We are always on the lookout for enthusiastic volunteers to help out with a range of activities, both with the research, planning and administrative work needed to develop new projects and the wide range of practical field work that ultimately makes the difference to the environment we all want to see.
This is a great way to get outdoors, meet new people, and connect with nature. If you just want to help out on an occasional basis to join a small team to plant a new hedgerow or get more involved as a team leader or contribute as a citizen scientist to oversee a project and suggest new ones, we need all of these, so please let us know.
Citizen Science is a broad term used in different contexts but if you’ve ever taken part in the RSPB’s ‘Big Garden Watch’ survey, you are already a citizen scientist. In our context, to understand what a species needs, we have to gather a lot of information such as its population, habitat choices and behaviour. Even more importantly, we have to monitor how these things change over time, in order to spot trends and identify issues. The more information we have and the more citizen scientists we have to gather it, the better.
We also need scientists and specialists with expertise in water quality, hydrology, ecology, soil science, botany, zoology, taxonomy and also people willing to become species champions.
Equally important, as more time in any one year is spent researching and planning projects to the point they become active than actually doing the ground work.
People are needed to become our liaison contacts with external organisations, researchers, data handlers, report writers, and people competent in IT and creating graphics for presentations etc are so important. Also, people who are competent in helping with mailing lists (we use Mailchimp), social media & PR.
