.619
tristram cary: Yeah, but they the Jane. Well, no, I guess the challenge is getting people to continue to work on it. I can imagine people start with a lot of enthusiasm, but everywhere seems to be very time poor and busy these days.
74
00:06:45.540 --> 00:06:45.980
Sam Frith: Keeping.
75
00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:46.400
Stuart Withington: You.
76
00:06:46.400 --> 00:06:47.300
Sam Frith: Asia. Not?
77
00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:53.960
Sam Frith: Yeah. Keep keeping. Motivation can be hard. But generally I try and do it with coffee and cake.
78
00:06:58.460 --> 00:07:02.289
Kirsten Newble: That works for everything. I do that on so many volunteer things.
79
00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:08.465
tristram cary: Yeah, yeah, we do it for the dish picking. We only come because there's a bacon buttty at the end.
80
00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:10.539
Sam Frith: Winner every time.
81
00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:12.270
Sam Frith: So think
82
00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:14.750
Sam Frith: who
83
00:07:22.940 --> 00:07:25.809
tristram cary: And so do you, Sam, do you collate the data across
84
00:07:25.870 --> 00:07:29.829
tristram cary: the country to produce sort of national views of things in in Earthword?
85
00:07:29.830 --> 00:07:34.759
Sam Frith: So so as Earth watch, we have just done the great Uk water blitz
86
00:07:35.281 --> 00:07:45.959
Sam Frith: where we had whatever 1,000 sets of data which we've been able to coordinate. And actually, we've just released yesterday. So yesterday, for the results of that.
87
00:07:46.080 --> 00:07:48.039
Sam Frith: just to, you know, evidence
88
00:07:48.700 --> 00:08:02.740
Sam Frith: mainly because the environment agency has been so poor at monitoring the rivers for themselves. Over the years we've been able to use the citizen science data to actually go out and and collect later ourselves and then collaborate, you know, coordinate that with with that data.
89
00:08:04.090 --> 00:08:05.599
Sam Frith: Yeah, it's it's
90
00:08:06.130 --> 00:08:14.559
Sam Frith: as I'll explain. You know, it's scientific data. And we use it. And and it can be powerful. We just need to make sure the environment agency are willing to listen.
91
00:08:16.140 --> 00:08:22.449
tristram cary: And I guess I'm sure you're going to tell us. But I guess you have to make sure that everybody's collecting the same data on on a sort of consistent way of, or.
92
00:08:22.450 --> 00:08:25.310
Sam Frith: Yes, consistency is very important.
93
00:08:25.310 --> 00:08:25.930
tristram cary: Now.
94
00:08:28.690 --> 00:08:30.090
tristram cary: Okay.
95
00:08:30.190 --> 00:08:34.419
tristram cary: I don't know how I know more people come in, but we seem to have very few at the moment.
96
00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:48.279
tristram cary: but I think we should. We're waiting for Graham, who's who's in a car? Trying to get somewhere and is late. But I suggest we start.
97
00:08:48.340 --> 00:08:57.699
tristram cary: So, Sam. We're very grateful for you to come and talk to us. Sam's from Earth watch, and she's going to tell us about citizen science and how we can all get involved.
98
00:08:57.850 --> 00:09:03.780
tristram cary: So Sam, over to you, and and when you finish your presentation, then we'll have questions and answers.
99
00:09:04.420 --> 00:09:22.470
Sam Frith: Yeah, fabulous. Well, I'm I'm gonna keep it fairly informal. I apologize for my terrible presentation. It's thrown together, and the last hour, admittedly. But hopefully, it'll just inspire you to find out what we're doing and maybe get involved. And I.
100
00:09:22.470 --> 00:09:27.160
tristram cary: Can you share? So I'm not an expert on Zoom. Can you? Can you share your screen so that we can see your presentation.
101
00:09:27.160 --> 00:09:32.559
Sam Frith: I am just about to try and figure out how to do that.
102
00:09:33.770 --> 00:09:34.150
tristram cary: Included.
103
00:09:34.150 --> 00:09:36.489
Sam Frith: Not used zoom.
104
00:09:37.373 --> 00:09:38.780
Sam Frith: Powerpoint, as.
