Volunteer badger surveyors required
The charity Scottish Badgers is currently recruiting volunteers to assist with its national survey work in the region. The ‘Get Sett Scotland!’ citizen science project aims to provide an estimate of the current density and distribution of badger main setts across Scotland, and to measure the extent of change since the Scottish Badger Distribution Survey – a baseline survey undertaken by the charity between 2006 and 2009.
Volunteers receive free training and support from Scottish Badgers’ Programme Manager Elaine Rainey, who ran the original survey and who has over 20 years’ experience in badger work.
Once trained, volunteers will be allocated a randomly selected 1-km survey square near them to be surveyed in their own time for signs of badger setts and field signs. Surveys should take 1-2 days to complete. Volunteer travel expenses are available.
The charity will be running two training courses in the region over the coming months:
Galloway
Online theory training – Wednesday 28th February 2024, 7-8.30pm
Field training – Saturday 2nd March 2024, 10am-3pm (nr. Newton Stewart)
Dumfriesshire
Online theory training – Monday 11th March 2024, 7-8.30pm
Field training – Saturday 16th March 2024, 10am–3pm (nr. Dumfries)
No experience is necessary to become a Volunteer Badger Surveyor for the project as full training will be given. For further information or to book a place on one of the above courses, please contact elaine@scottishbadgers.org.uk.
