Connecting with Nature: My experience volunteering for water voles

Lancashire Wildlife Trust team members, past and present.

Forestry Commission volunteer looking out over Barlow’s Wood in Bickershaw, Wigan

Annabelle Brittle shares the joy of volunteering for a worthwhile cause; protecting and diversifying water vole habitats with a group of like-minded people in the autumn sunshine.

A group setting off to help conserve water voles and their homes

People often leave resolution-making until January, but I made a decision this autumn to start volunteering in nature as often as I could. As a seasoned wild swimmer I’m no stranger to the great outdoors, but I was keen to start involving myself in practical projects that would benefit my local area.

As well as applying to become a Visitor Engagement Volunteer at Brockholes nature reserve and joining a volunteering group at my local country park, I recently joined staff and volunteers from Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Forestry England for a water vole conservation project.

Why did I decide to get involved with this particular project? I saw a post on the Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Facebook page asking for members of the public to come along to a local woodland to “work on improving and creating new opportunities for the water vole.” I was intrigued and signed up to help. I saw it as a chance to spend a couple of days in nature doing something useful, which indeed it was. But as it turns out, that was only part of the reason I ended up enjoying myself so much.

On the first day, I met staff and volunteers from Forestry England and Lancashire Wildlife Trust at Barlow’s Wood in Bickershaw, Wigan. Both parties are working together as part of the Wigan Greenheart Landscape Recovery Scheme, which aims to expand and improve habitats for endangered species and get local people involved in conservation efforts. After a safety briefing and a tool talk, including how to use loppers, hand saws and rather terrifyingly-named “slashers”, we set about clearing lots of overgrown vegetation from the sides of a stream in a wooded area.

A group enjoying refreshments under a gazebo

The day was led by Valentina Scarpa, North West Volunteer Coordinator for Forestry England, and she explained that the aim of our work was to improve and diversify wild vole habitats. By thinning and ‘crown lifting’ trees surrounding the stream, we were improving access to the water for voles as well as allowing more sunlight to reach the ground which would promote the growth of grasses and reeds that voles like to eat.

It was thirsty work, so before long we stopped for a much-needed tea break and passed around plenty of biscuits.

Later, we ventured further downstream to see some water vole burrows. Whilst none of the adorable creatures made an appearance, we did spot some beautiful fungi in the surrounding woodland.

By the end of the day, I felt a huge sense of achievement and drove home with a big smile on my face. The work had been tough but very enjoyable; there’s something incredibly satisfying about getting out in nature and absorbing yourself in manual tasks with likeminded people.

Volunteers heading out into scrubby grassland in the autumn sunshine

A week later, I joined the conservation team again at the same location to continue the project. There were a few more community volunteers like myself this time and we couldn’t have been luckier with the weather; it was a picture-perfect autumnal day, complete with bright blue skies and unexpectedly warm sunshine. This time, the main focus of the day was clearing large areas of scrubby grassland a little further down the stream. The overall idea of this project is to ensure that local water voles have greater freedom of movement and better food sources around the area, and this involves making sure beneficial locations are well-connected: creating voles corridors.

A volunteer cutting through vegetation to improve access for water voles

Cutting through chest-high grasses and snaggly brambles is tiring but immensely gratifying work, and it wasn’t long before we’d cleared a number of areas near the stream. It’s important not to clear too much, however, so we left plenty of tussocks and longer patches to provide protection from predators.

After lunch, Valentina and Karl Horne, a Project Officer from Lancashire Wildlife Trust, led the group around the various ponds, meadows and heathland areas of Barlow’s Wood, discussing the many improvement projects that are on the cards over the coming years. This relatively small patch of land contains a wide variety of different habitat types and is therefore an incredibly important location for conservation, redevelopment and education. I feel privileged to have contributed in some small way to the improvement of this area, and I’m excited by the prospect of joining more projects there in the future.

After a bit of thought, I’ve realised there are three main points that made this particular volunteering project so enjoyable:

I’ve learned new things - I’m not exactly the green-fingered type, preferring to leave my garden to grow wild and free. However, I feel proud to have learned about habitat maintenance, tree care and water voles themselves, not to mention my new appreciation of slashers and saws!
I’ve contributed to meaningful action for nature - It felt wonderful to spend two days outside proactively doing something beneficial for our local wildlife. This project is a tangible, practical way in which I’ve made a difference for an endangered species, and that feels really good.
I’ve met some brilliant people - Perhaps my favourite part of this experience has been meeting and working alongside some wonderful, passionate people. We spent so much time laughing together and discussing everything from conservation, mental health and politics to our favourite kinds of bread and our worst jokes. Everyone had their own reasons for wanting to help out and it was a pleasure to share this experience with them.

A group of water vole conservation volunteers

In summary, my experience volunteering for water voles has been a fantastic one. I thoroughly enjoyed getting involved as a community volunteer and have signed up with both Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Forestry England to join more projects like this.