105
00:09:38.780 --> 00:09:42.440
Peter Bates - East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network: If you go down to the bottom of the screen, it says, share screen.
106
00:09:42.715 --> 00:09:42.990
Sam Frith: La
107
00:09:43.310 --> 00:09:50.040
Sam Frith: Green, or documents were advanced. This is Show Powerpoint as background. We show Powerpoint, as
108
00:09:51.110 --> 00:09:53.432
Sam Frith: this is where I should have done this beforehand.
109
00:09:53.690 --> 00:09:57.999
tristram cary: Just try it and see. I've as far as I can see, I've given you permission to do it.
110
00:09:58.000 --> 00:09:58.570
Sam Frith: Oh, Fab!
111
00:09:58.570 --> 00:09:58.950
John Fagan: It. I-,
112
00:09:59.510 --> 00:10:06.490
John Fagan: you need to. Yeah, you don't need to do advance. Just go on screens. And the are your one monitor, one screen.
113
00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:07.380
Sam Frith: Yeah, just in the long.
114
00:10:07.380 --> 00:10:13.730
John Fagan: Yeah. So then just share your whole desktop. And that's the easiest. Not on advanced. Yeah.
115
00:10:13.730 --> 00:10:15.792
tristram cary: Thank you, John. Great to have an expert in the room.
116
00:10:16.190 --> 00:10:17.360
John Fagan: No electrician.
117
00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:20.029
Peter Bates - East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network: And we see all your secrets.
118
00:10:20.450 --> 00:10:25.069
Sam Frith: Honestly, I had to close everything on my computer yesterday I had so much open
119
00:10:28.790 --> 00:10:30.010
Sam Frith: as desktop.
120
00:10:30.870 --> 00:10:32.670
tristram cary: Yes, Graham's joined us. Huh?
121
00:10:33.900 --> 00:10:36.790
Sam Frith: There go. He might. Okay, share entire screen.
122
00:10:37.270 --> 00:10:38.170
Sam Frith: Yeah.
123
00:10:38.170 --> 00:10:39.420
tristram cary: That's it! Hooray! Hold on!
124
00:10:39.420 --> 00:10:41.369
Sam Frith: If I go to.
125
00:10:41.370 --> 00:10:42.090
tristram cary: Perfect.
126
00:10:42.770 --> 00:10:44.159
Sam Frith: That one.
127
00:10:45.620 --> 00:10:48.219
Sam Frith: and then do it as
128
00:10:49.290 --> 00:10:53.917
Sam Frith: do do. How can I just do it as a.
129
00:10:55.060 --> 00:10:57.620
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Up to the top, where it says, Slideshow ray.
130
00:10:57.620 --> 00:10:59.050
Sam Frith: Oh! The.
131
00:10:59.240 --> 00:10:59.890
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Yep.
132
00:11:00.150 --> 00:11:01.270
Sam Frith: From beginning.
133
00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:02.240
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Yep.
134
00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:05.439
Sam Frith: We go? Can everyone see?
135
00:11:06.570 --> 00:11:07.990
Graham Stoddart-Stones: I spat on.
136
00:11:07.990 --> 00:11:08.910
tristram cary: Perfect.
137
00:11:08.910 --> 00:11:09.540
Graham Stoddart-Stones: You're gonna take.
138
00:11:09.540 --> 00:11:10.769
Sam Frith: Like that's. Yes.
139
00:11:10.770 --> 00:11:12.590
Peter Bates - East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network: Yeah. Thanks. Bye.
140
00:11:12.977 --> 00:11:14.140
Sam Frith: Okay. Well, I'm
141
00:11:14.930 --> 00:11:20.428
Sam Frith: I tell you. What I then can't see is, I can't see all my cheeky little notes I made alongside it.
142
00:11:22.380 --> 00:11:26.250
John Fagan: Yeah, that won't be possible unless you have 2 screens.
143
00:11:26.760 --> 00:11:30.369
Sam Frith: Oh, there we go! I'm learning every day.
144
00:11:31.330 --> 00:11:33.669
Sam Frith: So what I could do then is.
