Residential Volunteer (Arne)
RSPB
Why We Want You
We are looking for enthusiastic residential volunteers to join the Dorset Warden Team based at Arne for between 6 and 12 months. Working with staff and volunteers, you will be able to travel across the county to the other RSPB reserves in Dorset to explore a range of habitats.
You will become a vital member of the Dorset team and help us carry out work to benefit key species including Dormice, Dartford Warbler, Nightjar and Southern Damselfly.
What’s In It For You
You will gain a huge range of skills in practical habitat management as well as species identification with some opportunities to assist with wildlife surveys - working within the UK's largest conservation organisation. You will volunteer not just at one reserve, but across all 8 Dorset reserves gaining vital experience working in wetlands, reedbeds, heathland, acid grassland, hazel coppice, ancient woodland and tidal estuaries.
Alongside practical experience, there may be opportunities to increase your ecological skills by helping out with surveys and joining the Purbeck Natural History Forum (PNHF) for specific talks and learning days. Two of the reserves you will cover (Arne and Radipole Lake) are some of the busiest visitor reserves in the country. There may be opportunities to help the Visitor Engagement team with greeting visitors, leading school groups and guided walks, contributing to social media posts, and the organisation and running of various events.
The range of habitats and practical tasks across Dorset will give you an excellent foundation should you be looking for a career in conservation or if you just want to contribute to giving nature a home in our ever-changing environment. Training will be essential to many of the tasks you will carry out and will be provided as needed.
You will be provided with self-catering accommodation at Arne reserve, set in the heart of this fantastic area of lowland heath, giving you a chance to get to know all the local wildlife.
Requirements
You must be at least 18 years of age, confident to live in a remote place (potentially on your own), have a full UK driving licence and be a confident driver, and show enthusiasm and passion for wildlife. Due to the physically demanding nature of the work, you must be prepared to undertake strenuous manual labour outside in all weathers.
Though good wildlife skills and knowledge would be of benefit they are not essential, your willingness and enthusiasm to learn will make the difference to wildlife.
Notes
Accommodation, including bills, is provided. Appropriate training will be provided as appropriate, and pre-agreed expenses will be reimbursed where necessary. Volunteer hours are 8:30-17:00 Mon-Thurs, 8:30-15:45 Fri.
About RSPB
The RSPB is a charity for the conservation of birds and nature. We bring people together who love birds and other wildlife, and who want to take action to restore the health and diversity of the natural world. We carry out conservation on a large scale, protect and restore habitats, and save species from extinction. We’re living in a nature and climate emergency, and we won’t stop whilst the threats persist.
We believe our work makes a real difference to the world we live in. It takes a great team to
save nature and we need a wide range of skills to make it happen.
As an RSPB employee, you will be helping to save nature every time you come to work. There’s never been a more important time to protect our wildlife and wild places, so we want to make sure you feel rewarded for everything you help us to achieve.
The RSPB is a charity for the conservation of birds and nature. We bring people together who love birds and other wildlife, and who want to take action to restore the health and diversity of the natural world. We carry out conservation on a large scale, protect and restore habitats, and save species from extinction. We’re living in a nature and climate emergency, and we won’t stop whilst the threats persist. We believe our work makes a real difference to the world we live in. It takes a great team to save nature and we need a wide range of skills to make it happen. As an RSPB employee, you will be helping to save nature every time you come to work. There’s never been a more important time to protect our wildlife and wild places, so we want to make sure you feel rewarded for everything you help us to achieve.
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