We are always looking to grow team of volunteers to ensure that we get the best from NFM. It’s all outdoor work and you can do as much or as little as you want – working alone, in pairs or in small groups.
FLOOD MONITORING
Immediately after any heavy rainfall event we need to mobilise a team of volunteers to go out and take photographs of key NFM assets and watercourses to help us understand how well NFM is working. Your pictures will be fed in to the overall flood report for the catchment.
All you’ll need is a camera (or smartphone) and a decent pair of wellies! We have to mobilise this team at 24-36 hours notice, and so volunteers aren’t always available.
MAINTENANCE SURVEYS
We need to inspect all 700 NFM assets every year to ensure that they remain fully effective. This work is done between October and April when the undergrowth has died back and assets are accessible.
Volunteers are allocated a “patch” to inspect and given guidance on what to look out for.
Volunteers carry out the work when it suits them and findings are fed in to the SAFAG plan of maintenance works. All you’ll need is a camera (or smartphone) and a decent pair of wellies!
MAINTENANCE WORKS
In many cases, all we need to do to keep our NFM assets in top condition is clear out the build-up of twigs, branches and leaves behind dams.
Volunteers work in pairs or as small groups to haul the debris out of the stream (when the water levels are low!) and on to the bank for the landowner to clear.
HABITAT MONITORING
Our volunteers learn how to undertake structured baseline surveys of a short stretch of river, measuring water quality, vegetation and other characteristics of the watercourse.
The results are fed in to a national database, with follow-up surveys conducted every 6 months to review progress. Full training for this vital work is provided by the Environment Agency.
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER!
