Our Rivers and Streams
We are lucky to have a chalk stream in our area - the shortest in the Chilterns. This is the Ewelme stream, also called the Benson brook.
We also have the River Thames, Berrick stream and Ladybrook, which is important for otters and water voles.
Ladybrook
The Ewelme stream rises up-stream of the watercress beds and feeds the Lower Nature Reserve (LNR) and its rich habitat. The stream flows through Benson, under the main road and through Millbrook Mead, down to the Thames.
The watercress beds are owned and managed by the Chiltern society. See
Ewelme stream
Benson brook
Millbrook Mead boardwalk
Watercress beds
What We Do
We look after the chalk stream, working together with the Chilterns Chalkstreams Project. We help to create and implement practical improvement projects for the chalk stream and its wider catchment.
For example, we have helped to "rewiggle the brook"
We survey water vole populations locally, with a small team. Water voles is a species that has declined at a worrying rate across the country.
Anyone living beside the brook can help. This leaflet “Managing Ewelme Brook – How you can help” explains how to keep the brook thriving as a place for nature and wildlife.
Interested? Email us at: BensonAreaNature@yahoo.com
Rewiggling the brook
We monitor water quality - we are the eyes and ears locally. We take part in the bi-annual Fresh Water Watch and we are keen to help others' tools to monitor the health of our streams.
We survey riverfly populations monthly, to check on water quality as these creatures are very sensitive to pollution and so provide a useful indicator of the state of the water quality at the location.
