Biodiverse Society Project - February 2017 BLOG
Friday 17th February 2017
The Biodiverse Society Project is now in its final year; however, its aims remain the same, to develop the skills that aspiring conservationists require and provide experiences which will help support them over the course of the year. Our final set of trainees have been settling into the role since November, so here are a few introductory words about them…
Paul Jones (Lancashire)
"I am the final Trainee Ecological Recording Officer who will be based in Lancashire alongside Amelia Airey. I will be taking over from the current trainees Anthony and Molly and hopefully can continue the excellent work they have done over this past year. I have lived in Wigan my entire life and completed a degree in Environmental Conservation from Bangor University in 2014.
"I have volunteered for Lancashire Wildlife Trust in the Wigan area where I developed my conservation management skills. I am looking forward to improve my survey skills in a variety of different locations in the Lancashire area and working with the different Naturalist groups and experts to achieve this."
Amelia Airey (Lancashire)
"Originally from Hampshire, I graduated from The University of Lincoln in September 2015 with a BSc in Bio-Veterinary Science. I then went on and spent 6 months at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk, a wetland reserve with wet grassland, meadow, fen and reed-beds. I was working on habitat management and involved with various surveys.
"I was delighted to be offered the position of Trainee: Ecological Recording Officer and look forward to improving my knowledge, exploring a variety of habitats types throughout Lancashire and learning and working alongside everyone involved with the Biodiverse Society Project."
Mark Pritchard (Merseyside)
"Having lived in Liverpool my whole life I’m pretty familiar with the city’s local wildlife sites and the vast array of wildlife that you can find within them. That’s why I am excited to begin work as a Trainee Ecological Recording Officer based down at Merseyside Biobank.
"On the Biodiverse Society Project, Johnny & I will have the opportunity to survey local wildlife sites and the data we collate from these will be used to better inform landowners, agencies, and councils about the habitats within and the species that depend on them.
"Alongside this post I am currently in year 2 of part-time study toward a degree in Countryside, Conservation & Recreation Management. I spent the best part of the previous 18 months actively volunteering across the conservation sector with a focus on biological recording, species ID and ecology, and was recently awarded a Lancashire Wildlife Trust Wildlife Champion award for my volunteering contribution."
Jonathan Pescod (Merseyside)
"I lived in Cheshire until beginning my undergraduate degree in Zoology at the University of Liverpool, during which time I fell in love with the city. After finishing I stayed there to work on a trapping project looking at endo-parasite load of field mice and bank voles in Cheshire and the Wirral, before returning to Uni to do an MRes in Evolution and Behaviour over the past year.
"I am keen to improve my species ID and surveying skills and am looking forward to the learning opportunities I will be given during my time with the project. I will be based at the Merseyside Biobank alongside Mark, and plan on taking full advantage of his knowledge of local sites!"