Since 2015, we have been working alongside Cornwall Wildlife Trust on an exciting conservation project at College, Argal and Stithians reservoirs near Penryn and Redruth. The project is part of a South West Water funded catchment management initiative, Upstream Thinking.

There are two main aims of the Upstream Thinking project:

1. Farm advisors, ecologists and water quality scientists from Cornwall Wildlife Trust work with landowners in Upstream Thinking catchments to help improve farm practices. The goal is to encourage clean water by reducing the risk of soil, nutrients and pesticides entering rivers and streams.
2. Volunteer groups visit different sites around the catchment to undertake conservation and habitat management tasks to improve the sites for wildlife. 

Senior Ranger Jeremy Fielden has been involved in the project since 2015, with ranger Coral Moran now running the volunteering sessions. Every Thursday, volunteers work on a variety of tasks including scrub clearance, bracken management, invasive species removal and tree planting.

Jeremy told us that “Working at a catchment area level enables surrounding landowners to create connected habitats, so we can aim to manage this area for the good of wildlife – creating corridors and viewing the landscape as a whole instead of piecemeal.

“This project empowers landowners to put in place more sustainable practices and create wildlife habitats. Meanwhile, volunteers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds have enjoyed being part of this project, with the opportunity to visit different sites and learn new skills.

“Tree planting is very popular – it’s a good, visual way of giving back to the environment, and the results last for generations. It’s also good for the CV!”

There are currently around 15 regular volunteers and on average five or six attend each session.

Coral said: “We’ve got a couple of volunteers who have been with us right from the beginning – Liz and Jane – they are superstars!

“We have a few students at Penryn and Falmouth studying environment – they’ve got knowledge and enthusiasm. Then there are a couple of chefs who are interested because all their food comes from nature and they want to do something worthwhile. We also have some retired people who have lived a good life but want to give something back.

“Steph, the farm advisor from Cornwall Wildlife Trust, liaises with the farmers and landowners and will give us direction on where to go and what tasks to do. She also comes along to about two sessions a month.”

We would love to welcome new volunteers to our Thursday sessions! If you’re interested in volunteering with us please contact [email protected] to find out more.