Nottinghamshire
Wildlife Trust
Notes for candidates for the post of Idle Valley Reserve Officer
1.
Introduction to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust was established in 1963 and has since grown into the
county’s largest environmental charity with around 11,000 members, a turnover of c£2
million, more than 70 nature reserves covering over 3,500 acres and some 45 staff. Our
efforts are part of a nationwide network of 47 local Wildlife Trusts working in partnership to
protect our precious natural heritage, and coordinated by the central body, the Royal
Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT).
Further details of the Wildlife
www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org
Trust
are
available
on
our
website
at
2. The work of the Wildlife Trust
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is run by local people for the benefit of local wildlife and
wildlife habitats. Improving people's understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the
natural world is fundamental to our work. We are increasingly looking to enhance the
natural environment on a landscape-scale to create a Living Landscape for wildlife and
people.
We have an active Estate Management Team for our nature reserves across the county.
The Team also manages our own sheep and cattle to promote conservation grazing on
our sites and in the wider countryside.
Our Conservation Planning and Policy Team liaise with farmers and landowners to
promote and encourage conservation stewardship. We also work closely through the
planning system to influence development for the benefit of wildlife. At local, regional and
national level we campaign for the protection of threatened species and habitats by
influencing policy and legislation.
We have a diverse programme of activity through our Education and Community Team,
reaching a quarter of the county’s schools, running 8 Wildlife Watch groups and engaging
communities in our work. Our Visitor Centre at Attenborough provides a flagship for our
work and our recent partnership initiative with North Nottinghamshire College, the Idle
Valley Rural Learning Centre, offers opportunities to develop new audiences.
Further details of the staff structure can be found in the accompanying organisational
structure chart.
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3. About the Estates Team
The Estates Team is responsible for managing, enhancing and developing the Trust’s
estate. Our nature reserves are flagships for our work to demonstrate conservation
management for wildlife, and interpretation and access for people. Our sites cover a
range of habitat types including woodland, grassland, heathland and wetland, and
comprise around half the county’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest. They represent
some of the finest wildlife sites in Nottinghamshire, and support many of our most
threatened and charismatic species. The Team works closely with our corporate partners,
Local Authorities, local communities and others to promote sustainable management and
use.
4. About the Idle Valley Project and Reserve Officer post
The project is based at the Idle Valley Nature Reserve situated to the north of Retford in
north Nottinghamshire. In 2009 Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust was awarded a five year
Heritage Lottery grant to establish a 450ha nature reserve with associated habitat and
access works required to create the infrastructure. The project also has a Community
Outreach Manager in post working to develop educational, community and commercial
activity from the Rural Learning Centre.
In the first three years the project has brought much of the area into positive management
with significant improvements to the breeding bird populations with extensive monitoring of
the species and habitats carried out. Continued management will involve extensive
grazing by cattle and sheep and, although full-time stock management is available,
knowledge of grazing will be an advantage. The project has also developed links with the
local community and has helped establish the Rural Learning Centre as a destination for
visitors to the site. Further work remaining through this project involves the establishment
of a significant area of wet grassland and the implementation of water control systems
around the site to help achieve water levels for vegetation control and optimising breeding
bird habitat.
The post will involve managing the Ecominds Project Officer running a project providing
green therapy to Mental Health Service Users and providing volunteering opportunities to
help stabilise and improve their mental health.
The post is a permanent position, and will involve working with the management of the
Wildlife Trust to develop funding streams to maintain income to cover the costs of
managing the nature reserve.
7 January 2013
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