145
00:11:35.130 --> 00:11:37.730
Sam Frith: can I just show you it's not gonna be very.
146
00:11:37.730 --> 00:11:40.539
Graham Stoddart-Stones: What you can do is pull it up on your phone, Sam.
147
00:11:41.620 --> 00:11:44.070
Sam Frith: Oh, I've not been that organized Graham.
148
00:11:44.810 --> 00:11:46.150
tristram cary: Sam, you could also show.
149
00:11:46.150 --> 00:11:49.209
Sam Frith: So used to wearing using teams. Zoom.
150
00:11:49.210 --> 00:11:49.709
Graham Stoddart-Stones: But you mean.
151
00:11:49.710 --> 00:11:51.789
Sam Frith: He's thrown me.
152
00:11:51.790 --> 00:11:54.449
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Notes all, and we'll just see the notes with you.
153
00:11:54.450 --> 00:11:56.439
Sam Frith: Yeah, let's do that. How can I do
154
00:11:56.690 --> 00:11:57.509
Sam Frith: you just get it.
155
00:11:57.780 --> 00:11:59.059
John Fagan: Then hit excuse.
156
00:11:59.060 --> 00:12:01.299
tristram cary: There are. That's fine. There are, that's perfect.
157
00:12:02.820 --> 00:12:05.490
Sam Frith: Bad. Okay, so I'm going to move your
158
00:12:06.070 --> 00:12:11.640
Sam Frith: lovely faces all over to one side so I can see it. I'm so sorry. So
159
00:12:11.940 --> 00:12:13.579
Sam Frith: let's start from the beginning.
160
00:12:15.780 --> 00:12:17.419
Sam Frith: Move my little notes down.
161
00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:42.109
Sam Frith: I need 2 screens to this. So I'm from Earth watch and I'm part of the Fresh Water Watch program. Earthwatch is an environmental charity with science at our heart. And each program we're aiming to connect people with nature. There's a huge amount of disconnection we we find.
162
00:12:43.498 --> 00:12:59.349
Sam Frith: You know. Now, everyone's working at home and constantly looking at screens. It's really nice to give people the opportunity to go out, connect with Nature and and see what they've been missing, or even just notice. You know what is now missing, that that might have been there when they were younger as children.
163
00:13:00.090 --> 00:13:03.790
Sam Frith: So we're looking to connect people so that they can
164
00:13:04.140 --> 00:13:07.919
Sam Frith: then use their data that they collect
165
00:13:08.860 --> 00:13:13.610
Sam Frith: to empower and facilitate change, whether it's
166
00:13:14.401 --> 00:13:17.690
Sam Frith: as as themselves and their behaviour or event.
167
00:13:18.400 --> 00:13:26.879
Sam Frith: and and can use their data scientifically, or or send that and make policy change for local councils as well.
168
00:13:29.090 --> 00:13:32.689
Sam Frith: So as fresh water watch we we've been collecting
169
00:13:33.227 --> 00:13:41.729
Sam Frith: globally for for over 10 years now. Scientifically based. We've we've used it to write over 40 scientific
170
00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:43.580
Sam Frith: and documents.
171
00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:46.590
Sam Frith: And yes, it's
172
00:13:47.310 --> 00:14:10.320
Sam Frith: globally is accepted by most equivalent of environment agencies around the world. Unfortunately, the minute England is the only place where the environment agency is is reluctant to use our data, which is a shame. But it is something we're pushing for, especially with the events happening in the next few weeks. We're gonna see what changes we can push for. And
173
00:14:10.560 --> 00:14:17.548
Sam Frith: then we've got that data. We can use that data. It's not disappeared. It won't go out to date. We can now use that
174
00:14:17.850 --> 00:14:20.100
Sam Frith: to to help make change.
175
00:14:21.511 --> 00:14:25.040
Sam Frith: So the things that we are looking for.
176
00:14:25.530 --> 00:14:26.970
Sam Frith: I can now.
177
00:14:30.190 --> 00:14:33.000
Sam Frith: Oh, sorry. I'm picking buttons.
