On the 19th of May the Tyne Rivers Trust delivered a river clean up along the River Ouseburn. The TRT is the only environmental charity dedicated to improving the River Tyne and its tributaries. The work that they do is vital to tackle the effects of climate change and support the wildlife and landscape of the Tyne Rivers.
The volunteers had a great day clearing over ten bags of waste and even managed to avoid most of the rain!
Next, the TRT would love to work with the local residents to clear the Himalayan Balsam along the River Ouseburn. Himalayan Balsam is an invasive non-native species which dominates riverbanks, reduces biodiversity, and exacerbates erosion. Removing this invasive species is really easy to do as the plants have such short roots and it’s a great way to spend a few hours outside, improving habitats and meeting other local residents.
TRT will be on the Park on Saturday 10th July from 10am, if you would like to join them and become a volunteer please get in touch with their Volunteering Coordinator, Jenny Elliot at j.elliot@tyneriverstrust.org for more information. Volunteering with TRT can range from flexible monitoring of rivers and streams to practical conservation tasks such as litter picking, tree planting and invasive species control.