Beneath heavy, grey autumnal skies which, despite the warmth of the day, carried a distinct chill on the breeze, we gathered outside a corrugated metal farm building. One by one, cheerful faces walked into the yard to greet us, ready and eager to hear what the day would bring.
Now this might not sound very remarkable, but having two teenagers myself who were still in bed, to see such an enthusiastic and alert group of young people at 10am on a Sunday morning was wonderful. It was clear from the dynamics that there were some experienced volunteers and some who were still finding their feet. In the kitchen the sound of a boiling kettle alerted us to the fact that brews were up and we would soon begin the morning briefing.
RSPB Marshside’s Assistant Warden – Chester heads up the ‘Conservation Crew’. Meeting on the first Sunday of the month, to tackle a variety of essential conservation management tasks. Today was hedge laying. Nothing fancy or sophisticated that would win any competitions, this was your basic boundary hedge being managed on a 7 year rotation. Thick gloves were handed out, safety briefing given, tools grabbed and we headed out into the open field.
At this time of the year the fields look pretty unremarkable and very green, but during the Spring and Summer they are filled with native wild flowers including some spectacular orchids, giving the area a designation of an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). The low cover and abundance of pollen and nectar creates a thriving population of invertebrates. These, in turn, feed the reptiles, mammals and birds which rely on them for survival. They are managed as a hay meadow, giving the flowers long enough to bloom, set seed and disperse before the meadow is cut.
Lucy and Sean in particular had an astounding knowledge of six and eight-legged beasties. Every now and then an excited shout of, “Come and look at this!” or “Hold still, you’ve got something on your back,” echoed across the field. Collection pots came out and everyone gathered around to input their possible identification or to learn from the others who were so generously sharing their knowledge and expertise.
Not everyone was there because they had a nature-based career in mind. Charlotte and Josh both find that being outside and contributing to the environment is a positive experience and time out from the stress of A-level studies. Charlotte would love a career in psychology, particularly cognitive neuroscience and is fascinated by the way the human brain works. Loppers in hand, and topping some hawthorn, she explained how she loves to feel as though she is making a difference.
Josh reported similar feelings, saying it’s his time-out from working hard to get the grades required for medical school. The activities also complement his gardening hobby and provide insight in how to create habitats to improve biodiversity.
This sort of physical work involved provides some much-needed head-space and time-out for these busy students who are recognising that these outdoor nature sessions help them look after their mental health. We then chatted a bit more about the link between nature connectedness and mental health and how nature-based therapies are becoming more and more commonplace.
At school Charlotte met Sean, another of the crew. His passion for nature was infectious and that was why Charlotte had decided to come to her first Conservation Crew meet-up in July.
Sean, has been volunteering with the RSPB for about a year. Today he was learning how to use a saw and billhook to cut through the trunk of a wild cherry just enough to allow it to be bent over into a horizontal position where it would keep growing and thicken up to make it stock proof boundary. At college he is studying biology, chemistry, psychology and photography. An interesting combination you might think but the photography will certainly come in very handy in his chosen career path of taxonomist. He has his eye on Bangor University in North Wales to study zoology in their top ranked department. Today, he is getting stuck in with practical conservation work which he really loves and will look great on his CV and application forms.
Josh had come along with his friend Lauren who had suggested the session to him after she joined in the summer. Lauren is really interested in conservation and would love to explore this as a career option after her gap year in Canada and some time working as a ski instructor in France. Biology is her favourite subject, she tells me as we clear piles of brash, with her other subjects being biochemistry and English literature. We chatted about nature writing as a pathway that could satisfy her love of nature and of words.
Lucy and S-J had both developed a love a wildlife from relatives. Lucy’s Grandad telling her tales of his bird watching escapades and adventures in the great outdoors and S-J walking out with her Great Uncle. At Marshside Lucy is able to see, and hear, plenty of her favourite bird, the lapwing. Having joined in September this was her second meeting with the RSPB. She has also volunteered at the nearby WWT reserve, Martin Mere, where she is hoping to undertake a work placement from her Land and Conservation Management course. Her mum spotted one of our Facebook posts calling for young people, just like herself, to become part of the team. She thought it was a perfect opportunity to gain some practical experience for her application to study ecology and wildlife management at university. S-J’s other passion is art but, she would love to work with a conservation charity when she has completed her L3 Animal Management course. She also really loves raptors of all kinds and had spotted kestrels on her last visit.
Working side by side with S-J they soon realised that they had gone to school together and played in the same orchestra, but never connected over wildlife. Now they were discovering that they had plenty to talk about and seemed to be fast becoming good friends.
Charlie, one of long term volunteers is slightly older than the rest of the group and has already served an internship with the RSPB and is now helping out this new team in his spare time. Driving the trailer round to the fire, Lucy and S-J were ready with loppers to cut up all the branches into manageable lengths ready for burning. Next month will be bonfire night and more of the same work. To say thank-you there might be some toffee apples and parkin – but definitely no fireworks!
Getting out in nature is such a wonderfully enriching activity for young and old alike. In addition to the under 18’s Conservation Crew the RSPB have many roles and locations for volunteers to enjoy getting involved in.
Keep up the good work guys, it was great to see you in action.
Sarah