178
00:14:33.210 --> 00:14:49.092
Sam Frith: So the things we're looking for when we're collecting data. Is your location, your body type. So because we're fresh water, we can only do rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. We struggle. Our test kits struggle with anything with saline in it. So if it's
179
00:14:50.020 --> 00:14:51.649
Sam Frith: a tidal river.
180
00:14:52.070 --> 00:14:58.030
Sam Frith: especially by Estrus or by the coast, our our kids will struggle with that, so generally stick to fresh water.
181
00:14:58.319 --> 00:15:12.269
Sam Frith: We're looking at turbidity. So how clear is the water? That tells us quite a lot about the the health of the river, how much light gets down to the plants at the bottom, or how much like, you know creatures living in the in the river can can
182
00:15:12.420 --> 00:15:13.580
Sam Frith: C.
183
00:15:14.660 --> 00:15:27.240
Sam Frith: Turbidity also affects fish life, and we find that if it's really poor clarity of water fish become less resistant to disease. Their egg larvae isn't as successful at hatching either.
184
00:15:27.660 --> 00:15:31.420
Sam Frith: and watercolour plays plays a part in this.
185
00:15:31.790 --> 00:15:59.660
Sam Frith: We also ask, during testing, to do more general observations, we're looking at plant life, animal life. Have you seen a kingfisher. Have you seen a fish? And we get a little celebration when we do see a fish and signs of pollution? We also look for as well, you know, as a litter in the river, on the water around. And has it come from, you know, fly tipping? Or is it just recreational? And someone who's just been lazy and toss something in the river instead of the bin.
186
00:16:00.290 --> 00:16:06.139
Sam Frith: We're looking at the land use around where your testing site will be as well.
187
00:16:06.380 --> 00:16:09.465
Sam Frith: Is it agriculture? Is it commercial?
188
00:16:11.281 --> 00:16:17.459
Sam Frith: is that? Is there a pipe that's flowing into and contributing to that pollution?
189
00:16:17.940 --> 00:16:23.140
Sam Frith: And obviously we're going to be testing for nutrient pollution. So your nitrates and your phosphates
190
00:16:23.541 --> 00:16:33.029
Sam Frith: and although nitrates and phosphates themselves are not dangerous to humans, it we definitely use them as evidence of other things that we potentially in the water.
191
00:16:33.250 --> 00:16:40.740
Sam Frith: So you know, when you've got large amounts of phosphates, we'll be looking at sewage just because of a way that human process
192
00:16:40.780 --> 00:16:42.120
Sam Frith: as phosphates.
193
00:16:42.370 --> 00:17:03.000
Sam Frith: Not only is our drink water by the water companies to protect us from the water in the pipes, we as humans, it's a byproduct of us, and we produce even more phosphates. And by the time it gets to a sewage treatment works most of the time. Those phosphates are then not stripped out, that water before them being released back into the environment.
194
00:17:03.230 --> 00:17:07.509
Sam Frith: So when we see high phosphates, we are generally pointing more towards
195
00:17:07.530 --> 00:17:18.160
Sam Frith: sewage pollution nitrates. Again, it does come proportionally from sewage treatment works. But then we're looking more towards Africa. And
196
00:17:20.930 --> 00:17:36.860
Sam Frith: now, as we said earlier consistency is key. When we're taking these, when we taking these samples, we've got to make sure that our citizen scientists are trained so that we're going to be using the same method exactly the same time every time using standardized equipment.
197
00:17:37.100 --> 00:17:38.440
Sam Frith: and again
198
00:17:38.450 --> 00:17:45.509
Sam Frith: trying to make sure that your general observations are all going to be looking the same thing, and we're all singing from the same song sheet, as it were.
199
00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:55.240
Sam Frith: and same sort of descriptive consistency. So we all understand what brown water is. We all understand how to measure that that turbidity in the water.
200
00:17:56.980 --> 00:18:01.010
Sam Frith: Other things that we look for when we're testing are
201
00:18:02.110 --> 00:18:11.890
Sam Frith: algae, you know, is, is there an oily sheen on the water that could be leading more towards road runoff pollution. So from cars or leaky oil drips on cars.
202
00:18:12.679 --> 00:18:16.219
Sam Frith: or petrol stations stuff like that.
