Did you know it is National Volunteer Week 1st-7th June? It seems like an ideal time to celebrate the contribution of volunteers to the work of SWT in Perthshire and at Loch of the Lowes in particular! None of the things we love and enjoy about the loch and its ospreys would be possible without volunteers- they are truly the lifeblood of the place! Did you know?

• There are over 70 volunteers involved with the 24hr Osprey nest protection watch every year, some of whom have been coming as long as our female bird- 24years!

• There are over 100 people on our currently active volunteer list for the reserve, of all ages and backgrounds,  doing all sorts of jobs,  in the Visitor centre, hides and getting dirty hands on outside.
• All the nest and security cameras were pioneered here by a volunteer who still maintains almost all the cams single handedly- thanks Lindsay!
• We host up to 12 residential volunteers each year ( 3-4 at a time) who contribute three months each of full time work, and gain valuable work experience for careers in conservation!

• Our reserve at Loch of the Lowes has a Volunteer Management Committee- people who help make decisions about the reserve and set our priorities. We welcome people getting involved with their local reserves in a very hands on way- that’s the core of the Wildlife Trust idea.
• Volunteers undertake glamorous jobs such as pond clearing, rubbish picking, stone wall building, butterfly surveying, bird counts, weeding and much more! All this to ensure all our local reserves are in tip top condition as habitat for wildlife.

 

I am sure you will all join me in saying  A HUGE THANK YOU to all these wonderful people!

So if you’d like to know more about how to get involved , why not drop in to see us here this week- there will be staff and volunteers on hand to fill you in! If you’d like to know more about volunteering elsewhere in Scotland, contact our Volunteer Officer Peter Gilbert on 0131 312 4732 .