Practical Reserve Work (RSPB Dove Stone)

Do you love being outdoors? Meeting new people? Learning new practical skills and learning about nature restoration and our role within it? This opportunity offers volunteers a practical and accessible understanding into large scale landscape restoration of blanket bog and associated habitat.

The upland peat bogs are in need of repair due to decades of pollution, fires and drainage which has left large areas of bare soil missing the plants and wildlife that are so important to the function of a happy peat bog. Did you know, globally, peat bogs contain more carbon than all the world's tropical rainforests? They are a key habitat in helping to combat the current climate crisis and you can help!

We will be running regular practical workdays where anyone can join in as little or as much as they want, ran weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays to carry out practical work. We cover mileage up to 50 miles per work party, including buses and rail.

This will include:

• Planting sphagnum moss to help slow the flow of water.
• Building and maintaining dams in erosion gullies to hold back water and create pools for breeding wading birds and aquatic insects they feed on.
• Planting trees in Winter.
• Helping with surveys in Summer.
• Site maintenance work e.g. infrastructure repairs, litter picking.

You will:

• Gain skills in practical conservation on an award-winning project.
• Take part in new and novel landscape restoration techniques.
• Improve your fitness.
• Improve mental health and well-being from being outside in nature.
• Meet and make new like-minded friends.
• Make a difference for the local community and wider environment.

We are looking for people from all walks of life. You must be able to walk across undulating moorland, where we may cover up to 2 – 6km a day. Have a love of the outdoors and nature. There are no essential skills required for this role as any training will be provided during our volunteer days.

So, what are you waiting for? We are a friendly and supportive team dedicated to the restoration and conservation of blanket bog habitat. If you are volunteering to learn new skills and gain knowledge about wildlife conservation work, you will find that our team will be more than happy to help you on that journey.