203
00:18:17.025 --> 00:18:20.980
Sam Frith: And then algae gives us a good idea of
204
00:18:21.010 --> 00:18:32.710
Sam Frith: the nutrient levels as well. The the more nutrients in the water, the more that the algae can feed on it, and then it just grows and grows blocking out lights, and then starting the cause of many of the issues that we're seeing.
205
00:18:33.131 --> 00:18:46.009
Sam Frith: Your water colour plays a part as well, green. You're looking more towards nutrient pollution. You know. There's more algae brown would be pointing more towards maybe runoff from a farmer's field. And you've just got high sediment levels there.
206
00:18:46.990 --> 00:18:49.290
Sam Frith: If you're looking at white and gray.
207
00:18:49.300 --> 00:18:58.889
Sam Frith: It's sort of more of a warning sign towards pollution of sewage and and we generally warn people if it's grey or or milky. Just take extra care
208
00:18:59.364 --> 00:19:03.539
Sam Frith: and then the the results will speak for themselves
209
00:19:05.620 --> 00:19:07.796
Sam Frith: in terms of collecting.
210
00:19:08.450 --> 00:19:11.299
Sam Frith: What we do is, we ask you, just to
211
00:19:11.580 --> 00:19:13.290
Sam Frith: test a sample of water
212
00:19:13.320 --> 00:19:18.049
Sam Frith: in the cup that you can see on the screen. There's a line halfway around it.
213
00:19:18.610 --> 00:19:22.949
Sam Frith: and that collects 1.5 milliliters of water exactly
214
00:19:23.090 --> 00:19:27.679
Sam Frith: in the tubes that you get. You have a set amount of reactant in there as well.
215
00:19:28.089 --> 00:19:41.649
Sam Frith: Be just a white powder which will then react and turn it all purple for phosphates. So as long as you've got the correct amount of water being completely sucked up into the tube that will give you a scientific
216
00:19:42.483 --> 00:19:48.250
Sam Frith: number and and result of of how high that nitrate and phosphate is.
217
00:19:49.517 --> 00:19:58.099
Sam Frith: We also got a little disc in the bottom right corner is a Seci disc, and that's how we measure our turbidity, our clarity of the water.
218
00:19:59.510 --> 00:20:08.670
Sam Frith: we provide our scientists with a long, clear tube, and they fill it up as much as they can until it reaches a set amount of a set number on the side of the tube.
219
00:20:09.040 --> 00:20:13.370
Sam Frith: so the higher the the water level, the lower the number.
220
00:20:13.400 --> 00:20:27.526
Sam Frith: so 14 is at the top, and then 2, 40 is at the bottom. That when we then match it with our nitrates and phosphate results, and the other general observations will give you the results of your
221
00:20:28.090 --> 00:20:29.949
Sam Frith: level of health in the river.
222
00:20:31.060 --> 00:20:41.000
Sam Frith: So these are the color cards. So after 3 min and 5 min these are the colors that your tubes will will turn, and you just run it up the color chart
223
00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:43.729
Sam Frith: till it sits between 2 colours.
224
00:20:46.850 --> 00:20:55.769
Sam Frith: we go between sort of 0 point 2 on one all the way up to 10 on nitrate. It's not point naught. 2 on phosphates at the bottom all the way up to one.
225
00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:58.072
Sam Frith: and we've sort of
226
00:20:58.590 --> 00:21:04.499
Sam Frith: We've arranged it so that this is going to be showing you evidence of low, nutrient pollution sort of results
227
00:21:04.520 --> 00:21:16.310
Sam Frith: when you get them in this area. You know, we're we're fairly happy with that. Nutrients are a natural thing we will find them, and at this level that they're fine, and shouldn't be causing too much harm
228
00:21:16.420 --> 00:21:18.520
Sam Frith: to your freshwater body
229
00:21:18.620 --> 00:21:20.740
Sam Frith: if we're going into the middle section.
230
00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:24.100
Sam Frith: there's definitely evidence of nutrient pollution there.
231
00:21:24.170 --> 00:21:30.219
Sam Frith: if you're finding that occasionally, you know, and and sometimes it then drops back down to the 1st section.
