Fresh out of university, I moved from Yorkshire to the beautiful Midlands to become a ranger at Stanwick Lakes. Full of nerves and excitement, I got to see the nature reserve for the first time, and after a tour from our head ranger, Carol, I was truthfully overwhelmed! 750 acres was hard to picture until I saw it and heard about all the work it takes to make this place so special. But then we stopped, we looked across one of the lakes, saw egrets and herons, and she told me about the otters, muntjac, and wildfowl I would expect to see come winter. Well, after that, the nerves left, and I realized how lucky I was to be here!
My being here was made possible by a scheme run by Groundwork UK called New to Nature. This scheme, funded by the National Lottery, helped young people get into green careers. It especially focused on young people who otherwise would have found it difficult to access conservation or who faced difficulty in their lives. With no driving license and not enough money in the bank to volunteer for a year, which is generally how people access careers in nature, it would have been quite difficult for me to join the sector. New to Nature made this possible for me; so for that, I am very grateful.
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Off the bat, I realized I had a lot to learn, and every day expanded that list. The other rangers helped tremendously by being patient and willing teachers! Over time though, I found myself knowing where everything was, which tool was right for the job, and the reasoning behind the timings and method of each task we did. I loved learning the “why” behind our jobs. Cutting our wildflower meadows was one of the early examples of this. Historically, wildflower meadows were cut to harvest the grass to make hay for farmers’ livestock. Over time, our flower species adapted to this agricultural practice, and now grow best when cut periodically. Not only was doing this job very good fun, but learning the history of it was fascinating. Most of what we do here has an interesting story like that to go with it, which is one of the main reasons I love this job.
Early on, I knew I wanted to build something at Stanwick Lakes, to leave something behind as I only had a year here. My moment came when I joined up with Ranger Luke to build a bridge. For me, this was a very exciting moment, but for him, maybe less so, as he had to endure my endless questions (sorry, Luke!). Seeing the bridge out of the cabin window makes me smile still, as it was the first time I got to add something to the park. I was also able to flex my newfound building muscles with Michelle as we built the beach-huts in our play area, which we often like to remind ourselves how good of a job we think we did. Luke again got the “pleasure” of my assistance in building a bird viewing screen. If the bridge was exciting, then this was another league! I got to do more research on this project and saw how he planned it out. On my cycle to work now, I get to stop there each day and watch the wildlife. A family of Great Crested Grebes is the current view.
This has been a year of learning for me, but I also get to teach others who visit us. Ranger Michelle has helped me find enjoyment in teaching the young people who visit us. At first, I was listening to her sessions just as intently as the children, as I wanted to absorb this information too. But in time, it all came together and now I love to take the children to different places on-site to learn about the wildlife. My favorite memory is during pond-dipping when one of the children shouted, “I caught a fish,” which they often shout, usually mistaking a large diving beetle for a fish. The sentence “I don’t think so, let’s have a look together” had half left my mouth when I looked, and astonishingly, they were right. They had caught a fish. I don’t know if I managed to convey how impressed I really was.
Along with great memories and experiences, I have gained tangible evidence of my development over this last year. I started with getting my brush cutter license. This meant I could help more with the huge task of clearing our islands, overgrown brambles, and willow trees, which we must keep at bay. Using the brush cutter was a hit of independence, as you can hardly work together wielding machinery like that. It was great for me to be able to start tackling a piece of land, and being able to look back at it, seeing that I had done it myself. I was also trained in First Aid to ensure that if anyone needed it, I could offer help. For me, a driving license has always been a barrier to this field, and after some health problems and financial strain, it had taken me a lot longer than I wanted. But with help from the Rockingham Forest Trust and New to Nature, I was finally able to put the time into getting it! At work, this means I have much more independence as I can use the vehicles, including the tractor. Learning to drive this right after passing my test was the ranger team’s idea of a birthday present. Thanks, guys…
I was only meant to be here for a year, with the aim of learning, experiencing, and seeing as much as I could squeeze into it, which I very much have done. But, much to my delight, I’ll be around at least a little longer. Thanks to the team and director here, we have been able to gain funding for me to stay beyond the year mark, and I hope it will continue that way!
After such a great year, I give a huge thank you to the team, volunteers (especially Colin and Bill), and visitors who have helped me learn and laugh along the way! Thank you all for your patience, lessons, cups of tea, and support!
