Giving Back To Our Blue Spaces
The wonderful long days of summer are finally here – who else is feeling the joy of being able to take a dip after finishing for the day before losing the light? It is bringing me so much joy and excitement for the summer and time spent in our incredible blue spaces be it the sea, rivers or lochs.
We all gain so much from our local blue spaces through Mental Health Swims and one of my favourite things about being a host is introducing others to their local blue space and other folk who find solace there.
However so many of our blue spaces are under environmental threat so I thought I would share some useful information on what we could all maybe do this year to help give back to our precious blue spaces.
Citizen Science
I think one of the most important things we can all do is help gather information, data and evidence of how healthy our blue space is. By becoming a citizen scientist you can help gather important information for scientists and organisations to campaign for changes – no degree required!! Citizen Science means anyone can help gather information about what they see to help provide important evidence for other scientists, researchers, and politicians. I thought I would share some of my favourite Citizen Science projects that you might like to get involved with this year around your blue space and share with your friends and family!
Litter picks and beach cleans
Lots of people now take part in litter picks, either as a group or just when they are out walking their dog which is fantastic. You can also do some Citizen Science with your litter picks and help gather information on how much litter you collect and what type of litter you find. If your local blue space is a beach you can take part in the Beachwatch project by filling out a litter survey form or if you are visiting a river or other blue space you can take part in the Source to Sea project and tick off which common litter items you found on a photo survey sheet. All of this data is used to stop litter turning up in our blue spaces to begin with. Success stories include the carrier cag charges and banning of certain single use plastic items which are now starting to disappear from our blue spaces which is amazing!
The Big River Watch
The Big River Watch is a Citizen Science project recently launched by the Rivers Trust and is an invitation for everyone to love their local river and be part of the movement demanding better for our rivers. Consisting of a free app which contains a simple survey, anyone and everyone in the UK and Ireland who can access a river can get involved. All you need to do is spend around 15 minutes watching your local waterway and completing the survey — telling them what you see, from wildlife and plants to pollution and water colour.
Wildlife Sightings
I get so excited seeing wildlife anywhere but especially at the coast. One of my favourite animals is the bottlenose dolphin who we have been lucky enough to see during our Roseisle Mental Health Swim meet ups! I also saw my very first Orca, also known as Killer Whale, last summer which was so exciting! This was thanks to the charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation who help train volunteers in their Citizen Science project Shorewatch to record sightings of whales and dolphins around the coast.
Have you ever seen a jellyfish on your swims? Nearly everyone has a good jellyfish story! At the Marine Conservation Society, we ask you to report any jellyfish sightings and we even have a handy ID guide so you know what kind of jellyfish you have found. It is also handy to get to know your jellies – swimming amongst moon jellies is fine for most (although feels very weird!) but others like the Lions Mane you definitely want to avoid. If you or anyone ever gets stung during a swim the NHS have some good advice here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/jellyfish-and-other-sea-creature-stings/
Big Seaweed Search
Did you know there are more than 650 species of seaweed around Britain and Ireland? The Natural History Museum would love for more people to find out what seaweed lives on our coasts and therefore launched the Big Seaweed Search. It is great fun getting your wellies on and learning how to identify the different types and the data you collect helps with climate change research!
These are just a few Citizen Science projects but there are thousands out there so if you have a favourite topic area or something you would like to research to help your local blue space I am sure you will find a Citizen Science project that will help them!
Enjoy the long days everyone and maybe see you next at a blue space doing some Citizen Science!