Sam has joined the Great Fen reserves team at an incredibly busy time! They're a small yet dedicated team delivering the restoration of the Great Fen, with Sam's role focused on practical land conservation management related to Peatland Progress. Let's see how he's getting on and what attracted him to a role with the Wildlife Trust BCN! 

(Sam is in conversation with Great Fen colleague Danielle Page.) 

Danielle ~ Hi Sam! So good to have you on the team. Tell us, what made you want to work in conservation?

My fascination with the natural world, which eventually transformed into my desire to work in conservation, started at a fairly young age for me. When I was growing up, I would often spend days with my family in the nearby Swinley Forest. From there an interest in the natural world began to develop, leading me to appreciate the study and experiences found within nature throughout my time at school.

It was a natural progression to continue my focus with my degree at university. I also coupled this with fascinating periods of conservation volunteering abroad in Greece, South Africa, the Seychelles and Costa Rica. While I was volunteering in all of these fantastically diverse and varied environments I fell more and more in love with the hands-on practices and the engaging challenges and realities of practical conservation, especially when it was paired with seeing turtle hatchlings in the morning in Greece, giant tortoises at midday in the Seychelles and huge flocks of migrating raptors in Costa Rica!

So, when I finished my time at university, I didn’t consider any other path than heading into conservation. It was what had grabbed my interest and passion when I was just a child and kept a hold of me all the way up to now.

D ~ Wow and WOW! Can't promise anything quite so exotic in the Fens but there were some terrapins reported in Cambridgeshire a few years ago :). So, where else did your career take you before us?

S ~ Before I joined the Great Fen team, I was working as a residential volunteer with the RSPB at Loch Lomond. I joined the team there in April last year and was with them for just over six months working alongside the Reserve Warden and two other residential volunteers. While I was at Loch Lomond, my work would range from dealing with invasive species, infrastructure and building works, surveys, or desperately trying to stop cattle swimming away into the Loch!

D ~ OK, so from the highlands to the very lowlands! We can still offer water, surveys and cattle, although we've not seen them swim yet! Why did you want to come here next?

S ~ When I found out about the Great Fen, I was immediately drawn to the scale and ambition of the project with its boldly stated goal of restoring around 3,000 hectares of peat fenland over a planned 100-year project. I’d never heard of such a large-scale project happening in the UK before, let alone southern England rather than somewhere like Northumberland or Scotland. The more I read about the Great Fen after that, along with the alarming state of peatland within the UK, made the project appear more and more desirable to join. When combined with how I wanted to continue working in reserve management after having enjoyed everything I did while at the RSPB Loch Lomond reserve, it seemed like and has turned out to be the perfect opportunity.

D ~ We are delighted to have someone so passionate about peatland restoration on board. What's been your favourite part of the job so far?

S ~ My favourite part of the job is always going to be the physical work we do in the reserve; spending time out surrounded by nature, no matter the weather, really can’t be beat. I always find it very satisfying both to see the tangible impact of the work you’re doing. Even if it is something as simple as removing old fencing or cutting to clear paths. Furthermore, when the physical work is completed, the ability to come back and see how it has created a legacy of improvement, a month, or a year, or five years later is a wonderful motivator and unexpected reward for that type of work. That is why it’s my favourite part of the job.

D - How does our wildlife compare to those other locations? Found any fenland favourites?

By far my favourite wildlife species to see are the birds of prey that we have in abundance across the site. I don’t think there’s been a single day while working out in the field that I haven’t spotted at least one red kite, buzzard, marsh harrier or kestrel soaring across the skies of the fen. No matter how many times I’ve seen them it is always a spectacle to see those birds in flight, as well as being a brilliant indicator of how healthy and productive the ecosystem is in the Great Fen and how much the project has worked to improve the habitat found in the reserve.

D ~ Sounds like you'll be well suited to the raptor surveys! And lastly, what's something people would be surprised to know about you, Sam?

S ~ When I was volunteering in South Africa at a game reserve, I took a weekend off to do the, at the time, highest bridge bungee jump in the world. It was 216 metres tall over the Bloukrans River and was an amazing experience where it feels like you’re falling for ever over a huge river gorge! 

We've shared a couple of stills but let Sam know if you'd like to see the whole video!