Wildlife and nature volunteer at Tarras Valley Nature Reserve [20729]

Tarras Valley Nature Reserve is south of Scotland’s largest community owned nature reserve situated in east Dumfries and Galloway in the town of Langholm. Run by the Langholm Initiative on behalf of the local community, it is home to 10’500 acres of upland moorland, ancient woodlands, river meadows, and nationally important peat bogs, providing a home for both wildlife and people.

We hold weekly 2-hour volunteer sessions to help with the generally running of the reserve. The activities vary week by week but some of the tasks undertaken in the past have included: planting trees, removal of invasive plants, removal of old fencing, planting wildflowers, wildlife surveys, and much more. Some volunteers have even gone above and beyond, helping to organise and even run some of our community events. There is no expectation as to how many hours you commit and how regularly you attend the sessions!

Volunteering with us will give you experience working with nature and the environment, keep you physically active as some of the activities can be demanding (however, we all work to our own abilities), provide you with a sense of community, grow confidence, and get some fresh air!

No specific skills needed but, as the work can be quite physical, it is important to let the sessions lead know about any injuries or conditions, and not to overexert yourself! We allow under 18s to volunteer with us with prior parental consent.

The sessions take place at various locations across the reserve. The locations are announced at the end of each month for the next coming month. Most should be accessible by car or bike, but we will make it clear if somewhere is not accessible and requires carpooling etc.

We hold weekly sessions, usually 10am-12pm on Friday mornings, with a monthly Saturday session 10am-2pm with a lunch break in the middle. Occasionally these times and days will vary but each month will be announced via our Facebook group or email list with plenty of notice.

Interested in this role?