232
00:21:30.280 --> 00:21:48.349
Sam Frith: Then, you know, we'll we'll still say, probably you're you're okay. But once we start getting into that 3rd section, your fives and tens on nitrates, and you're not point fives and one on phosphates. You're you're looking at high, you know, high nutrient pollution levels there, and those on a consistent basis, month after month
233
00:21:48.870 --> 00:21:55.089
Sam Frith: your waterways in trouble. But there's a reason, and and we can go in and investigate and find out why
234
00:21:57.577 --> 00:22:12.952
Sam Frith: using our maps. All of your data, then gets uplight analyzed and uploaded onto our virtual map. You can filter this by dates with you, then want to look at nitrate. So just phosphates, or your turbidity levels, and we measure on a green amber and red light.
235
00:22:15.490 --> 00:22:17.339
Sam Frith: words escaped me.
236
00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:21.280
Sam Frith: So green being good amber being, you know.
237
00:22:21.560 --> 00:22:30.690
Sam Frith: average moderate red being high. You've got high nutrient pollutions there, and it's in a poor ecological status.
238
00:22:30.860 --> 00:22:44.530
Sam Frith: This map has been taken from one of our bigger group catchment areas which is in like river even load. So running from Morton and Marsh on the top top. West top left that all the way down to Oxford in in the bottom corner.
239
00:22:45.703 --> 00:22:46.690
Sam Frith: We've got
240
00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:57.539
Sam Frith: nearly 2,000 samples have been collected over the the past of 8 years or so by citizen scientists. They go out on the second Sunday of every month.
241
00:22:57.860 --> 00:23:08.499
Sam Frith: We'll taste the same site again and again, and we can. Then look at those data, look at those little clumps, and if it's been green, green, green, green for 3 months, and suddenly we get a red.
242
00:23:08.530 --> 00:23:10.537
Sam Frith: There's been an issue.
243
00:23:11.180 --> 00:23:16.530
Sam Frith: whether if by sewage treatment works, whether they've then sort of released a whole load of raw sewage.
244
00:23:16.570 --> 00:23:20.270
Sam Frith: or whether a farmers spread. And it just it gives us that
245
00:23:20.550 --> 00:23:23.649
Sam Frith: tool to be able to see if something's gone wrong.
246
00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:45.949
Sam Frith: Other citizen scientists, programs that we, a lot of our citizen scientists actually take part in are river fly counts. River flies are the little bugs that live in the rivers. So you've got your mayfly caddisfly stone fly, and each of these species gives you an idea of how healthy the river is.
247
00:23:46.010 --> 00:23:48.743
Sam Frith: They each have their own
248
00:23:49.450 --> 00:24:12.170
Sam Frith: I guess, level of pollution, tolerance. So mayflies are quite delicate. If there's too much phosphate in the water, and actually they really struggle to attach their eggs onto the stones. They sort of use a glue to attach their eggs onto the bottom of the river, and if there's too much phosphate, that glue just doesn't stick, and the tide just, and the current just takes the eggs away.
249
00:24:12.180 --> 00:24:14.260
Sam Frith: Then reducing the population.
250
00:24:14.655 --> 00:24:18.490
Sam Frith: They're like the canaries of the river, so if there's no river flies.
251
00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:26.370
Sam Frith: the river is in real trouble, but if you've got an abundance, and it just means that the health of the river's been there. The populations have been allowed to grow
252
00:24:26.973 --> 00:24:52.050
Sam Frith: we've also supplied them priority habitats training. And so if we go out and we do water vole surveys as well, which is quite fun on the even load. Especially, we thought water voles were extinct and had been for many years. And we suddenly got an email last month. Going, guys, is this? Is this a water vole so excited to see this one little
253
00:24:52.050 --> 00:25:04.000
Sam Frith: rodent just munching on grass on the side of the river? And yeah, we're we're now sort of raised that awareness. And I'm constantly getting a feed of oh, my goodness, yeah, I thought it was a wrap. But it's actually a vole.
