Intern (Conservation, Pagham Harbour & Medmerry Reserves, West Sussex)

RSPB Pagham Harbour & Medmerry Reserves are looking for volunteer conservation interns!

An RSPB Voluntary Internship is designed to provide the experience, training, skills and knowledge required to pursue a career in conservation by gaining a wide range of practical experience in a variety of habitats.

Our reserves are vital havens for a huge range of species, and special spaces for us all to get closer to nature, and we want you to be a part of our team managing these whilst you are gaining the experience to start your career in conservation.

The tasks for voluntary internships at our RSPB Pagham Harbour & Medmerry Reserves will vary greatly depending on the team’s priorities and the season, but it will be vital work involving practical conservation of the reserve and management of volunteers. As a volunteer you will work alongside the Warden team, focusing on habitat management, reserve maintenance and surveys.

What you'll be doing

• Making repairs to our site infrastructure such as gates, fences and benches, including use of mechanical post driver
• Assisting and leading our volunteer work parties with practical conservation work for which first aid training will be provided.
• Managing habitat vegetation with the use of Chainsaw and brush-cutting power tools. (Subject to certificates being held)
• Carrying out machinery and vehicle maintenance including maintenance logs
• Managing invasive species, e.g. mink traps
• Monitoring of breeding waders
• Maintaining anti-predator fencesWater level management - salinity in Ferry Pool
• Taking part in monthly WeBS counts
• Opportunities to take part in wildlife surveys including Bats, Water vole, Harvest mouse, insect and others as arranged
• Undertake habitat surveys in line with our High Level Stewardship agreement
• Maintaining wildlife records, including use of Merlin mapping tool

The skills you'll need

We will provide all the training and information needed to carry out the role, but in addition you will have:

• Excellent organisational skills.
• Enthusiasm.
• Willingness to learn.
• Driving licence.

What's in it for you

This scheme is designed to give you the training and experience needed to pursue a career in conservation. As well as providing lots of opportunities to gain first-hand experience, we will assist your personal development and progression. It is also important that you take advantage of the opportunities that will arise during the placement to learn new skills, gain new experiences and increase your conservation knowledge.

We will offer you:

• Experience of working in a team and supervising other volunteers.
• A working knowledge of the RSPB and conservation issues.
• Excellent practical experience of working on a nature reserve and managing different coastal habitats for wildlife, including wet grassland, peat bog, reed bed and ancient woodland.
• An understanding of management planning process, priority habitats, target species and their habitat requirements, and management options.

Please note: this is not a residential internship - accommodation is not provided.

Duration

Six months, starting in September-October 2022 and ending at the end of March 2023, 2-3 days per week, including one day at weekends each week. Interviews will be held in September-October.