29th June 2010
A group of year 12 students from Ripon Grammar School will be
comparing fish and other creatures, such as shrimps and stoneflies,
that live in the rivers Laver and Skell on Monday 5 July.
The students will work alongside members of the Yorkshire
Dales Rivers Trust using river sampling techniques to identify
river creatures. The sampling will help to monitor the health of
these two rivers as they pass through Ripon and will also provide
the students with valuable knowledge about river ecology, and about
what life might be like as a professional biologist!
Ralph Williams, Head of Biology at Ripon Grammar School
said, "With increasing demands upon the riverine
environment, Ripon Grammar School has taken a lead in providing our
students with a hands on opportunity to catalogue the decline in
species richness of this unique habitat. As part of their syllabus
students are required to undertake and analyse kick sample data and
we are delighted to have the opportunity to work with stakeholders
in the local community so that our students can contribute to this
worthwhile ecological project.
The day has been organised by Nidderdale Area of Outstanding
Beauty (AONB) and the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust as part of the
Ripon Multi Objective Project (MOP), which aims to reduce the risk
of flooding in Ripon.