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Welcome to Our Website... |
| Quick Links |
| The Sussex River Ouse |
| Flora & Fauna |
| About Us |
| News |
| Water Quality |
| Biological Monitoring |
| Rainfall Measurement |
| Jim's Diary |
| Conservation Field Work |
| Riverside Walks |
| Education for Schools |
| Diary Dates | |||||||
| Here are some forthcoming events in which SOCS will be exhibiting or taking part: |
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| For more details of our Task Force dates please click here... 19th July 2009 (Sunday) - Task Force - Details to be advised.... 9th August 2009 (Sunday) - Task Force - Gravel substrate improvement, Bevern Stream 13th Sept 2009 - SOCS Open Day at Barcombe Mills - Come and see what we do and have a close look at creatures that live in the river using the technology of the “Hi-Tech Wild-Trek trailer", a must for children. 20th September 2009 (Sunday) - As above... 11th October 2009 (Sunday) - As above... |
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We need help with our river restoration projects - SOCS are currently planning to carry out some exciting river restoration projects to improve the wildlife habitat in the Sussex Ouse catchment. The range of activities involved are varied in nature and would suit people of mixed abilities, they include–
| What's on the Website |
 How
Clean is the water of the River Ouse and its tributaries? –
Every first Sunday of the month members of the SOCS water testing
team do the rounds collecting samples from 18 locations in the River
Ouse catchment. Each sample is tested for ammonia, phosphate and the
dissolved oxygen concentration using our “in house” testing
facilities. The results of these tests are published in our Monthly
Water Quality Report - The results for June 2009 are now available...
 How
can we tell how Healthy the River Ouse and its tributaries are? -
The simple answer is to go out and see what’s living in the
water by means of capturing invertebrates! The tricky business is
identifying what you’ve captured and scoring each macroinvertebrate
using the BMWP protocol. These scores are used to calculate a health
index for the location sampled - find
out more… The
uniqueness of Sussex Ouse Sea Trout, they’re BIG!
– Research indicates they have
possibly the heaviest average weight of any English or Welsh river.
They show exceptionally fast growth and differ in behaviour from stocks
in other rivers - find
out more…Did you know that the scales of a Sea Trout tells its life history? Like rings on a tree trunk they reveal information such as the fish’s age, growth rate, and key stages in its life- find out more…  Wildlife Habitat, Flora & Fauna - The Sussex Ouse provides a rich habitat for a diverse range of wildlife, plants and trees. Find out about the types of habitat along the river and its tributaries, view photos and facts
about the flora and fauna that you are likely to see, if you take one of our riverside walks -
Flora & Fauna guide....
Weed Planting!
– Just a few decades ago most
of the rivers and streams in this area had abundant growths of aquatic
plants. Species like Water Crowfoot and Starwort were common. So what
happened to these plants and how are SOCS trying to restore this
submerged aquatic flora which is important for all river life? Read about our Aquatic
Planting Project So
what’s been happening along the riverbank recently? –
Jim Smith, our field officer keeps a diary recording what he sees on
his daily river patrols. A fascinating record of the ever changing
flora and fauna written in Jim’s own characteristic, light hearted
style. Feel the seasons change with each episode of Jim’s Diary!…A most interesting read!..  Schools
– Is your school in the River
Ouse catchment and would your pupils benefit from the Sussex Ouse
Conservation Society Rivers Visit Scheme? This particular programme
has been developed specifically for Key Stage 2 students and has proved
to be very popular with pupils, teachers and participating parents
alike - Find
out more…
 Enjoy a Riverside Walk – We have produced some guides detailing the routes of some of our favourite riverside walks to provide readers with information to explore the river. Each of the walks we publish takes in as much river bank as is possible using public footpaths and provides interesting facts about historic features and wildlife along the way. New walks will be added as and when we research them - Go for one of our walks..  Rainfall Measurement - In July 2006 SOCS became an official recorder for the Environment Agency but has been recording rainfall in the river catchment since 1995 - Without rain there wouldn't be any rivers. The seasonal pattern and quantity of rain is fundamental to the flow and health of our watercourses - SOCS is now able to present some fascinating historical comparisons. What about climate change? Do our local measurements show any interesting trends? See our monthly Rainfall Analysis for May 2009.... |
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The collaborative behaviour of Brook Lampreys at spawning time, seen here teaming up to remove a large stone from the nest or ‘Redd' they are excavating. Photographed in the River Uck near Buxted by Mark Davis. |
| UK Rivers Network News |
| River & Environmental news from all around... |
 News feed courtesy of UK Rivers Network - www.ukrivers.net
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| Latest News |
| Time to stand up for Our Rivers - 28th April 2009) – Current Government proposals under new EU legislation need to be more ambitious if they are to deliver the positive change needed to protect Britain 's rivers, according to the campaign Our Rivers being launched today by WWF, RSPB, Angling Trust and the Association of Rivers Trusts. For the full story please visit our News section Central heating oil pollution alert on main river (Feb09) – A 6 mile (10km) slick was reported to be visible downstream from Newick. Due to prompt action and being alerted early the Environment Agency say the impact of the pollution on the environmentally sensitive River Ouse has been greatly reduced. – Click here for full story… Wells Catfish caught from Sussex Ouse  We are aware of a report that one of these fish was caught in the river at Lewes last October 2008; the story has since been backed up by a local angling shop, who say they have heard of similar catches. These fish are an alien species and can reach a huge size, specimens of 100lb+ are common in Spain but in the UK 40lb is a large fish. We have also found references to Wells Catfish being caught in the Thames and the Trent. If anybody has further information about the capture of these fish from the Sussex Ouse then we would like to hear from you – Please contact us…New river conservation society starts up in Sussex  The River Adur Conservation Society (R.A.C.S.) is looking for members and volunteers to help them establish an organisation like S.O.C.S. but on the neighbouring River Adur and its tributaries. Maybe you live near the river and would like to play a part in protecting and enhancing your local environment. If you would like to get involved or join the society please visit their website www.sussex-adur.org.uk for full contact details  SOCS Joins the Association of Rivers Trusts (ART) - On 30th March 2007 S.O.C.S. became a Registered Member of the Association of Rivers Trusts (ART). We are proud to have been accepted as a member of this influential body and to become part of the national movement for the protection of UK rivers. Our membership will strengthen our capability to restore the River Ouse to a watercourse of good ecological status and protect it from the threats of pollution, over abstraction and inappropriate designs to canalise it for navigation. http://www.associationofriverstrusts.org.uk/ |
Registered as a charity - No : 1082447