Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (RMI) Training with ZSL Marine and Freshwater

Date: Thursday 8th October 2026
Time: 11:00am – 3:00pm
Location: The Exchange, 75 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 1BE – directly opposite Twickenham railway station

Places are limited, so before registering, please make sure you can commit to monitoring once a month for at least six months following the training.

SZL is particularly keen to hear from people who live locally to the River Crane catchment and would like to get involved in ongoing monitoring. Following the training, there will be opportunities to:

• Join one of the existing RMI monitoring sites across the Crane catchment
• Help establish a new monitoring site at Cranford Country Park
• Join the monitoring at Mereway Nature Park, additional volunteers always needed to help monitor the river following recent restoration work

The Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (RMI) is a national citizen science scheme developed by the Riverfly Partnership to help monitor the health of our rivers.

RMI volunteers take a three-minute kick sample from the river and identify key groups of freshwater invertebrates. Their presence and abundance provide an indication of river health and can help identify potential changes in water quality. During the training, you will learn:

• The theory behind RMI and how it can help protect and improve rivers
• How to safely carry out a kick sample
• How to identify key river invertebrates and score your sample
• How to record and submit your data
• How to get involved with ongoing Riverfly monitoring in the Crane catchment

All sampling equipment and refreshments will be provided. Please bring your own wellies or waders if you have them, and lunch!

You must be aged 18 or over to attend this course.

Please note: As part of the training involves practical sampling in the river, the event may need to be cancelled or rearranged at short notice if weather or river conditions make sampling unsafe. Please keep an eye on your emails for any updates.

If you have any questions, please contact Ella Carbery-Tarrant at ella.carbery-tarrant@zsl.org.