THE VOLUNTEERS

Working indoors or outdoors, day-time or night-time, on the reserve or elsewhere, there are literally hundreds of people who contribute to the running of the nature reserve - and derive enormous pleasure, satisfaction and fulfilment from what they do.

Reception duty AWBC
It's all go at the Reception Desk in the Visitor Centre

Volunteering at Rutland Water is suitable for all age groups. Many students have passed their bronze, silver and gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards working on the reserve. Others are working to gain an NVQ Level 2 in Environmental Conservation. Many schools and colleges from Britain and Europe send students to Rutland Water for valuable conservation work experience. We can provide very basic accommodation and lots of varied training and experience. 

Volunteers working on Lax Hill
Erecting a rabbit-proof fence around a newly coppiced area on Lax Hill - a beautiful morning and a beautiful place to work!

Every year tens of thousands of hours of volunteer time are recorded on the reserve.

Edward and Ron and the new tractor Volunteers using the reserve's new tractor


Other volunteer activities include:


Breeding Bird Survey Wildfowl counting Fencing
Hide maintenance Assisting with educational visits General woodworking
Reception desks at visitor centres Bird ringing Cutting reed bed
Moth trapping Management committee Grass cutting
Working at the Bird Fair Tree surgery Monitoring Osprey nests
Monitoring bird boxes Other wildlife recording Entering conservation data on computer
Maintaining this web site

If you are interested in joining the team then please contact Julia Fisher-Robins or another member of staff. You can be sure of a very warm welcome.

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 Some more pictures of volunteers at work and at play:

Volunteers at lunchVolunteers erect an osprey nest platform

Removing willow from the reed bed

Lunch break

Erecting a platform for an Osprey nest

Ray SykesReceptionReedbed creation

Ray Sykes, hedge-layer extraordinaire

Meeting and greeting in the visitor centre


Creating an extension to the reed-bed

Volunteets partyLaying a new pathLyndon reception desk

The Christmas party

Laying a new path

Lyndon visitor centre

Hide repairThe hide maintenance teamFencing near Lax Hill

Hide maintenance

Cleaning the hides

A new stock fence

Building a tern platformCoppicingA chain-saw course

Launching out

Coppicing on Boxing day

Chain-saw course

Charcoal burningBuilding a tern platformWildlife Watch group, coppicing

Charcoal burning

A new raft for the terns to nest on

 Very young coppicers

Monitoring nest boxesBuilding the sandmartin bankReed cutting

Monitoring bird boxes

Sand-martin bank construction

Reed-bed maintenance

Faggot making

and ... making a faggot!

 

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