Nurture of nature experience brings all-round help for biodiversity

Across Denbighshire’s land and waters, work is ongoing to help nature recovery in the face of the ever-increasing pressures from man-made and climate change impacts.

County Voice sits down with Biodiversity Officer Evie Challinor to find out what has fuelled the steps to the post she holds today to support the nature we have across our county.

Evie spent the first part of her life exploring what Mid Wales outdoors had to offer for a young adventurous spirit.

She said: “Mid Wales is very agricultural; it was a bit different from up here in that way. There are conservation sites there, but not many that were local to me. However, I spent many hours of my early life adventuring, wading in ponds, climbing trees, and following rivers; wherever I could find to explore.”

Pondering her A-Levels, the prospect of taking on an outdoor career inspired by early outdoor adventuring began to form in Evie’s mind.

“I’d always loved Biology and the natural world, especially studying ecosystems and the connectivity of the natural world. I had always been academically minded up until then and the natural progression from here was to pursue Biology in some form, as a career.  

“After a bit of research, I found Zoology and decided that was the course for me. I went to Bangor University where I spent 3 years studying Zoology. It was fantastic having Eryri and Anglesey right on the doorstep for both learning and recreation… it was a brilliant Uni.”

People who love animals often tend to take on Zoology to keep their passion for conservation alight.

Evie explained: “I think it’s quite common when you get there to realise that can’t study animals in isolation. You also need to know your plants and that’s very true of what I am doing now in this role I am in. Plants underpin everything.”

“During my undergraduate, I was fascinated by comparative zoology, the study of animal’s unique adaptions, and with animal behaviour. These led me quite far down the anthropology and evolution route, including looking at how animals and plants are adapted to their surroundings. Slowly that came round to conservation, ending with my decision to stay on and do a Masters in Conservation and Land Management.”

Building up her experience while at Bangor, Evie also spent some time volunteering with the North Wales Wildlife Trust and the Snowdonia Society.

“The Snowdonia Society were quite active in the area and were a really good organisation for a student to get involved with. They provided transport which was a massive help to a student without a car. I went and did a lot of practical habitat management with them as a result.

“I also had friends who were quite heavily involved in the Amphibian Reptile Conservation Trust across that way, so I did some habitat management for them on Anglesey. The other organisation I spent time with was North Wales Wildlife Trust, who I was fortunate to do some water vole survey training with. I really started leaning into the volunteering more towards the end of my Masters.”

Just before graduating with her Masters, Evie secured an all-Wales role with the National Trust.

“It was based on a strategic level; they were trying to bring together the management plans they had for all their different portfolios and begin to make the practical conservation a reality by starting to match up projects up with funding.”

“I was brought into that team to help with the co-ordination. It was a fantastic role to have, especially straight out of university - some really valuable experience.”

Unfortunately for Evie, like many thousands of people, the Covid Pandemic put an end to this part of her career after she took voluntary redundancy due to the huge impact of the time across many organisations in the UK.

However, she soon picked herself back up and joined Cheshire Wildlife Trust, working in the membership department, simultaneously picking up a role as a forest ranger with another company at the time.

Evie’s first steps into Denbighshire came shortly after when she moved into the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as a ranger down in the Dee Valley.

After a summer in the Dee Valley team, she spent the next nine months at Loggerheads, before moving on to working for the Canal and River Trust.

She explained: “I loved the ranger role in many ways but felt it didn’t give me enough time to dedicate to developing some of the skills that I felt I was missing. The role change to ecological advisor for the Canal and River Trust allowed me to gain some of this experience whilst supporting the restoration of the Montgomery Canal.”

Evie admits after a year with the Canal and River Trust, her ‘dream role’ appeared in the form of the job she holds now.

She said: “I had the practical habitat management experience and plenty of advisory experience, but one of the things I really wanted to get to grips with was the species and habitat surveys, which are a really rewarding part of the sector. 

“I feel like my surveying expertise has come on leaps and bounds by just spending that time out and about. You just feel so good; you come back at the end of the day and you are happy. I feel with the projects we are doing that I’m actually making a difference. I think job satisfaction wise you can’t really get much better than that.”

Highlights working as a Biodiversity officer so far for Evie include finding her first great crested newt on one of the sites she works on, and her first dormouse encounter.

“I’m also loving doing the dormouse surveys. We’ve been doing box checks, bringing all the sites up to scratch… you are just lifting the lids and peaking in, waiting to see if there’s anything there! It’s just a really nice thing to do. Especially when you get the tell-tale signs of occupation by seeing a little nose poke out”.

For the many nature supporters out there, Evie’s advice about following in her footsteps is to start ‘getting out there and volunteering’.

She explained: “That foot in the door also shows that you’ve got a passion. Building those connections with the right people will teach you a lot.”

And her ambitions whilst taking on this role?

“I’m currently working hard to get my first license in the form of a great crested newt licence. Getting my first licence under my belt will be a very big milestone for me, with hopefully more to follow in the future.

“I’m also looking to do a ponds project; I’ve got many aspirations for this one. Creating new ponds and a network of people to share knowledge with across Denbighshire and creating a propagation wing for it.

She added: “So I’m currently out doing lots of surveys, and a little digging around sites, trying to find plants to be able to bring back to the tree nursery to propagate to give us a local seed source. It’s great fun!”