Our Chess Smarter Water Catchment project is tackling the issues that face the river and its catchment through partnership working.
The Chess Smarter Water Catchment project started in 2021 with the vision of making the River Chess catchment a jewel in the heart of the Chilterns landscape. Work is well underway to make this happen, protecting landscapes, enhancing habitats and improving water quality and flow. But there is plenty more to do over the 10-year term of the project.
Find out more
Our landscape
Shaped over millennia by natural and human activities, the geology and hydrology of the Chess catchment are intricate and fascinating.
Citizen Science
The Smarter Water Catchment (SWC) team is rolling out a new reptile and amphibian monitoring programme in the Chess Valley. Join us for the survey!
What we do
The data the project collects is vital in our fight to save the River and its catchment. Find out how.
Keep up to date
If you’d like to receive our monthly newsletter with survey results, volunteer stories, event dates, information about restorative work and more, please do sign up below!
Get involved
Join our citizen-science army, volunteer with a conservation organisation or save water at home – you can help the Chess in many ways.
Chilterns Chalk Streams Project
Learn about our flagship partnership project, committed to conserving our threatened chalk streams and the wildlife they hold.
Wetland wildlife
Learn about the wetland wildlife of the Chilterns, where to go for wildlife, what to spot and what's rare.
