Citizen scientists are needed to help check the health of England’s largest natural lake.
Launched jointly by the Freshwater Biological Association and Lancaster University, the Love Your Lake: Big Windermere Survey needs volunteer citizen scientists to help assess the environmental health of Windermere during the summer.
Volunteers will be trained to collect water samples using academic research equipment from around 100 locations in Windermere and in the becks and lakes that flow into it. The samples will be analysed for nutrient and bacterial levels within independent laboratories, producing the largest, one-day snapshot of conditions at Windermere ever conducted.
Windermere is a centrepiece of the UNESCO Lake District World Heritage site. Ecologically important, for example as a home to rare fish species including the Arctic charr, Windermere is also a major destination for tourists and an increasingly popular venue for watersports such as wild swimming, kayaking and sailing.
Concerns have been raised about the health of the lake, in particular because of algal blooms and bacterial pollution, that can potentially harm wildlife and humans.
The survey will focus on the key nutrients and bacteria that lie behind these issues, contributing to scientific understanding of water quality at Windermere and supporting the development of future initiatives to improve the condition of the lake.
Dr Louise Lavictoire, head of science at the Freshwater Biological Association, said: “The Big Windermere Survey is an innovative community freshwater science initiative. Together, volunteers, professional scientists and catchment managers will take Citizen Science to the next level in terms of supporting evidence-led conservation action for Windermere.”
Dr Ben Surridge, senior lecturer at Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, said: “Windermere is one of the most iconic bodies of fresh water in the country. It is of huge importance for people who live locally and the millions of visitors it attracts each year.
“The survey is an exciting opportunity to combine the interest and knowledge of communities around the Lake District with independent and scientifically robust academic research. This will be a large-scale, intensive snapshot checking the health of Windermere, and we are really looking forward to helping deliver new understanding of the lake and its surrounding catchment.”
The project has received funding from Lancaster University’s Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Participatory Research (2021-2022) and from United Utilities. The survey is also supported by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lake District National Park Authority, South Cumbria Rivers Trust, Brathay Trust, National Trust and the Environment Agency.
Volunteers who would like to take part in the survey are asked to email to express their interest to [email protected]