254
00:25:06.740 --> 00:25:07.750
Sam Frith: so
255
00:25:07.760 --> 00:25:17.089
Sam Frith: in terms of things that we can do. Obviously, we've we've talked about the citizen scientists, data that you can collect for the freshwater watch program
256
00:25:17.170 --> 00:25:18.240
Sam Frith: and
257
00:25:18.950 --> 00:25:26.370
Sam Frith: but little things that you can do which don't involve training and don't involve going out every month and collecting data. And and
258
00:25:26.790 --> 00:25:47.760
Sam Frith: that long term commitment is just switching to river friendly plant based cleaning products. I don't know if you've ever read the back of a ferry washing up liquid bottle, you know, and toilet duck as well. There's there's just so many you can go into a supermarket, turn around the bottle and read. This product is harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
259
00:25:48.020 --> 00:26:05.470
Sam Frith: Now, the reason this is so important is because many of our sewage treatment works don't take product out during that treatment process. All they're doing from my lovely picture on the left there is taking out anything that is 6 or larger.
260
00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:12.540
Sam Frith: So we're talking wet wipes. We're talking kitchen roll plastics, sanitary products.
261
00:26:12.940 --> 00:26:19.850
Sam Frith: anything that that's not going to break down I mean many of the the toilet papers as well. They're so thick.
262
00:26:20.280 --> 00:26:29.239
Sam Frith: But because the pipes, the gravity fed and going to the sewage treatment works, they're still arriving at the sewage treatment works in one big large clump.
263
00:26:29.360 --> 00:26:35.877
Sam Frith: So just being aware of what you're putting down down the toilet, what you're putting down the drains
264
00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:39.479
Sam Frith: is is going to help the rivers massively
265
00:26:39.877 --> 00:26:58.829
Sam Frith: and your water consumption as well. One of the reasons that is contributing to the the sewage spills we're having. Is it just not the capacity in these sewage treatment works to be able to treat all of us when we have a shower exactly the same time, 7 or 8 o'clock in the morning, or all flush or lose at the same time, or
266
00:26:59.220 --> 00:27:03.389
Sam Frith: especially during wet weather. Then sort of maybe turn on our washing machines.
267
00:27:04.870 --> 00:27:15.430
Sam Frith: And the general statistic at the minute is that as an individual, we are using about 146 litres of fresh water per day per person.
268
00:27:15.620 --> 00:27:20.589
Sam Frith: which is quite a lot, is is globally. We're one of the highest consumers of fresh water.
269
00:27:20.650 --> 00:27:33.899
Sam Frith: So if we can protect this resource, use a bit less water. Not only will it stop, you know, the the sewage release. Being such a poor quality, but actually there is, there is concern of of
270
00:27:34.190 --> 00:27:35.660
Sam Frith: fresh water
271
00:27:35.990 --> 00:28:00.249
Sam Frith: availability in the years to come. You know our population is growing so much. Our water companies haven't been upgrading that infrastructure to be able to treat it quickly enough. Climate change and with the pollution of rivers as well, our reservoirs, even the wettest winter on record, are not being able to be filled up because the pollution is just too high in Rivers to fill the reservoirs up.
272
00:28:00.740 --> 00:28:12.562
Sam Frith: So I'm aware that I spoke quite quickly through that, and I'm very sorry. But hopefully, I gave you a really good idea of of what it do, what we try to achieve.
273
00:28:14.430 --> 00:28:17.829
Sam Frith: and I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have.
274
00:28:20.031 --> 00:28:29.529
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Oops, Sam, that's really fabulous. Thank you, and thank you so much for your time, and for very, so intriguing in the stuff you're giving us?
275
00:28:29.946 --> 00:28:32.479
Graham Stoddart-Stones: There's a bunch of questions in the chat.
276
00:28:32.830 --> 00:28:39.240
Graham Stoddart-Stones: Are you able to see the chat from? Where are you? If you'd like to start with those, and then we'll go to the people who actually wish to ask live questions.
277
00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:43.599
Sam Frith: So the top I've got one from.
278
00:28:44.750 --> 00:28:45.809
Graham Stoddart-Stones: India think? Was it.
279
00:28:46.700 --> 00:28:55.110