CJS Focus on Volunteering - now published

The latest CJS Focus endorsed by CMA, Natur & SCRA features volunteering,  running to 29 pages it includes articles from the Snowdonia Society, WildCRU at Oxford University and the Woodland Trusts' Nature's Calendar project. SCRA hope to establish a national Junior Countryside Ranger Scheme to support the delivery of Junior Ranger schemes in Scotland and here they provide some examples of existing projects. The Nature's Calendar survey tells how seasonal variations affect common wildlife species, Kate Lewthwaite explains how important the involvement of volunteers is in a long running scheme such as this. The infection in 2012 of ash trees by the Chalara fungus prompted an enormous public reaction, Forestry Commission and other organisations including Uni of East Anglia want to harness that reaction in the form of citizen science to gather information about the spread of the fungus (using Ashtag) and to monitor other damaging pests and diseases. Trustee volunteers can often provide much needed skills, otherwise unavailable to most charities. Snowdonia Society describes some of the skills and experience their Trustees bring to the table. And to finish 'Do many hands make light work?' Dr Christina Buesching from Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) talks about her investigations in to the pros and cons of involving amateur volunteers in ecological surveys. Readit in full here