WildNet - Amy Lewis
Surveying and monitoring
Vital monitoring
Surveying, monitoring and recording species across the county is vital if we are to understand the current state of nature across Somerset and monitor the effects of our efforts to conserve it.
There are many ways to get involved in species recording, and you don’t have to be an expert to begin with
Honeygar Rangers
We are currently recruiting for this role!
Central to our efforts at Honeygar, our invaluable Honeygar Rangers have been pivotal in ongoing monitoring and conservation efforts. Their unwavering dedication has enabled us to conduct species surveys across a spectrum of taxa, from specialised sessions focused on fungi, plant gall, flies, moths, grasshoppers, and crickets to broader species surveys, hydrological monitoring and managing our Wilder Sensing project.
We are currently recruiting for more volunteers to join are existing team and continue to help us evidence change and nature's recovery at Honeygar. There are a range of tasks to get involved in:
Biotic surveys; Butterflies, bumblebees, moths, ditch invertebrates, dragonflies, birds, mammals, camera trapping, malaise traps, flies
Abiotic surveys; Water table depth (dipwells) and greenhouse gas monitoring
Other work; Litter picking, maintenance of monitoring equipment
The majority of tasks take place on a Monday, but this can be flexible depending on the task.
All the information collected will be used to inform our pioneering work at Honeygar and be fed into larger datasets held by the Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC) to evidence nature's recovery across the county. This is in addition to contributing to ongoing scientific reserve by academic institutions such as University of the West of England and the University of Bristol.
The most important thing we are looking for is people who are passionate about wildlife and the fantastic habitats of the Avalon Marshes. Honeygar is the most ambitious project SWT have taken on and we are looking for people who are dedicated, reliable and willing to learn, so we can achieve our goals for Honeygar and the rest of the County. Training will be provided by Joe and other volunteers.
Please email volunteering@somersetwildlife.org with any queries or questions about this group. If you are interested in volunteering at Honeygar, please list your skills and experience when emailing. You don't need to be an expert, but knowing your experience and interests will help us to recruit a range of volunteers who can support with the many different surveys taking place!
Specialist Recording Groups
Somerset Wildlife Trust works with a number of specialist interest groups dedicated to conserving and recording Somerset’s rich wildlife, habitats and varied geology.
Joining these groups is one of the best ways to get actively involved in recording and get support from fellow enthusiasts. You can find out more about each of the counties specialist groups and how to get in touch with them here: Species and habitat groups | Somerset Wildlife Trust
Further information
Wherever possible, we encourage you to volunteer locally to minimise the impact of travel on the environment.
To see volunteering opportunities and community groups in your local area, check out or Team Wilder map.
If you have any questions about any of these surveying opportunities, please email volunteering@somersetwildlife.org
