Author:
Rachel Davies
We have an exciting new opportunity available for this summer, for four volunteers to join us on River Conservation placements. These placements will help the Community Engagement and River Restoration teams. These are fantastic opportunities for current students, or graduates, who are looking to gain practical experience in river conservation.
As a River Conservation volunteer, you will gain skills and experience in many aspects of river-related conservation, as well as having opportunities to learn about conservation in general. Volunteers will support Severn Rivers Trust in carrying out a catchment-wide electrofishing programme. This will require volunteers to travel throughout the catchment, carrying out electrofishing surveys under the supervision of staff. Electrofishing is a commonly used survey method and is very enjoyable, allowing you to practice your fish husbandry, handling, and identification.
The electrofishing program will take up most of the time during the placement, but it will be complemented by some additional tasks related to assisting with the Unlocking the Severn project. It will involve some practical work, such as revetment, invasive species control and other related tasks. And it will involve some outreach work, with volunteers being asked to contribute to social media engagement through writing blogs and providing updates for social media channels- both for Severn Rivers Trust and the Unlocking the Severn project.
A training package relevant to the role will be given, which will include training in some or all of the following: IFM Electrofishing Certificate, IFM Fish Identification Certificate, Emergency First Aid at Work, safe use of equipment and hand tools, risk assessments, data handling, and social media engagement.
This placement is voluntary, and volunteers will be required to commit to a minimum of two days per week, from June 1st until September 10th, 2021. There is a generous training budget for volunteers, which includes any PPE required to undertake the role and all travel expenses will be reimbursed at a set rate.
Ideally, you will have a driving license as many sites will be inaccessible by public transport. Volunteers will also need to be physically fit as the role involves a lot of practical work.
To apply for this volunteer placement, please email a CV and covering letter to Rachel Davies, Volunteering Officer, at rachel.davies@severnriverstrust.com. In your cover letter, please state how you meet the following criteria:
Closing date May 14th
