It’s hard for us to believe but we’ve now been with DWT for six months. It’s been a busy time that has seen us losing our wellies in mires, lost on foggy mo
ors, and waist deep in muddy ditches which pong. We have, however, enjoyed working on the reserves and experiencing the wide variety of habitats that DWT looks after. To help preserve these habitats we’ve carried out lots of scrub clearance and selective felling with chainsaws, mostly birch, willow and gorse. As well as felling trees we’ve also planted trees, sounds like a contradiction but it’s what and where that counts! The work has also involved mending fencing for stock control, boardwalk repairs so our visitors can continue to enjoy the reserves with relative ease, coppicing, swaling (very exciting, and can turn a freezing wintry day into a blaze of heat) and hedge laying. Some of our more entertaining moments have been trying to master the bowline knot for use when winching trees (turns out this is far more complicated than just a rabbit, a hole, and a tree) and we’re experts at getting our ‘off road’ landrovers bogged down!
As well as learning from practical tasks we’ve also ‘bandaged each other up’ in first aid training, completed two chainsaw courses and next month we’ll attend a brushcutter course.
The winter work is coming to an end now and we’ll soon start carrying out more wildlife surveys. We’ve already seen the fi
rst butterflies (comma, tortoiseshell and brimstone) and reptiles like common lizards, and an adder which was happy to pose for a picture.
– Our newest site.
‘I have been volunteering with Devon Wildlife Trust since January 2012 to supplement my studies for a foundation degree in Countryside Management. Up until very recently I’ve been carrying out the rewarding role of Wildlife Information Officer for DWT’s Helpdesk service, based at Cricklepit Mill in Exeter. This involved working with a great team of staff and volunteers answering wildlife related enquiries from the public. Through this experience I have not only developed my wildlife knowledge, my organisational and communicational skills, but have also made some great friends.
‘To be honest I can’t remember how I first became aware that Devon Wildlife Trust was needing volunteer millers – perhaps it was from an open-day, because if I had heard that the mill was open I would certainly have gone in for a snoop. Why? Because I am thrilled by cogs and alternative forms of energy – what they have at Cricklepit Mill is a neat combination of both my fixations.
‘One year to explore Devon’s most beautiful wildlife habitats, the aim to become a qualified ecologist surveyor and botanist.
Brushcutting, fencing, butterflies, plant identification and wildlife discovery days. The full-time nature reserve volunteers report:
The schools at Whipton Barton have had a significant boost today as volunteers from EDF Energy have been working to bring changes to their school grounds. I was really impressed to see the amount of work already done by the Wildlife Champions at the Junior school and with the excellent efforts of the team further strides have been taken and the garden is really taking shape. Well done to the students at the school for getting so much done and a huge thank you to Gemma and her team for doing such a great job today. The infants school have also been developing their grounds and with an afternoon of effort from the volunteers even more has been achieved – two schools in one day!! Awesome…thanks again. Paul
In 2009 I found myself unemployed for the first time in my life. I realised that I needed to keep myself busy, keep my spirits up, and not have a gap on my CV. Volunteering seemed the best way to do this.
Long term nature reserve volunteers Wendy, Ellie and James report
‘I wonder if, like me, you have often thought about volunteering, but are not able to undertake physical work on the reserves. If you enjoy meeting people, discovering new places, working on your own at times convenient to yourself, then why not try raising money through emptying collecting tins?